On February 12, 2026, LEADelaware announced the selection of 11 new members for its Class VIII and celebrated the recent graduation of Class VII.
LEADelaware is a partnership between the University of Delaware College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Delaware Department of Agriculture. The program aims to develop leadership within the food and fiber industries by providing training on topics such as grain processing, aquaculture, public policy, forestry, and renewables. The curriculum also includes an international study trip at the end of its two-year course. According to Jennifer Volk, LEADelaware Director, “With each new Class we continue to grow our network of leaders primed to address the challenges facing our state’s agriculture and natural resources sectors (…) I’m confident that LEADelaware Class VIII fellows will contribute to our long-term sustainability.”
The 11 members selected for Class VIII are Clarence “Greg” Dempsey (Dempsey Farms), Tyler Gill (Delaware Department of Agriculture), Scott Hudson (N R Hudson Consulting Inc.), Taieshia Hyacinth (Caribe Locavore Farm LLC), Zachary Kellerman (Food Bank of Delaware), Amanda “Mandy” Kruhm (McConnell Agronomics, Inc.), Kendall Metz (Appoquinimink High School), Genevieve Pelletier (Sussex Conservation District), Eric Reid (Delaware Department of Agriculture), Connor Vincent (USI Insurance Services, LLC), and Bobbi Jo Webber (Webber Family Farms).
The announcement follows the graduation ceremony for Class VII held in Dover on January 13. Graduates included Justin Blessing, Kyle Brolis, Nate Bruce, Logan Field, Nichole Krambeck, Jill Pollok, Lisa Porter, Rebecca Schaller, Ashley Tabibian, Melissa Tracy, and Brooke Walls. According to George Class-Peters Jr., LEADelaware Coordinator, “We are immensely proud of the growth and development of the individuals that make up Class VII of LEADelaware (…) Their dedicated efforts to leadership, professional, and personal development is exactly why they will be successful in any endeavor they seek. We are confident that they will use the skills and tools gained through this fellowship to benefit the agricultural and natural resource sectors of Delaware and beyond.”
Class VII’s international trip in December 2025 took participants to Vietnam and Thailand for a ten-day study tour focused on agriculture and natural resources. The itinerary included visits to farms, research stations, industrial sites, processing locations, as well as cultural sites such as the Kubota research farm in Nong Irun, Thailand and Cai Rang Floating Markets on the Mekong River Delta.
For more information about LEADelaware visit the program website.
