Women in Agribusiness Summit

2023 Women in Agribusiness
Demeter Award of Excellence Recipients

We are delighted to announce the winners of this year's Women In Agribusiness Demeter Award of Excellence. These remarkable women have not only achieved excellence in their fields but have also made a significant impact on the agribusiness industry.

Their dedication, innovation, and positive influence have set a high standard in our industry. Join us in celebrating their accomplishments.

We express our gratitude to everyone who took part in the nomination process and contributed to acknowledging these remarkable women. Know an outstanding woman in agribusiness? Click here to submit your nomination for 2024!

Dr. Tracie Egger, owner of Bright Changes Leadership Consulting, is the new director of leadership and organizational development at CERES Solutions, a 100-percent farmer-owned local cooperative based in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Dr. Tracie Egger has a storied career in agriculture, making much of her impact in ag while serving as assistant director of the Office of Academic Programs in the Purdue University College of Agriculture. She led recruiting activities for the college, expanding enrollment to nearly 2,800 students and increasing the proportion of women enrolled by more than 60 percent. Dr. Egger also was instrumental in the development of the CATE initiative – College of Agriculture Transformational Experiences – the Leadership Development Certificate Program (LDCP) for the College. Additionally, Dr. Egger, who resides in Delphi, Ind., served as the advisor of the Purdue Ag Ambassadors.

After her academic tenure at Purdue, Dr. Egger took a position with AgReliant Genetics as learning and development lead. There Dr. Egger was selected as the inaugural chairperson of the newly formed AgReliant Women's Network, where she brought men and women together on tough issues that often cause barriers. She also introduced a series of learning workshops to tackle these obstacles. In her established roles within agriculture, she frequently provides employee coaching on these topics and facilitates leadership training workshops throughout North America.

Her nominator Samantha Bock said, “It is impossible to overstate her contributions to the success of the College’s undergraduate program while serving as assistant director. Her ability to build relationships, be a positive role model for young women in agriculture and develop employees have contributed to her success and impact on many others in agriculture.”

Connie Herschbach of Friant, Calif., is currently VP of IT for Novus Ag where she co-established “Women of Novus,” an organization that provides female workers the opportunity to build a community of women as networking partners in agriculture.

Tommy Warner, Novus Ag’s president and CEO, commented, “Connie is truly an ambassador for ‘The People.’ She is one of the most consistent performers I have ever worked alongside. She rarely misses a commitment and is one of the most customer-driven professionals in our segment of the industry. Connie’s spirit of advancement and team collaboration is one of a kind. She’s the epitome of ‘class’ and truly cares about young people and fights for the betterment of our company culture.”

Prior to her position with Novus, Herschbach was instrumental in technical services at Western Farm Services, Crop Production Services, and Agrium (now Nutrien), respectively. At Nutrien, Herschbach launched the Loveland Chapter of the Agrium Women’s Leadership Group (AWLG), an employee resource group (ERG) to support women in their career journeys. She served as chairperson for the expanded AWLG council and supported the creation of an internal women’s development program now known as Accelerate. She also served on the board for Colorado Women’s Education Foundation.

“As a lone female voice at the table, it could have been very easy to keep quiet,” said her Nutrien colleague, Amber Northcut. “Instead, she used her platform to advocate for and promote women within the organization.”

This former head of next generation innovation for Syngenta branched out on her own creative job track a decade ago. Passionate about  regenerative ag, Gould, of Basel, Switzerland, worked with startups like Indigo Ag and advised organizations like reNature and Meli Bees. She is now founder and CEO of Thought for Food (TFF), a global leading innovation engine for food systems and climate impact that is a powerful force in mobilizing young people worldwide to step into agricultural innovation with a fit-for-purpose startup incubation program.

TFF has helped launch over 100 startups - raising $300 million in venture capital – and now has a global community that spans over 30,000 innovators and stakeholders in 183 countries. Programs include the "WTF Lab" – which stands for "Where's The Farmer?" – that helps startup founders and teams better understand the needs and realities of farmers around the world. Gould also addresses how Millennial and GenZ leaders innovate in her book "The Change-makers Guide to Feeding the Planet."

Beyond TFF, Gould has mentored hundreds of young people, was recently named by Forbes as one of the top 10 women in synthetic biology, is an Acumen-Rockefeller Food Systems Fellow, a member of the Advisory Committee for the United Nations Food Systems Summit, and trusted advisor to numerous food and agtech startups and non-profits.

“Christine is a one-of-a-kind, impact-driven individual at heart with an infectious energy and vision that has made her a major force for positive disruption and innovation in the industry,” said Nadia Petrik, her nominator. “She is an exemplary individual, leader, and industry pioneer whose work is focused on solving some of the most pressing agricultural and food issues of our time.”