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Ohio State’s Leadership Center graduated its first co-hort of the AgOne program, a new, year-long program for agricultural industry board members which focused on self-leadership, team leadership and stewardship. Ohio Farm Bureau State Trustee Chris Weaver was among the six co-hort members. The group members earned a Foundational Leadership Certificate, developed a leadership plan, strengthened their network and their understanding of board effectiveness throughout their time in the program.

The other inaugural co-hort members included:

• Nathan Eckel with the Ohio Soybean Council
• Rose Hartschuh with Ohio Farm Bureau Federation
• Sandra Lausecker with the Ohio Poultry Association
• John Linder with the Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association
• Mike Videkovich with Ohio Farm Bureau Federation

“Individuals who serve on boards want to make a meaningful impact during their time of service,” said Dr. Shannon Washburn, professor and chair of the Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership. “This program allows its members to transform the individual influence they can have on their industry through leadership and boardmanship.”

Throughout the year, members completed skill and behavior assessments, attended one-on-one coaching sessions to create a roadmap of learning and leadership, attended in-person and virtual workshops, participated in group discussions about case studies, videos and articles and expanded personal networks to surface new leadership and board opportunities.

“AgOne focuses on meeting each leader where they are in their leadership journey to provide them with a unique opportunity for growth,” said Maggie Good, program manager of AgOne with the OSU Leadership Center. “Members of the program learned about their personal leadership – their strengths and weaknesses, effective listening, conflict management and influencing and empowering others, and how to utilize their skills to lead in a board setting.”

The AgOne program is a joint collaboration between the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, the Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership, and the OSU Leadership Center.