COVER STORY
Alumni PerspectiveS: Leadership Trajectory BY LIZA ROBERTSON
I SPOKE TO SEVEN AG LEADERSHIP ALUMNI ABOUT HOW THEIR EXPERIENCES AS FELLOWS OF THE EARLY CLASSES IMPACTED THEIR LIVES. WITHOUT A DOUBT, THESE ALUMNI HAVE CARRIED THEIR AG LEADERSHIP LESSONS WITH THEM WHEREVER THEY GO. ALL HAVE UTILIZED THE SKILLS THEY GAINED IN A WAY THAT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED THEIR LEADERSHIP TRAJECTORIES. “Ag Leadership taught me during that first session in Sacramento that I’m just as good as the rest of my fellows with college degrees,” said John Muller (8). “It really increased my confidence. Because of Ag Leadership, I found myself having many high-profile experiences that I had never expected to have, like serving as mayor of Half Moon Bay, or being appointed by four different governors to serve on a state board. How did I get these experiences? Because of Ag Leadership. Thank you to Ag Leadership and its founders!”
Simply put, Jim Nielsen (5) attributes his success away from life on the farm to the exposure he gained to the world through the Ag Leadership Program. “The joy of going way beyond the farm to experience life and to learn— these were the most impactful times for me,” said Nielsen. For Peggy Perry, Ph.D. (9), the opportunities she had to learn from her fellow classmates left a lasting impression and gave her an enduring sense of obligation to not sit back and complain about things, but to go out and make a difference.
Those of you who know John Muller won’t be surprised to hear how passionate he is about his Ag Leadership experience. Muller attributes much of his leadership success to the program that he and his wife, Eda, both say changed his life. The social experiences changed his outlook on the world and gave him an inclusive attitude which he is especially proud of.
“One of the most impactful experiences was being with a group of people who were so committed to giving back and taking on leadership roles,” said Perry. “I was young and was doing great in my academic role, but I didn’t have people in my orbit in the industry who were so knowledgeable about issues, so that inspired me.”
“Ag Leadership gave me confidence—and that confidence showed up last year when I flew the gay pride flag at my farm,” said Muller. “I had hundreds of people stop and thank me for making them feel welcome. I would never have been that person if it wasn’t for Ag Leadership. It made me the person I am. No matter where I’ve gone or what I’ve done, I’m thankful for that.”
When Gus Collin (3) thinks back on Ag Leadership moments that left the greatest impression on his life, he remembers times when he learned about making a difference through interactions with government leaders.
Another graduate who gained confidence during their time in the program is Audrey Tennis (12). She describes the experience as giving her the tools she needed to reach for goals she had never imagined she would have. “Ag Leadership was just this great big launching pad for me,” said Tennis. “It provided me the perfect combination of training and experiences to mix with the skills and abilities that I brought to the table. It gave me the confidence to become a risk taker and reach out for opportunities that appeared to be far beyond my wildest dreams or imagination.”
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“Whether in Detroit, LA, Cairo, Riyadh or Jerusalem, it was insightful to see how factions were making inroads to work together, with great divides remaining,” said Williams-Courtright. “I will never forget the Saudi Bedouin camp with a Toyota truck parked out front and a TV antennae for the tent roof, or the size of the pipes pumping oil from the ground in Dhahran, or the huge Egyptian families working the land with hand hewn tools and oxen or the state-of-the-art irrigation in Israel.”
For Jacquie Williams-Courtright (11) it was the experiences she had of seeing the stark contrasts within city blocks, borders and regions that were “a reality check.”
HORIZONS MAGAZINE SPRING 2021
“Getting to know who the decision makers are and knowing that I could go to Washington and make changes—that changed my outlook on the type of impact I could make,” said Collin. Ask Bob Dempel (4) about instances of enduring impact and he’ll recall three especially long-lasting memories. The first was Class 4’s international seminar which took him to Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland, Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt and Italy. The second was the time he found himself sitting in a meeting with then Vice President Gerald Ford. “Jerry Ford sat down with us and said ‘Gentlemen, I can guarantee you there’s no Ford in your future.’ He didn’t believe he would become president. But then Watergate hit, Nixon was gone and Ford was president,” said Dempel.
