Sponsor scholarships foster next generation at inaugural Women in Agribusiness Summit

BOSTON, Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- To encourage women to delve deeper into a career in agriculture, four sponsors – Dow AgroSciences, EGT LLC., Kellogg Company and Kraft Foods – of the inaugural Women in Agribusiness Summit, Sept. 16-17 at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans, are funding scholarships that will allow college students to attend this one-of-a-kind conference and learning experience.

The scholarships will be granted to students registering at the event website (www.womeninag.com) on a first-come, first-serve basis.

"We are grateful for the commitment of our scholarship sponsors who are providing a chance for the next generation of women in ag to experience first-hand the knowledge, wisdom and key messages that will be shared by the talented group of successful agribusiness women gathered here," said Frances Pratt, chairwoman of the event from HighQuest Partners, the leading global agricultural consultancy that is hosting the event. 

"We have great hopes that our sponsorship for these students will expose them to the breadth of opportunities that exist and are emerging in this dynamic area of growth across the food supply chain," said Vicky Saye, Vice President of Core Technology and Cost Optimization at Kellogg Company, whose funding will allow five students to attend the summit. "Agriculture is foundational to Kellogg Company's products and it's important for us, as a learning organization, to encourage education and involvement in agricultural disciplines."

Kraft sponsors anticipate students will gain professional development, knowledge sharing and an expanded professional network by attending the Women in Agribusiness Summit.  "We support the scholarship program as it aligns with our ongoing commitment to diversity, and strengthens the talent pipeline to increase leadership opportunities for women in the agribusiness and food sectors," said Sandra Mancuso, Commodities Analyst at Kraft Foods.

Scholarship attendees will benefit from professional and career path development discussions, leadership instruction, and the extraordinary opportunity to network with some of the most-accomplished women in the agribusiness industry, such as Mary Shelman, Director of the Agribusiness Program at Harvard Business School, and Susan Grelling, Vice President of Commodity Risk Management at Land O'Lakes.

Additional sessions on transportation, the global agro-economy and infrastructure will round out the learning experience.

For more information about this event, visit www.womeninag.com.  To join the elite group of student scholarship sponsors, contact Frances Pratt at 978.887.8800, Ext. 121 or [email protected].

Contact: Michelle Pelletier-Marshall
978.887.8800, [email protected]

SOURCE HighQuest Partners