Author

Amber Pankonin

Episode 66: Sara Miller

by Amber Pankonin

Sara Miller is the Head of Global Strategic Communications & External Engagement for the Crop Science division of Bayer.

In this role, she is responsible for global external communications to support the company’s reputation and the license to operate of the division. This including strategic messaging, media relations, issues communications, sustainability communications, advocacy programs, content marketing and consumer engagement.

Previously, Sara was the Head of Global Communications and Marketing at Monsanto. In her role, Sara led her team in driving the development and execution of proactive internal and external communications and marketing strategies to support the company’s reputation and license to operate. This included the global strategies for executive and thought-leadership communications, employee communications, media relations, financial and M&A communications, technology communications, digital and content marketing.

Prior to joining Monsanto in 2009, Sara worked at Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis.  Sara received her Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing and corporate communications from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Magic House, one of the country’s top children’s museums that provides hands-on learning experiences for children and families.

Sara and her husband Dan live in the St. Louis area with their three young children, Price, Harrison and Catherine.

During this episode, Sara and I spoke about her career journey and how she stays healthy under pressure as a busy professional, wife and mother.

You can connect with Sara on Linkedin and Twitter.

Special thanks to Bayer Crop Science for sponsoring this conversation. To learn more, visit Bayer Crop Science or follow them on Twitter.

Be sure to follow Amber on Twitter.

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Episode 65: Bill Reeves, PhD and Shawna Lemke PhD

by Amber Pankonin

How do consumers stay healthy under pressure when it comes to food safety and pesticides? What exactly is the dirty dozen? During this interview, I sat down with Bill and Shawna to help answer these important questions and learn how this power couple stays healthy under pressure.

About Bill….

Bill Reeves is the Global Health and Safety Issues Management Lead for the Agricultural Affairs and Sustainability team within Bayer’s Crop Science division.  He earned his BS in biology from the University of Missouri and his PhD in toxicology from Texas A&M University.  He has been with Bayer (initially Monsanto) since 2007, first in the Biotechnology Regulatory Affairs team making and defending regulatory submissions for drought tolerant corn and insect protected soybean.  In 2014 Bill joined the Regulatory Policy and Scientific Affairs team as the Crop Protection Safety and Outreach Lead.  In this role he was responsible for scientific outreach with academics, regulators, and the public about Bayer’s crop protection products. His current focus is on ensuring the accuracy of scientific information regarding the health and safety of products produced by Bayer’s Crop Science division.  Prior to joining Bayer, Bill worked as a water quality regulator with California’s Environmental Protection Agency and as a human health and environmental risk assessor for a private consulting firm.

About Shawna…

Dr. Shawna Lemke leads Food Safety, Health and Nutrition Stakeholder Affairs as part Bayer US Crop Science’s Agricultural Affairs and Sustainability team.  In this role, Shawna works with companies, food and health professionals, NGOs and other stakeholders across the food system on topics related to innovation in agriculture, safety, nutrition and environmental sustainability.

Shawna has over 15 years of experience in product safety and nutrition in the agricultural and pharmaceutical industries. She has held roles in managing pre-clinical and clinical phases of drug development, and conducting nutritional and food safety evaluation of products.  She led the clinical program to establish the nutritional value of soybean oil containing the omega-3 fatty acid, stearidonic acid (SDA). Prior to her current role, Shawna led the Toxicology and Nutrition Center at Monsanto, with oversight of human safety evaluation for crop protection chemicals and crops developed through biotechnology.

Shawna was born in Southern California and raised in rural Wisconsin. She attended the University of Wisconsin- Green Bay and received a B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Environmental Sciences. Shawna holds a PhD in Toxicology from Texas A&M University and completed post-doctoral training in Human Nutrition at UC-Davis.

You can connect with Shawna and Bill on Linkedin. You can also connect with Bill on Twitter.

Special thanks to Bayer Crop Science for sponsoring this conversation. To learn more, visit Bayer Crop Science or follow them on Twitter.

Be sure to follow Amber on Twitter.

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Episode 64: Kelly Bristow

by Amber Pankonin

Kelly Bristow is a Registered Dietitian who connects food and nutrition professionals with agriculturalists to create advocates and defenders of modern agriculture. She manages Bayer’s L.E.A.D. Network of dietitians promoting the science behind tools like pesticides and gene editing in today’s food supply.

Kelly completed her undergraduate studies at Southeast Missouri State University.  After graduating, she went on to complete her Dietetic Internship and Master’s degree at St. Louis University.  Kelly’s background includes one-on-one counseling in an out-patient setting, nutrition education, and school food service.  Her enthusiasm for agriculture grew while working as Nutrition Educator with St. Louis District Dairy Council where she worked alongside dairy farmers supporting teaching consumers about the benefits of dairy.  Kelly’s passion continued to grow while working with a local school district supporting child nutrition through school meals.  Kelly directed the school district’s farm-to-school program where she educated students and members of the community about where food comes from, how food is grown, and the importance of eating more fruit and vegetables. Kelly and her husband live in the city with their three year-old son, Ben. She enjoys cooking, spending time outside, or taking advantage of all the great things the city has to offer! 

During this conversation, I spoke with Kelly about how a supportive team at home and work help her stay under pressure as a busy young professional and mother.

You can connect with Kelly on Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram.

Special thanks to Bayer Crop Science for sponsoring this conversation. To learn more, visit Bayer Crop Science or follow them on Twitter.

Be sure to follow Amber on Twitter.

