NM Farm & Livestock Bureau Welcomes New CEO
T
he New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau (NMFLB) announces the selection of Elizabeth Foster as CEO. Foster grew up on a cow-calf ranch in Post, Oregon, and joins NMFLB after 20 years with the Arizona Farm Bureau. “I am passionate about agriculture and the grassroots organization that is Farm Bureau,” said Foster. “The strength in the foundation of a powerful organization gives everyone involved in agriculture an opportunity to advocate and promote our industry. I’m looking forward to connecting with staff and leaders through the organization’s programs and events.” Foster worked for the past seven years as Maricopa County Farm Bureau’s executive director. She originally joined AZFB in 2000 and served in numerous positions including administrative assistant, government relations programs manager, and field services manager before landing in Maricopa County. “We are excited to welcome Elizabeth Foster to our Farm Bureau family here in New Mexico,” said Craig Ogden, NMFLB President. “Her extensive background with Farm Bureau and expertise in areas such as leadership development, communications, and government have well-equipped her for leading our organization forward.”
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In her most recent position, Foster worked with numerous Maricopa County agencies, such as health services, transportation, air quality, local food banks, and planning and zoning, on agricultural issues. Maricopa County is the fourth largest county in the nation for population and continues to rank in the top one percent for agricultural production. Foster has presented trainings at several national conferences pertaining to leadership, board members, generational transitions, aging parents, caretaker and mental wellness, and social media misconceptions. She is a subject matter expert in board training and governance as well as farm safety. She assisted the American Farm Bureau Federation with the development of the board leadership modules in their online training platform, FB University. Foster graduated from Oregon State Universit y with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and a Master of Agriculture in Animal Science, Agricultural Education, and Political Science. She is also a graduate of the Proje c t CENTRL leadership program and is currently earning her certificate in nonprofit Elizabeth Foster
leadership for executive directors from Arizona State University. She volunteers her time with Orchard Africa in their agriculture mission trips as well as Arizona FFA Foundation as vice president, governance committee chair, and Blue and the Gold Gala co-chair. NMFLB is an organization of more than 20,000 member families including farmers, ranchers, and those who are interested in private property rights and a local food supply. NMFLB is the state’s largest, private agricultural organization and was founded in 1917. For information about joining us, please call 575/532- 4703 or visit www.nmflb.org.
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