The Indiana FFA Foundation has reshaped its leadership at a pivotal moment for the organization, naming five new members to its board of directors who will each be charged with guiding fundraising efforts and long-term investments in one of Indiana’s most influential youth leadership organizations.
The appointments, effective July 1, come just months after the foundation announced a $1 million fundraising campaign to renovate the Main Lodge at the Indiana FFA Leadership Center following a $500,000 matching grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. The foundation must raise an equal amount in private donations to unlock the full value of the grant.
Named to the board are:
- Julia Wickard, executive director of the Purdue Veterinary Medicine Alumni Association
- Jeanette Merritt, director of communications for Indiana Pork
- Melissa Rekeweg, president and chief executive officer of the AgriBusiness Council of Indiana (ACI)
- Bryan Gregg, town manager of Trafalgar
- Spencer House, director of system operations for Wabash Valley Power Alliance
The appointments broaden an already diverse board that draws leaders from agriculture, education, finance, law, communications and business, reflecting the foundation’s mission of supporting agricultural education and leadership development across Indiana.
The board also elected its executive committee for the 2026-27 term:
- President: John Nagle, Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance
- Vice President: Kevin Pluimer, Eastbook High School
- Secretary: Linda Myers, Retired Ag Educator Crothersville
- Treasurer: Jason Wilson, Farm Credit Mid-America
Continuing board members include:
- Sarah Correll, Ice Miller
- C.J. Miller, Hoosier Ag Today
- Lindsay Sankey, Keystone Cooperative
- Emily Swartz, Helena Agri-Enterprises
Ex-Officio (Non-voting members):
- Lisa Chaudion – Indiana FFA Foundation
- Tami Ketchen – Indiana FFA Association
- Holly Wagner – Indiana FFA Association
- Adam Sweet – Indiana FFA Leadership Center
- Anna Ariens – Indiana FFA Foundation
- Hayden Stookey – Indiana FFA State President 2026-27
Julia Wickard
Among the new directors, Wickard brings one of the state’s most extensive agricultural public service résumés. Before joining Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, she led the USDA Farm Service Agency in Indiana and previously held senior leadership positions with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the Indiana Beef Cattle Association and the Indiana Department of Agriculture. She also worked for two members of Congress in Washington and has served on numerous agricultural boards and commissions.
A Purdue University graduate in agricultural communications and political science, Wickard has received numerous honors, including Purdue’s Distinguished Alumni recognition, the Purdue Women in Agriculture Leadership Award and the Sagamore of the Wabash. She and her family operate a century farm in Hancock County, where they raise registered Angus cattle and Boer goats.
Jeanette Merritt
Merritt brings decades of agricultural communications experience to the board. Since 2016, she has directed communications for Indiana Pork, representing more than 2,200 pork producers statewide. Earlier in her career, she served as marketing director for Purdue University’s Wine Grape Team and spent seven years as a farm broadcaster with the AgriAmerica Farm Radio Network in Indianapolis.
A Purdue graduate in agricultural sales and marketing, Merritt has served on several agricultural and community boards, including the Indiana State Fair, the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance and the Indiana Soybean Alliance. She and her husband, Rusty, farm in Miami County.
Melissa Rekeweg
Rekeweg joins the foundation after more than a quarter-century of leadership in agricultural education, public policy and industry organizations. As president and chief executive officer of the AgriBusiness Council of Indiana, she represents businesses across the state’s grain, feed, seed, fertilizer and crop protection sectors.
Her previous leadership roles include managing director of the National Council for Agricultural Education, deputy director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture and positions with the National FFA Organization, AgriNovus Indiana and the Indiana Department of Education. Raised on a livestock and grain farm near Delphi, Rekeweg was active in FFA and 4-H before earning a degree in agricultural education from Purdue University.
Bryan Gregg
Gregg, who serves as town manager of Trafalgar, adds municipal leadership and public administration experience to the board. As the town’s chief administrative officer, he oversees municipal operations, budgeting, infrastructure planning and implementation of policies established by the town council. He also serves as Chairman of the Indiana FFA Leadership Center Advisory Committee.
Spencer House
House, director of system operations at Wabash Valley Power Alliance, brings more than three decades of experience in the electric utility industry. A licensed professional engineer, he earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering with a power engineering certificate from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and spent 22 years with Duke Energy before joining Wabash Valley Power Alliance, where he has served for the past nine years.
A former member and chapter vice president of the Shakamak High School FFA chapter, House said his involvement in agricultural education began as part of a family tradition. He and his wife, Jennifer, live in Plainfield and continue to maintain a portion of their family farm in southern Clay County.
The Indiana FFA Foundation exists to support, fund and promote the Indiana FFA Association and agricultural education programs across the state. Through scholarships, leadership development initiatives, educational programming and capital investments such as the Leadership Center renovation, the organization seeks to strengthen the pipeline of future agricultural leaders.
The board changes arrive as the foundation continues its campaign to secure the remaining matching funds needed to complete renovations to the Leadership Center’s Main Lodge, a facility that hosts thousands of FFA members, educators and community groups each year. Planned improvements include updated mechanical systems, expanded accessibility features, renovated restrooms and structural upgrades designed to preserve the building for future generations.
For foundation leaders, the combination of new board members and an experienced executive committee signals an effort to position the organization for its next phase of growth while continuing to invest in leadership opportunities for Indiana’s future agricultural workforce.
