The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives Oct. 13 announced that Keri Jacobs will join the organization effective Jan. 1 as vice president of education and executive director of the NCFC Education Foundation.
Jacobs currently serves as executive director of the Graduate Institute of Cooperative Leadership and holds the Partridge Chair in Cooperative Leadership at the University of Missouri.
“Keri is the most respected authority on cooperative leadership development in the country today, and bringing her to NCFC will help us deliver on the mission our members laid out in our strategic plan,” said Duane Simpson, president and CEO of NCFC. “Co-ops have told us that developing strong directors, executives, and the next generation of leaders is one of the most valuable things we can do for them. Keri has spent her career working alongside farmer co-op boards and management teams on those questions. Here she will build a national, year-round home for that work, so every NCFC member has access to the education and support that leadership excellence demands.”
“As the daughter and granddaughter of farmers, I have seen firsthand the difference a strong cooperative can make for farm families and the rural communities they call home,” Jacobs said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to join NCFC and honored to be entrusted with helping build the programs, partnerships, and leadership pathways that will strengthen the cooperative system that America’s farmers and ranchers rely on today and for future generations.”
At NCFC, Jacobs will build and lead the organization’s national platform for cooperative board, executive and emerging-leader development and serve as the association’s principal thought leader on cooperative governance, strategy and leadership issues. Jacobs also will serve as executive director of the NCFC Education Foundation, providing strategic and fundraising leadership for the foundation’s education mission.
“A farmer co-op is only as strong as the people who lead it, from the boardroom and executive suite to the front-line managers and leaders,” said Kevin Brinkley, chairman of NCFC and president and CEO of Plains Cotton Cooperative Association. “Keri’s experience in cooperative governance and leadership is unparalleled and having her on the NCFC team gives our members a resource they won’t find anywhere else. The programs she builds will help our members’ directors and management sharpen their skills, think ahead, and keep their co-ops strong for the farmer-owners they serve.”
For more information: https://ncfc.org/
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