March 10, 2009

Purdue alumni honored for outstanding work in agriculture

"These 10 people represent who we are and what we do so well," said Jay Akridge, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture. "They are business people, educators, entrepreneurs, and researchers -- and they are all leaders. We take great pride in our alumni, and these are 10 of our best."

Honorees included:

Glenn S. Armstrong, Highland Park, Ill. Armstrong is vice president of corporate and business innovations for Alticor Inc. He led Alticor's Growth Through Innovation, a program designed to make fundamental changes in the way the company conducts its global business. When he joined Alticor in 2007 the company's global sales totaled $7 billion. Sales reached $8 billion in the company's most recent fiscal year. Armstrong earned a master's degree in food science in 1976 and a Purdue doctoral degree in food science in 1983.

Elizabeth A. Bechdol, Auburn, Ind. Bechdol joined the Indianapolis law firm of Ice Miller LLP in 2007, where she helped establish the firm's agribusiness practice area and leads business development and marketing. She serves as Ice Miller's director of agribusiness strategies, a unit comprised of 16 attorneys and industry leaders. Before joining Ice Miller, Bechdol was deputy director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. She earned a master's degree in agricultural economics in 1996.

Gregory Curlin, Vevay, Ind. An agricultural science and business teacher at Switzerland County High School, Curlin serves as the Region IV vice president of the National Association of Agricultural Educators. He was named the region's Teacher of the Year in 2005. Curlin also is a member of the board of directors of the National Young Farmers. He earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural education in 1990.

Richard R. Halderman, Wabash, Ind. Halderman is president and chief executive officer of Teays River Investments, LLC, of Carmel Ind., a company that owns agricultural properties throughout the United States. He also is president and CEO of Agricultural Real Estate Investors, LLC, of Indianapolis. Halderman has been involved in his family's farm management business since 1985, where he's helped establish and expand its transitional and commercial real estate businesses to $20 million in sales. Halderman earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics in 1991.

Brad Inman, New Orleans, La. Inman is senior project manager of the Planning, Programs, and Project Management Division of the Army Corps of Engineer's New Orleans District Office. As senior project manager, Inman is involved in the effort to rebuild the levees damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Since 1988 he also has served as principal technologist and project manager for CH2M HILL, one of the nation's largest employee-owned environmental consulting firms. Inman earned a bachelor's degree in general agronomy and agricultural education in 1981, and is a member of the Purdue Agronomy Department Advisory Council.

Peter Kennelly, Blacksburg, Va. His Purdue education led Kennelly into the education field: Since 2005 he has been the head of the Department of Biochemistry at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. An expert and international lecturer on protein kinases, Kennelly has written 42 refereed research publications and co-authored 10 chapters of the widely used textbook, Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry. Kennelly earned a doctoral degree in biochemistry in 1985.

Chris Knight, St. Charles, Mo. Knight is vice president of research and development at Novus International Inc., where he develops innovative feed products and works to improve their use with farm animals. He helped Novus expand from poultry nutrition research into product development for swine, ruminant, aquaculture, companion animal and equine markets in the United States, China, Brazil and Vietnam. Knight received Purdue's Animal Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award in 2006. He earned master's and doctoral degrees in monogastric nutrition in 1977 and 1981, respectively.

Mario Nivera, Palm Beach, Fla. Nivera is founder and president of Mario Nivera Design Inc., which creates landscaping designs for residential, corporate, institutional and commercial clients. Nivera's clients have included singer Jimmy Buffett, former Sotheby’s chief executive Michael Ainsley and retired Citigroup chief executive officer Sanford Weill. Nivera has earned a reputation as "landscaper to the stars." His work has been featured in such publications as Elle De¢cor, Architectural Digest, Town & Country and Southern Accents. He earned a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture in 1987, and was a visiting professor in landscape architecture in 1995.

L. Daniel Ploper, Tucumán, Argentina. Ploper is an experiment station director and associate professor of plant pathology at Estación Agroindustrial Obispo Colombres, Argentina's oldest agricultural research station. Ploper's research focuses on controlling field crop diseases in soybeans, common beans, sugarcane and citrus, and developing disease-resistant cultivars. He led a public breeding program to develop Roundup Ready® soybean varieties that are now planted on almost 2 million acres in Argentina and 50 percent of the soybean acres in Bolivia. Ploper earned a doctoral degree in botany and plant pathology in 1987.

Steven E. Smith, Elwood, Ind. Smith is the director of agriculture for Red Gold Inc., a leading tomato products company. He works closely with Red Gold's 55 tomato growers in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, and plays a key role in the company's variety development program. Smith has served on the Purdue Agriculture Dean's Advisory Council, Mid-America Agriculture and Horticulture Services Board, and American Fruit and Vegetable Processors and Growers Coalition. He was an inaugural member of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture Advisory Board. Smith earned a bachelor's degree in agriculture in 1975.

The awards were presented during a ceremony on Purdue's West Lafayette campus. Recipients were selected by a committee consisting of Akridge, associate deans, College of Agriculture department heads and three unit directors.

Writers: Ashley Bechman, (765) 494-8402, aabechma@purdue.edu

Steve Leer, (765) 494-8415, sleer@purdue.edu

Source: Dinah McClure, assistant to the Dean of Agriculture and communications specialist, (765) 494-9505, dmcclure@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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