Shari Rogge-Fidler joined Farm Foundation as president and CEO in 2019. She has a unique perspective, developed through her experience as a fifth-generation farm owner and operator, entrepreneur in the organic branded food industry, and founder of an agribusiness consulting firm.  Shari was also CEO of a group of companies serving 1,000 farmers.  She has lived and worked abroad for many years, including London in financial services and across Europe with the Boston Consulting Group.   Shari has served on several corporate boards, including Farm Credit Mid-America and Coastal Pet.  She currently serves as a trustee for The Nature Conservancy, on the Soil Health Institute Board, the Illinois Agrifood Alliance Board, and advisory boards, including Lewis & Clark Agrifood Venture Fund and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Shari has a B.Sc. in Business Administration from the University of Kansas and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

With a passion for innovation and ideas, Martha King is excited to bring her years of leadership experience and knowledge to the Farm Foundation. While working in academia for more than a decade, Martha led several initiatives for provosts and deans that streamlined processes and brought enhanced reporting and technology to administrative areas. Now in agriculture, Martha is excited to continue to lead projects and programs that bring together and accelerate both people and ideas. Martha’s connection to agriculture runs deep, as she currently serves as co-owner of her family’s Illinois farm. Martha holds an MBA with a focus on Information Systems Management from Loyola University Chicago and a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy from Saint Louis University, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in German and Political Science from Purdue University.

Before joining the Farm Foundation team in the fall of 2015, Morgan Craven served as the conference and events manager at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL. She also worked as a premium hospitality game day staff member for the Chicago Bears. Morgan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, in recreation, sports leadership and tourism management.

Amanda L. Martin joined the team at the end of 2022 and brings a diverse perspective with a mix of agriculture, leadership development, fundraising, and education. Over the past decade, Amanda has worked in various leadership roles in higher education and agriculture. Working within the colleges of agriculture at Auburn University and Louisiana State University, Amanda most recently served as an Assistant Dean at LSU. Prior to making the move to Farm Foundation, Amanda worked with the executive team at the American Egg Board. She began her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration at Auburn University, finishing her degree at Louisiana State University. She holds Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Agribusiness Economics.

Amy Keane became a full-time staff member at Farm Foundation in March 2019. Since May 2009, she was an independent contractor with the Foundation, providing accounting, tax and consulting services. Prior to starting her own firm, Amy worked in public accounting as a manager with Coopers & Lybrand, serving non-profit clients as well as publicly-traded for-profit companies. Amy graduated from St Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN, with a degree in accounting, and is a certified public accountant.

Naomi Millán joined the Farm Foundation team in December 2021. She was previously the senior writer at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat and spent 13 years as an editor of Building Operating Management, a monthly trade magazine focused on large-scale commercial facilities. She is interested in urban agriculture, keeps chickens in her tiny Chicago yard, and started out life on her grandfather’s coffee and sugarcane farm in Puerto Rico.

Ellen Prather joined the Farm Foundation team in November 2022. Her background covers multiple disciplines including, graphic design, marketing, communications, and photography. Her previous position was as the marketing and development associate at JOURNEYS | The Road Home, a non-profit agency that provides both shelter and social services to the homeless. She holds a degree in general studies with certificates in graphic and web design.