NAIDC elects board members, executive committee  

The North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge (NAIDC) board of directors elected four new members on Tuesday, June 3, 2008. They are:  

• Devin Albrecht, Director of Marketing for Prairie State/Select Sires, Hampshire, Ill. He was a member of the steering committee that established the Midwest Regional Dairy Challenge and now serves as its Vice Chair.
• Gary Hay, Dairy Extension Specialist for the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, La. He served as local organizer of the 2007 Southern Regional Dairy Challenge contest.
• Tami Tollenaar, an owner and manager of Tollenaar Dairy, Elk Grove, Calif. She served as chair for the Western Regional Dairy Challenge events of 2007 and 2008.
• Mike Van Amburgh, Associate Professor of Animal Science at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. He was chair of the 2006 Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge contest.

They succeed retiring directors Matt Budine, Progressive Dairy Solutions Inc., Oakdale, Calif.; Linda Hodorff, Second Look Holsteins, Eden, Wis.; and David C. Thorbahn, Select Sires, Inc., Plain City, Ohio.  

Elected to his second three-year term on the NAIDC Board was Rob Sheffer, Regional General Manager of Cargill Animal Nutrition, Albany, NY. Todd Kranz of Dublin, Ohio, Division Manager with ABS Global Inc., was elected to complete the unexpired term of board member Hap Allen, Shawano, Wis.  

Members of the NAIDC Executive Committee for 2008-09 are Chair Larry Muller, Penn State University professor emeritus, University Park, Pa.; Vice Chair Barry Putnam, with Genex, Ithaca, N.Y.; Finance Chair Bruce Clark of Northstar Cooperative, Coldwater, Mich.; Program Chair Kas Ingawa, North Carolina State University and DRMS, Raleigh, N.C.; and Media and Public Relations Chair Cherie Bayer, American Jersey Cattle Association, Reynoldsburg, Ohio.  

Continuing NAIDC board members include Miriam Weber-Nielsen of Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.; JoDee Sattler of DairyBusiness Communications, National DHIA and National Mastitis Council, Hartland, Wis.; Jean Conklin, Yankee Farm Credit and dairy producer, Haverhill, N.H., and Luciene Ribiero, APC Inc., Visalia, Calif.  

The North American Dairy Challenge was established in 2002 as a management contest to incorporate all phases of a specific dairy business. It strives to incorporate a higher-learning atmosphere with practical application to help prepare students for careers in the dairy industry. More than 1,000 students have enhanced their dairy management, communication and business skills through Dairy Challenge, in turn generating highly qualified graduates to lead and further improve the dairy industry.  

Financial support for the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge and its regional contests comes from generous contributions from dairy industry companies, associations and foundations, and dairy business owners. NAIDC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, and contributions to Dairy Challenge are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. For more information on becoming a sponsor, contact any NAIDC board member or Executive Director Molly Kelley at 217-684-3007 or naidcmjk@aol.com.  

To learn more about NAIDC, visit www.dairychallenge.org.

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