The Ralph K. Morris Foundation is pleased to announce that its 21th Anniversary Tom Lyon Family Leadership Symposium was a special feature of Cooperative Network's Virtual Annual Meeting on November 14, 2024.
Chuck Conner, President and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives reflected on the recently election and provided a cooperative outlook for 2025. Following his remarks, Courtney Berner, executive director of the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives, moderated discussion.
The Foundation also announced the 2024 recipients of The Elroy Webster Cooperative Studies Scholarship, which provides funding to graduate students studying agricultural cooperatives. Support of cooperative education is a key part of the Morris Foundation’s mission, along with land and water stewardship.
Since its renaming in 2021, the Tom Lyon Family Leadership Symposium honors the family of the late Tom Lyon, who was a dedicated agribusiness, cooperative, and farmland preservation leader in Wisconsin and across the country. Previous leaders who’ve addressed the symposium include Sheryl Meshke, President/CEO of AMPI, John Piotti, Executive Director of American Farmland Trust, former USDA Agriculture Secretary Bob Bergland, and Secretary Tom Vilsack.
The Ralph K. Morris Foundation was established in 2001 to carry on the legacy of cooperative leader and attorney Ralph Morris. The foundation provides development opportunities for emerging leaders expressing interest in applying and advancing the principles of cooperation, and in promoting farmland preservation, land stewardship, and sustainability. Gifts are deductible for federal income tax purposes as charitable contributions. For more information visit www.ralphkmorrisfoundation.org.
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