ICYMI: Exceptional Women Recognized with WIA Awards
By Michelle Pelletier Marshall, Women in Agribusiness Media (September 29, 2026)
We are just back from the 15th annual Women in Agribusiness Summit in New Orleans — a celebration of the high-achieving women driving every link of the ag supply chain forward. That included all of our incredible attendees (650+ of them!), plus this year's award honorees: the recipients of the WIA Demeter Award of Excellence and the inaugural Leadership Awards.
In case you didn't attend the Summit and get to meet the recipients in person and share their on-stage accolades, we’ve highlighted them here. To note, more than 60 nominations — with some individuals nominated as many as five times – were received this year.
Congratulations to all! 🎊👏✨
This year, we recognized four Demeter Award recipients instead of the usual three. The additional honoree reflects our new "Female Farmer of the Year" category, introduced to mark the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF). The 2026 recipients are:
Krysta Harden, president and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council
Dr. Magan Lewis, senior director of Innovation & Enterprise Operations at Bayer Crop Science
Emily Metz, president and CEO of the American Egg Board
Terri Hawbaker, owner of Grazeway Dairy Farms, for the new Female Farmer category
Quotes from their Nominations
On Krysta: “Krysta has also been a tireless advocate for women in agriculture and a powerful role model for the next generation of leaders. She championed efforts to modernize the U.S. Census of Agriculture so that women’s contributions on farms would be more accurately recognized and counted. She also launched the Women in Agriculture Mentoring Network at USDA to help connect women across the sector and support professional development and leadership opportunities.”
On Emily: “Through her service, visibility and results-driven leadership, Emily Metz has strengthened not only the American Egg Board, but the broader agricultural community. She has helped modernize how a commodity organization anticipates risk, supports farmers, engages markets and earns trust. Her contributions are reflected not only in what AEB has achieved, but in how the organization now operates: with greater focus, discipline and readiness to serve America’s egg farmers for the long term.”
On Magan: “Dr. Lewis is recognized as a strategic leader who translates vision into action while investing deeply in people. She embeds continuous improvement into organizations, shaping how teams approach innovation, collaboration, and accountability. Her leadership creates systems that endure—ensuring that impact extends well beyond any single initiative. A defining hallmark of Dr. Lewis’ career is her unwavering commitment to advancing others. She is a dedicated mentor, connector, and advocate, particularly for women and underrepresented groups in STEM and agriculture.”
On Terri: “She is the embodiment of the Women in Agribusiness Demeter Award’s highest ideals: a proven leader with decades of experience, a woman of notable achievement, a role model who lifts others up, and a professional who leads with purpose. Terri’s story is one that inspires not only women in agriculture, but anyone striving to balance family, leadership, and impact—and to do so with strength, grace, and unwavering determination.”
You can read more about each recipient in the press release and on the website.
New Leadership Awards
This year, we added additional leadership awards for specific disciplines to extend the reach of recognition for women across the ag value chain. The six categories, and the winners, are below. You can read more about each of them on our website:
Executive Leadership Award
Honors women in C-suite or equivalent executive roles with a minimum five years of service.
Winners:
Sarah Beth Aubrey, Founder & CEO, The Envoy Group
Marji Guyler-Alaniz, COO, AgriSompo
Meryl Kennedy, CEO, Kennedy Rice Mill, LLC
Christy Seyfert, CEO, Farm Credit Council
Sara Wyant, Founder & President, Agri-Pulse Communications
Rising Leadership Award
Celebrates women 40 years old and under who are building momentum and driving the next generation of agribusiness leaders.
Winners:
Samantha Shapess, General Manager, Mercer Milling
Natalie Shaw Wagner, Communications Lead, CHS Inc.
Baylie Williams, Owner & CEO, Eden Bay Advising
Investment & Capital Leadership Award
Honors women deploying capital across ag and food systems.
Winner:
Susan Payne, Co-founder & CEO, Holistic Agricultural Investments Group Ltd (HAIG)
Advisory & Consulting Leadership Award
Honors women delivering exceptional advisory and consulting value across the ag and food sectors.
Winners:
Jacqueline Langlois, Founder & CEO, Gen D Consulting
Krista Swanson, Chief Economist, National Corn Growers Association
Talent & Workforce Leadership Award
Recognizes women transforming how agriculture and agribusiness organizations attract, develop, and retain talent.
Winner:
Kathy Eichlin, Head of Corporate & Crop Protection Communications, Syngenta North America
Innovation & AI Leadership Award
Honors women leading or advancing the integration of innovation, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital technology across ag and food.
Winner:
Sarah Hinkley, Co-founder & CEO, Barn Owl Precision Agriculture
You can read more about each of the Leadership Award recipients in this press release and on our website.
