UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Ag Council recently presented its 2007 Leadership Awards, given annually to recognize individuals who demonstrate outstanding communication and advocacy skills; exhibit the highest levels of professionalism, performance, innovation, judgment and problem-solving skills; encourage personal development, partnerships, collaboration and respect; and serve as a role model, mentor, diplomat and inspiration. Recipients are recognized with a lion statue from the council, and their names are engraved on a permanent display.

Former state Secretary of Agriculture Samuel E. Hayes Jr. received the council's Leadership Award. From 1970-1992, Hayes was a legislative leader in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where he served as majority leader and whip. He was appointed Secretary of Agriculture in May 1997 by Gov. Thomas Ridge and remains a leader in support of Pennsylvania agriculture across the state and internationally. A native of Warriors Mark, Huntingdon County, Hayes has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Penn State and is a member of Penn State’s Board of Trustees.

Rebecca Detwiler, a senior majoring in agricultural and extension education, received the council's Youth Leadership Award. Detwiler serves as the president of Collegiate FFA and Collegiate 4-H, is the secretary of the Coaly Honor Society and is a member of the Penn State Dairy Science Club. She is also a past Penn State Dairy Princess. Her hometown is Three Springs in Huntingdon County, where she was active in 4-H, FFA, dairy promotion and athletics. She aspires to a career as an agricultural education teacher.

The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Mobile Ag Ed Science Lab received the council’s Leadership in Action Award. The lab, complete with a certified teacher, travels to a different elementary or middle school in Pennsylvania each week to teach students about agriculture and science. The lab targets the third through seventh grades and contains 12 workstations where students complete hands-on experiments designed to emphasize a different aspect of Pennsylvania agriculture, including primary commodities, the environment and biotechnology. Based in Camp Hill, the lab accommodates up to 900 students per week and comes equipped with a supply of educational resources that classroom teachers can use to further enhance and supplement the lab experiment.

The Penn State Agricultural Council is an independent association whose membership comprises more than 90 organizations representing agricultural or related interests in Pennsylvania. They include trade associations for various agricultural, forestry and food-processing industries; commodity groups and cooperatives; media; organizations that provide products and services to the agribusiness community; government-related organizations; and related general-interest groups. The council advises Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and serves as an advocate for agricultural education to both legislative policy makers and agricultural leaders.

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EDITORS: For more information on the Leadership Awards and the Penn State Agricultural Council, contact Rhonda Demchak at 814-863-2822 or rrr11@psu.edu; or contact Mary Wirth at 814-863-9646 or mfw10@psu.edu.

Writer-Editor: Gary Abdullah 814-863-2708 gxa2@psu.edu