PRESS RELEASE: CoBank, IALF, Land O’Lakes & Syngenta Representatives Join Women in Agribusiness Advisory Board
- 22 hours ago
- 3 min read
NEW ORLEANS, April 28, 2026 – Women in Agribusiness (WIA) has announced four new members to serve on its Advisory Board. These executive leaders bring talent and business acumen from CoBank, the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Foundation (IALF), Land O’Lakes and Syngenta to its now 12-member board.
The 2026 appointees to the Women in Agribusiness Advisory Board are:
o Kathy Eichlin, Head of Corporate and Crop Protection Communications, Syngenta North America Crop Protection, LLC
Kathy Eichlin is a distinguished communications executive who currently oversees all facets of strategic communications, including external, community, and employee relations, as well as crisis communications for Syngenta North America Crop Protection, LLC. Eichlin, a resident of Oak Ridge, N.C., also serves on the Ragan Communications Leadership Council, and was recognized as Woman of Year by the National Association of Professional Women.
Eichlin has a B.A. in public relations, advertising and applied communication from Otterbein University, an M.A. in organizational communication from Northern Illinois University, and attended Georgetown University’s Executive Leadership Coaching Program.
o Jacqui Fatka, Lead Economist, Farm Supply and Biofuels, CoBank
As a lead economist in CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange research division, Jacqui Fatka is responsible for expert analysis and tracking of agricultural trends in the farm supply and biofuels segments of agriculture. Prior to joining CoBank, she was an agriculture journalist for Feedstuffs, Farm Futures, and most recently at Agri-Pulse.
Fatka holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications from Iowa State University. She grew up on a diversified grain and livestock farm in southwest Iowa and now lives on a small acreage in central Ohio.
o Amanda Martin, CEO & President of the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Foundation (IALF)
Amanda L. Martin, Ph.D., leads leadership development programming that advances agriculture, food systems, and rural communities at the state and national levels. A first-generation college graduate from rural Southern Illinois, Martin brings leadership experience spanning higher education, agribusiness, and nonprofit strategy — including roles at Louisiana State University, Auburn University, the American Egg Board, and Farm Foundation. Since assuming the role in April 2025, she has energized IALF's curriculum, alumni engagement, and organizational growth across its 45-year, 650+ alumni legacy.
Martin holds a Ph.D. in educational leadership & research from Louisiana State University and dual degrees in agribusiness economics from Southern Illinois University. She is based in Chicagoland area in Illinois.
o Jen Tonder, Director of Member Governance and Shared Services, Land O’Lakes
Jen Tonder, of the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota area, leads the Land O’Lakes team responsible for corporate governance and member leadership development, along with leading the development and deployment of member-facing and member data-related systems across the Member and Government Relations organization. In addition, she has led Land O’Lakes’ efforts to expand rural broadband to its member-owner communities as part of the American Connection Project.
Tonder holds an MBA with an information management concentration from the University of St. Thomas and a B.A. in management from the College of St. Benedict.
These new members, who will serve three-year terms, will join the existing 8 members (see the full WIA board here) in their primary responsibility to provide strategic advice and expertise on agribusiness and related industries in an effort to build the content and connections to grow and promote the annual Women in Agribusiness Summit, which is now in its 15th year.
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About Women in Agribusiness
Women in Agribusiness (www.womeninag.com), an Arc company, is the foremost organization dedicated to leading the growth in global female agribusiness leadership with a platform that encourages collaboration for innovation and development. Its renowned annual Women in Agribusiness Summit serves as a vital platform for women to network with professionals across the agriculture value chain, build business relationships, learn from esteemed thought leaders and stay informed on key commercial topics in agribusiness. Follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
About Arc
Arc is a B2B events, data and media platform, backed by investment funds managed by EagleTree Capital. Founded to redefine business networking, Arc organizes over 150 events a year and operates critical content platforms in HR, agriculture and food, financial services and investing, and education. Arc has over 350 talented colleagues located in the U.S., U.K., Netherlands and Singapore who focus on seeking out new ways to connect communities, wherever, whenever or however people need to come together to grow their businesses. For more information, visit www.arc-network.com or find Arc on LinkedIn.
