***NEWS RELEASE***

CONTACT:

Larry Van De Valk, Executive Director

LEAD New York

607-255-7907

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Robert A. Smith to receive LEAD New York’s Sixth Outstanding Alumni Award

Presentation at Class 15 Commencement Ceremony on April 17, 2015

We are pleased to announce that Robert A. Smith, LEAD Class 1, will be the sixth recipient of the Empire State Food and Agricultural Leadership Institute’s Outstanding Alumni Award (OAA). This award was established to recognize the outstanding leadership our graduates provide to the LEAD New York Program, their local communities, and the food, agriculture and natural resource industries.

With over 400 alumni, the selection committee's task was especially difficult as so many of our graduates have made significant contributions to our industry and communities throughout the Northeast. Personal testimonials spoke volumes about the leadership style of this year’s recipient: “In addition to his substantial professional accomplishments, Bob really gave back to the LEAD New York program. During his tenure on our board, he served as chair of an ambitious endowment campaign. Today, the program benefits greatly from that foresight and hard work.” said Larry Van De Valk, Executive Director of the program.

Smith serves as executive vice president and corporate secretary for Farm Credit East, which he joined in January 2007. Bob’s responsibilities cover public policy, marketing and communications, business planning coordination and Farm Credit East’s Knowledge Exchange program. Prior to joining the largest financial cooperative in the Northeast, Bob served as CoBank’s vice president for governmental relations, responsible for COBANK’s Washington, D.C. office. Prior to that time, he was the executive assistant and deputy commissioner for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets as well as the assistant secretary to the governor of New York under Governor Mario Cuomo (from 1989-to-1992). Before joining the Department of Agriculture and Markets, Bob was the director of governmental relations and communications for New York Farm Bureau.

A graduate of Cornell University and Class I of LEAD NY, today Bob sits on the New York State Fair Advisory Board as well as the American Farmland Trust New York Advisory Council. He served on the Board of LEAD New York from 1992 to 1994 as well as on the initial Board of the New York Farm Viability Institute. In addition, Bob chaired the Empire State Council of Agricultural Organizations.

Bob has testified and conducted briefings before congressional and New York State legislative committees. He is an integral force in the advancement of Farm Credit East’s Knowledge Exchange Program, which provides informational programming on emerging agricultural issues along with financial and economic trends facing Northeast agriculture. Through this program, Bob and his colleagues develop reports that support Northeast agriculture and that they share with public policymakers. In addition, Bob has coordinated the Farm Credit Northeast AgEnhancement Program since its 1996 inception. This program has provided $1.6 million in grants to support youth, young farmer and agricultural development projects.

LEADNY is a leadership development program for adult professionals in the food, agriculture and natural resource industries of the Northeast. Participants meet monthly from October through April in each year of the program. In the first year, meetings are held at different locations throughout New York State, and the 25 days of training focus largely on self-awareness and leadership skill development. Individuals that successfully complete year one will receive a certificate of completion for the “Leadership Fundamentals” portion of our program, and will be well-positioned to serve in a variety of local leadership roles. At the end of the first year, participants reapply for the second year of the program, which will entail 30 days of commitment and involve more out-of-state and international travel, including a 2-week study tour. Individuals successfully completing the second year of the program will have the distinction of being known as “LEAD Fellows”.

The award will be presented at the LEAD Class 15 Fellows commencement ceremonies on Friday, April 17, 2015. The celebration will take place at the Country Club of Ithaca. All LEAD alumni, and Bob’s friends and colleagues, are encouraged to attend and help us recognize this exemplary leader. Formal invitations will be mailed in the coming weeks. For more information, contact Larry Van De Valk, Executive Director of LEAD New York at 607-255-7907 or at . Additional information is also available on the LEAD New York website at www.leadny.org.

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