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Episode 63: Janice Person

by Amber Pankonin

Janice Person aka @JPlovesCOTTON is online engagement lead for Bayer Crop Science. In this role, Janice has been actively connecting with people in the food & Ag tribes and helping both better understand modern agriculture. Handling contentious issues frequently plays a part but she doesn’t let it stress her out any more. During this conversation, Janice and I spoke about how building relationships helps her stay healthy under pressure.

You can connect with Janice on Twitter and Instagram. Be sure to check out her blog JPlovesLife and JPlovesCotton.

Special thanks to Bayer Crop Science for sponsoring this conversation. To learn more, visit Bayer Crop Science or follow them on Twitter.

Be sure to follow Amber on Twitter.

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Episode 62: Randy and Jan Bretz

by Amber Pankonin

Randy and Jan Bretz have been married for 51 years and are passionate about building community. Randy is aTEDx Curator, professor, communicator and civic activist. Jan is a former high school teacher and now a professional speech coach. During this conversation, I spoke with them about how they’ve managed to stay healthy under pressure after 51 years of marriage and what advice they have for entrepreneurs and busy people who never want to retire.

You can connect with Randy on Linkedin or Twitter. You can connect with Jan on Linkedin.

Be sure to follow Amber on Twitter.

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Episode 61: Monte and Lisa Froehlich

by Amber Pankonin

Monte and Lisa Froehlich own and operate several businesses including US Property located in Lincoln, Nebraska. Today, U.S. Property manages 300 residential units and more than 1.3 million square feet of commercial space. U.S. Property is actively developing both industrial and mixed-use commercial properties across the country. The portfolio also consists of five HomeBase Storage locations, Pemberly Place Senior Living and Boiler Brewing Company.

During this episode, I spoke with Monte and Lisa about how they met and how they have managed to keep their marriage healthy under pressure while raising children and owning multiple businesses. 

Be sure to follow Amber on Twitter.

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Episode 60: Dan and Tamara Sloan, The Mill Coffee and Tea

by Amber Pankonin

Dan and Tamara Sloan own and operate The Mill Coffee and Tea in Lincoln, Nebraska. During this conversation, I spoke with Dan and Tamara about how they met, what it’s like running a business with a spouse and how they stay healthy under pressure.

Be sure to follow The Mill on Instagram and like them on Facebook.

Be sure to follow Amber on Twitter.

 

 

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Episode 59: Samara Sterling, Ph.D.

by Amber Pankonin

Dr. Samara Sterling joined The Peanut Institute in May 2018 with specialties in nutrition science and clinical leadership and expertise in the use of plant-based nutrition for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. In her current role, she manages the research funded by The Peanut Institute and industry partners. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Stony Brook University, a master’s degree from Andrews University and a Ph.D. from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Prior to joining The Peanut Institute, Dr. Sterling worked as a researcher on a National Cancer Institute study where she studied the effects of nut consumption on health outcomes in a rural community. She has also served as a nutrition consultant for various community-based research projects in Alabama.

Active in the research community, she is a reviewer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Preventing Chronic Disease Journal, as well as the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. She also enjoys being involved in her church and local community, having served as both a missionary for the STRIDE missionary group and a Health and Wellness Director for the Birmingham International SDA Church.

During this episode, Dr Sterling and I discuss plant-based diets and how eating peanuts can help entrepreneurs and busy people stay healthy under pressure.

Special thanks to the Peanut Institute for sponsoring this conversation. You can connect with the Peanut Institute on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Be sure to follow Amber on Twitter.

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Episode 58: Brian Klintworth

by Amber Pankonin

When most middle schoolers dream about what they want to be when they grow up, they have ideas that are often far different from where they end up.  That wasn’t the case with Brian Klintworth, who decided in middle school that he wanted to be an accountant.

Fast forward about fifteen years, Brian is now a CPA at HBE LLP in Lincoln, where he specializes primarily in tax and consulting work.  His background growing up around small businesses in Seward helped him realize that those are the kinds of clients he really enjoys serving.  Brian may not be an entrepreneur, but he works with a quite a few at his job.  He loves pretty much everything to do with accounting and enjoys talking about accounting and helping business owners understand their accounting, make the appropriate tax-related decisions, plan effectively for the future, and think through financial decisions.

During this conversation, Brian and I spoke about financial health and how he stays healthy under pressure as a young professional during tax season.

Follow Brian on Instagram or connect with him on Linkedin.

Special Thanks to Micah Yost and MethodMark for sponsoring this episode.

Be sure to follow Micah and Amber on Twitter.

 

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Episode 57: Mozart Dixon

by Amber Pankonin

Mozart Dixon was raised in Lincoln, NE and currently serves as the co-Lead planter and pastor of Citylight Lincoln Church. His church is part of a movement of churches throughout Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri.  Moe primarily focuses on the vision, leadership development, and city engagement of the church. Outside of this, Moe loves spending his time as the husband to Colleen and father of their 4 children. Moe has a passion to love his family and his city well.

During this episode, Mozart and I spoke about the similarities between startup founders and church planters, how to heal in the midst of tragedy, and how he stays healthy under pressure as a husband, father and leader.

You can connect with Moe and CityLight Lincoln Church on Facebook. Be sure to check out the CityLight Lincoln podcast for sermons from Moe and other pastors at CityLight Lincoln Church.

Special Thanks to Micah Yost and MethodMark for sponsoring this episode.

Be sure to follow Micah and Amber on Twitter.

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