Industry leaders from Bunge, Dupont and more to speak at Women in Agribusiness Summit

For discussions on diversity, the Summit welcomes back Harden, former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and now Dupont's vice president of public policy and chief sustainability officer. She will present "The Future Faces of Farming: Embracing the Importance of Diversity," which will examine the critical role that women play in the agri-food markets, what diversity in U.S. agriculture looks like, and how embracing this diversity can move the sector forward.

Poindexter, vice president, government and industry affairs for Bunge, who will be the first of two keynote speakers, will present "Too Early to Declare Victory," which will address the evolution of agricultural policy and the role that women have played over the past three decades.

On the professional development side, author and accomplished human resource and talent executive, Grace Killelea, will present "The Confidence Effect," highlighting the steps that her company Half The Sky Leadership espouses in achieving confidence in business. Killelea has an outstanding network of women at every level and in diverse industries that support and promote women's advancement and achievement. Her book The Confidence Effect: Every Woman's Guide to the Attitude That Attracts Success, published in January 2016, was named "one of the seven most important new books" by Inc.com.

Other key topics and presenters at the Women in Agribusiness Summit include:

• The Race for the White House and What It Means for Agriculture by John Gilliland, consultant to Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld

• Addressing Food Waste in the Agri-Food Supply Chain, by Blythe Chorn, manager of sustainability for Deloitte Consulting, LLP

• The Challenges and Opportunity of Co-Existence (of Organic/Non-GMO/GMO), by Lisa Spicka, founder and CEO of Maracujá Solutions

• Food Safety Modernization Act: A Case Study, by Rachael Dettmann Spiegel, associate with Faegre Baker Daniels LLP, and Donna Taylor, senior advisory counsel at Valero

With skill workshops that include "Leading Through Change," "Things you can do TODAY to Take Back Your Life" and "Engaging in Fierce Conversations," this is a perfectly balanced professional and personal development event, attended by some 550-plus in the industry. A full third of the attendees are at the executive level, and the overall audience in 2015 included representation from 39 U.S. states and more than 200 ag companies.

Visit www.womeninag.com for more info, and join the conversation @Womeninagri, on Facebook and LinkedIn.

HighQuest Group, headquartered in Danvers, Mass., is a global consulting, events and media firm serving the agribusiness and food sectors. One of its key events is the annual Women in Agribusiness Summit that welcomes attendees to engage in discussions paramount to developing leaders, inspiring action and increasing industry knowledge. This year's Summit sponsors include: Cargill, Dow AgroSciences, Farm Credit Inc., Land O' Lakes, MetLife Agricultural Finance, Monsanto, Nationwide, Simplot and US Bank. www.highquestgroup.com 

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SOURCE HighQuest Group

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