Alexandria, Virginia, USA
July 1, 2026
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) elected its 2026-27 officers at the 2026 ASTA Leadership Summit, which took place in Milwaukee, WI June 9-11, 2026.
The 2026-27 officers, who begin official duties July 1, are:
Chair: Bryan Gerard, JoMar Seeds
First Vice Chair: Crystal Rose Fricker, Pure Seed
Second Vice Chair: John Marchese, HeinzSeed
In his remarks during the ASTA Leadership Summit, Chair Bryan Gerard expressed his gratitude and enthusiasm for the year ahead. He spoke about his hope for this year, with a theme of Back to the Future.
Since 2013, Gerard has served as President and co-owner of JoMar Seeds, a wheat licensing company. JoMar provides elite wheat varieties to seed companies in North America. For more than 25 years, Gerard has engaged in multiple groups within the seed sector, including ASTA Regional Vice President, SeedFirst Political Action Committee (PAC) Chair, and roles within Seeds Canada and the International Seed Federation (ISF).
"It's an honor to begin this term as ASTA Chair, and I'm grateful to our members for the trust they've placed in our leadership team this year,” said Gerard. “This year’s theme, Back to the Future, reflects where I think our industry needs to focus: building on the foundation our predecessors laid, while preparing seed companies for the innovation and challenges ahead. I'm looking forward to working alongside our officers, as well as the Board of Directors and Advisory Council to keep ASTA moving forward for our members and the broader agriculture community we are so proud to support."
In addition to the officer team, several Regional Vice Presidents (RVP) and Directors-at-Large were elected. These elected leaders are:
West RVP: Grant Baglietto, Baglietto Seeds
Central RVP: Scott Beck, Beck’s Hybrids
Northwest RVP: Sheri Goldsmith, Fusion Seed
Southeast RVP: Dan Jenkins, Pairwise
AMSAC Representative: Juan Labastida, Enza Zaden North America, Inc.
North Central RVP: Jessi Strinmoen, Shooting Star Native Seeds
South RVP: Luke Turner, Turner Seed Company
Northeast RVP: Bruce Ulmer, Stokes Seeds
Directors-at-Large: Hugo Borsari, BASF; Matthew Brandt; Bayer Crop Science; Keri Carstens, Jord BioScience; Kendall Palmer, Corteva Agriscience; Rick Winn, HM CLAUSE
Past Chairs: Dan Foor, Remington Seeds; Dave Armstrong, Sakata Seed America; and Jim Schweigert, Gro Alliance.
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