North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge®(NAIDC) recently elected new leadership, including four new board members. As described in the NAIDC mission statement, the board focus is to "Develop tomorrow's dairy leaders and enhance the progress of the dairy industry, by providing education, communication and networking among students, producers, and agribusiness and university personnel."

Newly elected to the 15-person volunteer NAIDC Board of Directors includes:

• Mark Hanigan, Ph.D., Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va. – As a professor of dairy science, Hanigan has served as a coach for the Virginia Tech Dairy Challengeteam for many years.
  
• Mark McCullouch, Merck Animal Health, Millport, N.Y. – McCullouch's involvement in Dairy Challengehas included serving as a judge for regional and national events, co-chairing the 2014 Northeast Regional Dairy Challengeand helping to plan the 2015 and 2016 national Dairy Challenge event in Syracuse, NY.
  
• Glen Staebner, Valley Ag Software, Jonesville, N.C. – Staebner has been active in supporting NAIDC, nationally and regionally, by using this technical skills as part of the IT team at many events.
  
• David Whitlock, Select Sires, Floyd, Va. – Whitlock has been involved in Dairy Challengeat a national and regional level over the years, including currently serving as the Southern Regional Dairy Challengechair as well as a judge at a number of Dairy Challengeevents.

These four new board members succeed retiring directors: Devin Albrecht, Prairie State/Select Sires; Marcia Endres, Ph.D., University of Minnesota; Coleen Jones, The Pennsylvania State University; and David Winston, M.S., Virginia Tech.

The NAIDC Executive Committee for 2015-16 includes:

• Chair: Owen Bewley, PAS, Prince Agri Products Inc., Susquehanna, Pa.
  
• Vice Chair: Amy te Plate-Church, CMA, Shawano, Wisc.
  
• Associate Vice Chair: Chad Wright, DVM, Bidart Dairy, Bakersfield, Calif.
  
• Finance Chair: Chris Dei, Sierra Vista Nutrition Consulting, Fresno, Calif.
  
• Publicity Chair: Raechel Sattazahn, AgChoice Farm Credit, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
  
• Program Chair: Maurice Eastridge, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Continuing NAIDC board members include:

• David Combs, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisc.
  
• Wanda Emerich, William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute, Chazy, N.Y.
  
• David L. Prentice, DVM, M.S., Elanco Animal Health, Elgin, Iowa
  
• Christie Stanley, Ph.D., Land O'Lakes Purina Mills, Lubbock, Tex.
  
• Mike Westphal, Cargill Animal Health, Owatonna, Minn.

About Dairy Challenge

NAIDC is an innovative event for students in dairy programs at North American post-secondary institutions. Its mission is to develop tomorrow's dairy leaders and enhance progress of the dairy industry, by providing education, communication and networking among students, producers, and agribusiness and university personnel. Over its 14-year national history, Dairy Challenge has helped prepare more than 4,000 students for careers as farm owners and managers, consultants, researchers, veterinarians or other dairy professionals.

In addition to the national competition and Dairy Challenge Academy held in April, four regional contests are held in late fall and winter; details are at www.dairychallenge.org .
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7.28.2015