MINNEAPOLIS, September 3, 2015 – Increasing diversity in the workplace is not always easy, but three will be recognized with the Women in Agribusiness Demeter Award of Excellence for doing just that in the agribusiness sector.
The Women in Agribusiness Demeter Award of Excellence, presented by HighQuest Group, acknowledges the outstanding achievements of those who have taken identifiable actions to create positive results in retaining, recruiting and promoting women in the ag sector. The awards will be presented at the annual Women in Agribusiness Summit, this year in Minneapolis, September 28-30 at the Hyatt Regency, and will be given in three categories:
· Leader of the Year: Kim Walker of Faegre Baker Daniels
· Innovator of the Year: Megan DeVelvis of Dow AgroSciences
· Company of the Year: Beck Ag Inc
Leader of the Year
Kim Walker leads Faegre Baker Daniels’ international food and agriculture industry team. Over his 35-year career, he has been a leader in promoting women professionals, helping implement creative and effective strategies to support their professional development. He also has served on Faegre Baker Daniels’ national Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group.
Within the community, Walker has been a member of the Twin Cities Diversity in Practice marketing committee, and last year received Executive Women International’s (Des Moines Chapter) Executive of the Year Award.
Innovator of the Year
At Dow AgroSciences, Megan DeVelvis is U.S. commercial excellence leader and co-chairwoman of their Women’s Innovation Network (WIN). During her tenure as WIN chair, the WIN team has extended its reach to all North American offices, and has partnered with other employee resource groups to elevate the awareness around role-modeling inclusive behaviors, and bring this role-modeling presence into people development team.
Company of the Year
Beck Ag Inc. has worked with leading companies in the ag industry on marketing and sales strategies that leverage advocacy and result in accelerating behavior change. With balance as part of its guiding principles, Beck Ag has been able to attract and retain professionals with deep ag industry experience who have a desire to deliver excellence.
Sixty-seven percent of Beck Ag’s ranks are women, as are five of nine Beck Ag shareholders; the company is deeply committed to providing a culture where each individual can contribute, grow and succeed.
The Women in Agribusiness Summit expects nearly 500 attendees at this fourth annual event. For more information, visit www.womeninag.com.
# # #
CONTACT: Michelle Pelletier-Marshall