RISE elects new board members, grants awards

Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE) and CropLife America held a joint annual meeting in Aventura, Fla., Sept. 12-15.

Nearly 500 participants representing companies that provide pest and plant health solutions for the specialty pesticide and agriculture markets attended the meeting virtually and in person. Attendees met for three days to collaborate, strengthen relationships and share information.

RISE President Megan Provost, who joined the association in December 2019 encouraged meaningful collaboration and engagement.

“Advocacy is always more effective when we build and maintain strong partnerships,” she said. “By collaborating and engaging meaningfully with our internal and external audiences, by convening a forum for partnership and information-sharing and by amplifying our collective impact by acting as a force-multiplier, RISE can build and develop our membership and our coalitions to promote and protect access to pesticides and fertilizers.”

Sessions offer insight

A Trends in Emerging Technology session, presented by two university professors, focused on innovative solutions that will more accurately target pests and improve plant health. Other panels featured a discussion of current state legislative activities as they pertained to pesticide laws with panelists providing data-driven insights and specific examples on the effectiveness of grassroots advocacy in shaping pesticide policies. A panel of former federal agency appointees shared their insights and experiences about the important work and accomplishments of industry regulators.

Additionally, Keynote Speaker David Wasserman, senior editor for The Cook Political Report, who is recognized as one of the nation’s top election forecasters, provided analyses of 2022 mid-term elections and other insights.

The new 2021 RISE Governing Board and committees met to develop tactics to address ongoing and emerging issues in 2022 and recognized the year’s outstanding volunteers with three notable awards.

The 2021-2022 RISE governing board members (from left standing) include Bill Culpepper, SePro Corp.; Jose Milan, Bayer; Todd Mason, Sipcam Agro USA; Brian Rowan, SiteOne Landscape Supply; Daryl Allen, Corteva Agriscience; Blaine Pinkerton, Nufarm Americas; Nadia Sinno, FMC Corp.; and Scott Lazarczyk, SBM Life Sciences. Seated from left, Stephanie Jensen, chair, BASF; Megan Provost, RISE president; Karen Larson, treasurer, Clarke; and John Johnson, Prokoz. Not pictured: John Smith, vice chair, Amguard Environmental Technologies; Kathy Bishop, Lebanon Seaboard Corp.; and Scott Reasons, Syngenta. (Photo: RISE)

New governing board members

The RISE Governing Board elected one new member, Bill Culpepper, SePro Corp.

The board also elected its 2022 executive committee:

• Stephanie Jensen, chair, BASF
• John Smith, vice chair, Amguard Environmental Technologies
• Karen Larson, treasurer, Clarke

Completing his term on the governing board is Neil Cleveland, PBI-Gordon Corp.

Those continuing terms on the 2022 governing board include:

• Daryl Allen, Corteva Agriscience
• Kathy Bishop, Lebanon Seaboard Corp.
• John Johnson, Prokoz
• Scott Lazarczyk, SBM Life Sciences
• Todd Mason, Sipcam Agro USA
• Jose Milan, Bayer
• Blaine Pinkerton, Nufarm Americas
• Scott Reasons, Syngenta
• Brian Rowan, SiteOne Landscape Supply
• Nadia Sinno, FMC Corporation

RISE committee chairs serving on the association’s strategic oversight council include:

• Aquatics committee, Sam Barrick, SePro Corp.
• Communications committee, Heidi Deja, BASF
• Fertilizer committee, Eric Miltner, Allied Nutrients
• Law committee, John Rebman, Bayer
• Legislative affairs committee, Rick Deadwyler, Corteva Agriscience
• Programs and membership committee, Jeff Michel, Bayer
• Regulatory affairs committee, Jennifer Hughes, Corteva Agriscience

Steven Farrington, Gowan Co., was elected to serve as co-chair of the RISE strategic oversight council with Provost. Carrie Tackema, Nufarm Americas, concluded her two-year term as strategic oversight council co-chair.

Award recipients

Sean Casey, past RISE governing board chair and recently retired vice president of sales for turf and ornamental at Nufarm Americas, was named the recipient of the 2021 E. Allen James Leadership Award. This award is named for its first president and recognizes leadership and contributions to the specialty pesticide and fertilizer industry and to RISE.

Casey has been a voice of the specialty pesticide industry for more than 30 years. As the 2020 RISE governing board chair, he helped develop the association’s new five-year strategic plan and served as an active member in many other industry groups, including Project Evergreen.

Casey served two terms on the governing board. During his first stint, he helped to lead the association’s move to data-driven messaging and public relations to promote the specialty industry.

The 2021 RISE grassroots excellence award was given to members of the New Jersey Green Industry Council for the organization’s commitment to grassroots advocacy in the New Jersey state capital.

Created in 2012, the RISE grassroots Excellence Award is presented annually to an individual, group or allied association that demonstrates contributions to furthering the mission, vision and goals of the specialty pesticide and fertilizer industry’s public policy advocacy through grassroots.

The governing board presented the RISE’s communications committee with the 2021 strategic driver award recognizing the committee’s role in developing powerful messaging to promote the industry and to ensure those messages are accessible to everyone engaged with the industry. The strategic driver award applauds the work of volunteer leaders and the impact they have in helping RISE achieve its mission and vision.