Vice President's Advisory Council

Established in 1997 as an outgrowth of Project Reinvent, the Vice President's Advisory Council provides advice and direction for programs that cut across all areas within the College. The Council serves as a well informed, appropriately connected group of external and internal stakeholders who come to the table as respected leaders to listen and then offer the best advice they can for setting future College direction. The majority of members represent a cross-section of external stakeholder groups served by the College and its various programs. College faculty and staff representatives also serve, as well as the current president of the Agricultural and Natural Resources Council, the student council for the College.

It is not the responsibility of the advisory council to make decisions; rather the Council gives compelling advice. The Vice President and College administration must then make choices and be accountable for those choices.

Current Advisory Council Members Include:

Nate Andre - Producer and CARET Representative

Bruce Augustin - Director, Field Biology, The Scotts Company

Mark Bennett - Professor, Horticulture & Crop Sciences

Laura Bergman - Director, Innovative Farmers of Ohio

Bob Calala - President, Ohio Aquaculture Association & Co-Owner, Calala's Water Haven, Inc.

Terry Crosby - State Conservationist, Ohio USDA/NRCS

Susan Crowell - Editor, Farm & Dairy

Fred Dailey - Director, Ohio Department of Agriculture

Jack Fisher - Executive Vice President, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation

William Flinn - Professor, Human & Community Resource Development

Julian Gravino - President & CEO, EISC, Inc.

Tom Gruetzmacher - Vice President, Dairy Foods R&D, Land O'Lakes

Elizabeth Harsh - Director, Ohio Cattlemen's Association

Joseph Hartzler - Dairy Farmer & Processor

Arthur Hecker

Todd Hicks - Research Assistant, Department of Plant Pathology

Bill Hirzel - Hirzel Canning, Plant Manager

Tom Jackson - Ohio Grocer's Association, Executive Director

Ray Koening - Koenig Equipment

Lynd Mitchell - Lynd's Fruit Farm

Justin Marotta - Possum Run Greenhouse

Todd Michael - Michael Farms, Co-Owner

Andy Miedema

Brian Peach - Ohio Agribusiness Association

Tom Price - Price-Barnes Organics

Bill Richards - USDA Soil Conservation Service, Farmer and Former Chief

Randy Rowe - Former Chair, Department of Plant Pathology

Dave Sammons - School of Environment and Natural Resources

Jane Scott - Executive Director, Columbus Metropolitan Club

Richard Shank - Executive Director, The Nature Conservancy Ohio Chapter

Bill Stalter - Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association, Executive Director

Larry Stewart - Horticulture Technologies, Associate Professor (ATI)

Gordon Wallace - Southwest Landmark, Inc., Manager

Brian Watkins - Watkins Farms

John Waymire - Little Miami Flower Company

Henry Zerby - Department of Animal Sciences, Assistant Professor

Carl Zulauf - AEDE, Professor