LEADelaware, the First State’s top developmental program for agriculture and natural resources leadership, is kicking off 2026 by announcing the members of Class VIII shortly after honoring the graduates of Class VII.

LEADelaware, a partnership between the University of Delaware College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Delaware Department of Agriculture, is designed to help build the next generation of leaders within the food and fiber industries. Class VIII topics range from grain processing and aquaculture to public policy, forestry and renewables. LEADelaware classes also include an international study trip at the end of the two-year course.

“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,” said Jennifer Volk, LEADelaware Director. “I’m confident that LEADelaware Class VIII fellows will contribute to our long-term sustainability.”

LEADelaware’s 11 Class VIII members include:

• 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
• Bobbi Jo Webber, Webber Family Farms

The announcement of Class VIII participants comes one month after LEADelaware marked the graduation of the 11-member Class VII with a Dover ceremony on Jan. 13.

Class VII graduating members included:

• Justin Blessing, Mule Run Farms
• Kyle Brolis, Food Bank of Delaware
• Nate Bruce, Delaware Cooperative Extension
• Logan Field, Delcarm LLC
• Nichole Krambeck, Insight Crop Scouting, LLC
• Jill Pollok, Delaware Cooperative Extension
• Lisa Porter, L&L Farms
• Rebecca Schaller, Delaware Department of Agriculture
• Ashley Tabibian, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
• Melissa Tracy, Odyssey Charter School
• Brooke Walls, Delaware Department of Agriculture

“We are immensely proud of the growth and development of the individuals that make up Class VII of LEADelaware,” said George Class-Peters Jr., LEADelaware Coordinator. “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 the members to Vietnam and Thailand for a 10-day study of the area’s agriculture and natural resources. The trip included tours of various farms, research stations, industrial and processing locations, and natural sites, giving Class VII members a first-hand experience of the rich history and culture of food, fiber, agricultural systems and natural resources of the region. Highlights included the Kubota research farm in Nong Irun, Thailand and the Cai Rang Floating Markets on the Mekong River Delta.

For more information on LEADelaware, visit http://sites.udel.edu/leadelaware.

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