By Sally Day, Managing Director with Kincannon & Reed Leadership growth is often framed as an upward path: a larger team, broader title, or greater scope of responsibility. For women leaders in food and agriculture, however, some of the most consequential development happens outward. It comes through experiences, perspectives, and relationships that broaden how a leader sees the enterprise—and how effectively she can lead within it. That capability is leadership range. Leader

NEW ORLEANS, August 24, 2026 – Women in Agribusiness (WIA) has announced the 13 winners of its inaugural WIA Leadership Awards, a new program recognizing the industry’s most influential women for their specific contributions to the future of the food and agriculture sector. The WIA Leadership Awards are the only independently judged, discipline-specific recognitions in agriculture designed to honor the executives, investors, technologists, and advisors shaping the industry’