Chris Brosch Chris Brosch serves as Program Administrator, Nutrient Management, Department of Agriculture. He administers the voluntary Nutrient Management Program, which helps to generate and disperse agricultural nutrients in a responsible and sustainable way. Ray Ellis, Ellis Farms Ray Ellis is a grain farmer, poultry producer, and poultry litter broker – collecting poultry litter from area farms. He is the owner and manager of Ellis Farms in Millsboro, Delaware, which has been in operation for over twenty years. Ellis Farms is one of the largest transporters of poultry litter on the . Dennis Forney - Moderator Dennis Forney is publisher and co-owner of the , a twice-weekly community newspaper serving Delaware's Cape Region in Sussex County and focuses on the region of Delaware, including the city of Lewes, Milton County, Sussex County Council, DelDOT, Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach as well as the courts, schools and state legislature. Forney has been a journalist on the Delmarva Peninsula since 1972 and has been writing his Barefootin’ column for The Whale and then the Cape Gazette for more than 30 years. Health, business, farm and gardens and the environment are also prominent topics of coverage. Forney’s newspaper career began at the Queen Anne's Record-Observer in Centreville, Maryland. Forney is past chairman of the Greater Lewes Foundation, chairman of the Sussex County Land Trust and past president of the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association.

Kurt Fuchs Kurt Fuchs is the Government Affairs Officer at the MidAtlantic Farm Credit, an agricultural lending cooperative. Fuchs is responsible for coordinating the organization’s legislative activities, including building positive relationships with legislators, industry groups, and centers of influence. Previously, Fuchs worked at the Maryland Farm Bureau as Assistant Director of Government Relations. Fuchs is an alumnus of the Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Maryland program that identifies and develops leadership to serve agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.

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Gordon Johnson Gordon Johnson, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor, Plant & Soil Science/Extension Specialist, Fruit and Vegetables, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Carvel Research and Education Center at the University of Delaware. Dr. Johnson’s areas of responsibility include serving as liaison to the vegetable and fruit industry in Delaware; conducting applied research in vegetable, fruit and specialty horticulture crops, including adaption research and new crop evaluations, nutrient management, and plant nutrition research; developing production recommendations for fruits and vegetables specifically for Delaware conditions; conducting on-farm vegetable and fruit research trials and demonstrations to promote improved production practices; and providing targeted trainings and regulatory updates for the Delaware fruit and vegetable industries.

Edwin Kee Ed Kee is the Secretary of the Delaware Department of Agriculture. Kee began his agricultural career as a farm manager at Nassau Orchards in Lewes, DE. In 1978 he was appointed as the Kent County Agricultural Agent for the University of Delaware and then moved to State Vegetable Crops Specialist, working out of Georgetown. In 2004, Kee was appointed as the Extension Agricultural Program Leader, and later served as the Vegetable Crop Specialist and the AG Program Leader. Ed retired from the University of Delaware in 2008 and worked for Hanover Foods Corporation as the Director of Agriculture before being appointed to his current position.

Dennis McIntosh Dennis McIntosh, Ph.D., serves as Associate Research Professor & Extension Specialist at the Aquaculture Research Center, Delaware State University. His research areas of interest include fresh water and marine aquaculture; water quality; integrated aquaculture/agriculture systems; aquaculture effluents; and recirculation technology. Dr. McIntosh goals are to continue to strengthen and support the aquaculture industry by conducting applied aquaculture research and to share this new information with producers to enhance the industry and its products.

Hans Schmidt In December 2015, Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Joe Bartenfelder appointed Hans Schmidt to serve as Assistant Secretary of Resource Conservation, Maryland Department of Agriculture. Prior to this appointment, Schmidt operated his family farm where, along with his brother, he was responsible for sustainability, conservation and agronomics. Schmidt has served in leadership roles for several agriculture groups including the Maryland Association of Conservation Districts, the Maryland Soybean Board, and the State Soil Conservation Committee. As Assistant Secretary, Schmidt coordinates and manages the development and delivery of the agency’s soil and water conservation programs. He also oversees the administration of regulatory, technical, and financial assistance programs that help farmers

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implement sound conservation practices, maintain productive farmland, and protect valuable natural resources.

David Small David Small serves as Secretary of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) – the chief steward of Delaware’s environment. Secretary Small leads seven DNREC Divisions – Air Quality, Waste and Hazardous Substances, Fish and Wildlife, Parks and Recreation, Water, Watershed Stewardship, and Energy and Climate. Secretary Small serves on numerous boards and commissions, including the Open Space Council, Nutrient Management Commission, State Water Supply Coordinating Council, Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and he chairs the Governor’s Cabinet Committee on Climate and Resiliency. Secretary Small has spearheaded a number of policy initiatives that ensure clean water and support safe and sustainable communities. He has played a key role in regulatory and voluntary approaches to improving water quality involving the state’s agriculture industry and updating the Department’s regulatory standards on air and water.

Patrick Thompson Patrick Thompson became President and Chief Executive Officer of EnergyWorks, Inc. in 1999 and has continued to lead the profitable growth of the business. In a career spanning over 30 years in the energy industry, he has held a number of key management roles in the energy and construction industries, including a variety of pace-setting domestic and international energy projects. As President and CEO of EnergyWorks, he has led the company’s successful transition from startup to operations in six countries. Senator Bryan Townsend Senator Townsend is a member of the Delaware State Senate representing District 11. He was first elected to the chamber in 2012. Senator Townsend has successfully championed legislation and efforts on a wide variety of policy issues, including education, economic development, criminal justice, drug addiction, and disability law. Last year, Senator Townsend co-authored Senate Concurrent Resolution #30, which established the Clean Water and Flood Abatement Task Force. The Task Force is charged with identifying and recommending potential funding mechanisms to identify options for cleaning up Delaware’s waterways and addressing chronic flooding. He currently is co- chairing the Task Force. The Task Force final report is due May 24, 2016.

Thomas Trendelenberg Thomas Trendelenberg, Ph.D. is Director of Business Development USA at BTS Biogas. Dr. Trendelenberg is a chemical engineer with a doctorate in technical chemistry and carbon technology from the University of Karlsruhe, Germany and has worked in R&D, engineering, and management in Germany, France, Russia, and the .

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R.C. Willin R.C. Willin is a grain and poultry producer in Seaford, Delaware along with his brother J.C. Willin and their sons. They grow corn, soybeans, wheat, and barley and own and operate poultry houses. Willin has served as a member of several advisory committees, including the Sussex County Field Crops Program, Sussex County Poultry Extension Program, and the University of Delaware Extension Nutrient Management/Environmental Quality Advisory Committee. Willin’s priority in environmental stewardship and his collaboration with the University of Delaware as a cooperator in the areas of nutrient management, weeds, insects, and irrigation establish Willin and his family’s farm as valuable stakeholders in agriculture.

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