Madison, Wis., April 27, 2023 – The Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) announced its newly elected leaders for the next office term, beginning January 2024.

The CSSA annual election, which was held March 6 – April 6, 2023, was open to all members of the Society. Candidates, either self-nominated or nominated by others, ran for positions including President, a member of the Board of Directors, and Division Chairs. Elected leaders represent members of the Society as a whole, and make decisions on areas such as how time and money are spent on programs and resources.

The following individuals will serve during the 2024 term:

President-Elect
Mark E. Sorrells (Cornell University)

Division Chair Leadership

Division C-1 Crop Breeding and Genetics Chair-Elect
Aaron J. Lorenz (University of Minnesota Agronomy & Plant Genetics)

Division C-2 Crop Physiology and Metabolism Chair-Elect
Cristiane Pilon (University of Georgia-Tifton)

Division C-3 Crop Ecology, Management & Quality Chair-Elect
Mark A. Licht (Iowa State University)

Division C-4 Seed Physiology, Production, & Technology Chair-Elect
Karen A. Cichy (USDA-ARS)

Division C-5 Turfgrass Science Chair-Elect
Aaron J. Patton (Purdue University)

Division C-6 Forage & Grazinglands Chair-Elect
David Mirabedini Jaramillo (U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center)

Division C-7 Genomics, Molecular Genetics, and Biotechnology Chair-Elect
Michael J. Thomson (Texas A&M University)

Division C-8 Plant Genetic Resources Chair-Elect
Vivian M. Bernau (USDA-ARS)

Division C-9 Crops for Nutrition and Health Chair-Elect
D. Jo Heuschele (USDA-ARS Plant Science Research Unit)

Board Representative Leadership

Graduate Student Board Representative
Tina Marie Sullivan (Utah State University)

Division C-2 Crop Physiology and Metabolism Board Representative
John L. Snider (University of Georgia-Tifton)

Division C-5 Turfgrass Science Board Representative
Cale A. Bigelow (Purdue University)

CSSA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Member-at-Large Board Representative
Geoffrey Michael Koch (University of California-Davis)

President-elect Mark Sorrells earned his Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and is a professor in the Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics at Cornell University. Sorrells comes with an extensive leadership background, holding many elected positions throughout his professional career.

As part of his vision statement, Sorrells’ plan for CSSA is to create a diverse and inclusive workforce that can innovate and apply sustainable plant science solutions. He hopes that by enhancing crop production systems, it will nourish a growing world population while protecting the environment.

Jim Cudahy, Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Societies, welcomes the newly elected leadership, saying, “I am looking forward to working with this talented and dedicated group of leaders and extend a warm welcome in their new roles. I know they will enhance and strengthen the Society they serve.”

CSSA is also part of the Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Societies (ACSESS): a nonprofit organization providing management and administrative, support services to founding members, the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). The headquarters office is located in Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

For more information and to learn about the Society and its leadership, visit our Governance webpage: www.crops.org/about-society/governance