July 14, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information contact:
JD Rosman, communications intern, at 816-383-5104 or jdrosman.intern@angus.media
PHOTOS: Available upon request at prphotos@angus.org.
National Junior Angus Board Elects New Members, Officers
Angus juniors elected to lead the National Junior Angus Association.
Easily recognized in their green coats, National Junior Angus Board (NJAB) members serve as mentors, friends and the next generation of leaders for the Angus breed. During the 2016 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS), hosted July 3-9 in Grand Island, Neb., six junior leaders were elected by their peers to serve on the NJAB.
“The opportunity to represent more than 6,000 members creates a feeling of pride and excitement that cannot be matched,” says Corbin Cowles, newly elected NJAB director. “Many great individuals have come before us and set the standard of excellence for the Angus breed, and I am honored to be able to continue the same tradition by using my talents and abilities to represent this organization.”
Joining Cowles on the 2016-2017 NJAB are: Madison Butler, Vincennes, Ind.; Michaela Clowser, Milford, Neb.; Catie Hope, Berryville, Va.; Will Pohlman, Prairie Grove, Ark.; and Jordyn Wagner, Billings, Mont.
Board members will serve a two-year term and travel across the country to various events, promoting the Angus breed and helping other young people succeed in the industry’s premier junior organization. Their first official activity is the Leaders Engaged in Angus Development (LEAD) conference in Phoenix, Ariz., Aug. 4-7.
In addition to the new board members being elected, members serving for their second year on the NJAB were elected to officer positions.
Named as chairman was Macy Perry, Prather, Calif.; vice-chairman, Reese Tuckwiller, Lewisburg, W.Va.; Membership Director, Katelyn Corsentino, Denham Springs, La.; Communications Director, Gabrielle Lemenager, Clifton, Ill.; Foundation Director, Braden Henricks, Anadarko, Okla.; and Leadership Director, Timothy Mardesen, Oxford, Iowa.
Get-to-know the New NJAB
Butler says the NJAA helps shape youth members for the future and she looks forward to helping guide fellow juniors. Having finished her junior college career at Hutchinson Community College, Butler will attend Oklahoma State University and major in animal science with a focus in biotechnology. Butler is a fifth-generation Angus breeder, and she attended her first NJAS in 2012 in Louisville, Ky.
Clowser attended her first junior nationals in 2005 in Denver, Colo., as a first-generation Angus breeder. Entering her junior year at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Clowser is studying agricultural economics. As a member of the NJAB, Clowser looks forward to working as a team and growing the Angus family.
Cowles joins the board as a fifth-generation Angus breeder, coming from his family’s ranch, Pleasant Hill Farms, in Rockfield, Ky. He attended his first junior nationals in 2011 at Harrisburg, Pa. A sophomore at Oklahoma State University, Cowles is majoring in animal science with a business option.
Hope has dreamed of being an NJAB member since her first junior nationals in 2007 in Tulsa, Okla. Growing up in Berryville, Va., she spent summers with her cousins on the farm, and now owns and operates a small Angus cow-calf operation. Hope is pursuing a degree in animal science with a minor in photography at Ferrum College.
Pohlman is pursuing a degree in biochemistry and animal science at the University of Arkansas. He and his family raise show cattle in Prairie Grove, Ark., and have done so for the last four generations. Pohlman is eager to give back to the NJAA and serve as a role model for fellow juniors. He has also served at the NJAA’s Angus Ambassador, representing the breed’s youth at events across the country.
Wagner attended her first junior nationals in 2007 in Tulsa, Okla. She grew up in Billings, Mont., where her family operates a herd of Angus show cattle. This fall, she will begin her second year at Rocky Mountain College, where she is pursuing a degree in elementary education with a minor in reading. Wagner says the dream of being a green coat has finally come true.
As six join the board, six also said goodbye to the NJAA and will retire in August at the LEAD conference. Those who ended their terms on the board are: Alex Rogen, Brandon, S.D.; Jacob Heimsoth, Cameron, Mo.; Michael Cropp, Damascus, Md.; Evan Woodbury, Quenemo, Kan.; Lauren Grimes, Hillsboro, Ohio; and Katlyn Tunstill, Fayetteville, Ark.
Additional NJAS contest placings, awards and scholarships can be found on www.angus.org. Coverage is also available on www.njas.info. Backdrop and candid photos, provided by Pearls Pics and Angus Media, are available for purchase online.
Also, plan to tune in to a special NJAS episode of The Angus Report at 7 a.m. (CST) Monday, July 18, on RFD-TV.
ANGUS MEANS BUSINESS. The American Angus Association® is the nation’s largest beef breed organization, serving more than 25,000 members across the United States and Canada. It provides programs and services to farmers, ranchers and others who rely on the power of Angus to produce quality genetics for the beef industry and quality beef for consumers.
For more information about Angus cattle and the American Angus Association’s programs and services, visit www.angus.org.
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