4-H Luminaries
Celebrating our alumni
4‑H Luminaries are an exclusive group of the most influential 4‑H alumni across the nation. Together, they help raise awareness of the impact 4‑H has on our nation’s youth and work to generate support for bringing 4‑H to more youth.
National 4‑H Council launched this initiative in 2017 to spotlight some of the most accomplished and influential 4‑H alumni across the nation. The distinguished alumni in this group help raise awareness and generate support for 4‑H so we can bring the life-changing 4‑H programs and opportunities to more kids in need.
4‑H Luminaries help fuel the growth of 4‑H by committing to:
- Invest: Make or facilitate an annual donation to help grow the mission of 4‑H.
- Connect: Open doors to their network for marketing, media and fundraising opportunities for 4‑H.
- Advocate: Serve as 4‑H spokespeople in the media, at events and online.
- Engage: Offer their expertise and access to experiences for 4‑H youth, alumni and professionals.
Honorary host committee
Vice President of AR/VR at Facebook
Andrew "Boz" Bosworth
President of West Virginia University
Dr. Gordon Gee
Grammy Award-winning Country Superstar and 4‑H National Spokesperson
Jennifer Nettles
Panelist on FOX TV's pilot social media talk show "So-Me," and New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author
Nancy Redd
Our luminaries
Class of 2020-2023
Kathy Hochul
First female governor of New York State
Leslie Coleman
Former Vice President, Head of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Nutrien
Kaye Reitzenstein
CFO, Telus Agriculture & Consumer Goods
Class of 2019
Justine Boyd, GA
Regional Development Director
United Negro College Fund
Doug Carver, GA
Former Chief of Chaplains
U.S. Army
Jenifer Crider, PA
Senior Director, Public Affairs
Microsoft
Erika Flanigan, SD
Colonel
U.S. Airforce
Lori Gadkari, OK
Senior Program Officer
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Charlie Kimball, CA
President & Race Driver
CK Motorsport
Class of 2018
Dr. Juliette Bell, AL
President (Retired)
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
National 4-H Council Trustee
Ethel Branch, AZ
Associate Attorney
Kanji & Katzen
Ray Kerins, NY
Senior Vice President and Head of Communications
Government Relations and Policy
Bayer U.S.
Maggie Sans, MI
Vice President for Community Relations
Walmart
National 4-H Council Trustee
Jill Soltau, WI
CEO
JCPenney
Curtis Ullerich, IA
Software Engineer
Jeff Zeleny, NE
Senior White House Correspondent
CNN
Class of 2017
Steve Barr, MO
Chairman
Osborn Barr
Kent Bazemore, NC
Professional Basketball Player
NBA-Sacramento Kings
Dr. Faustino Bernadett, CA
Physician and Public Servant (Retired)
Paula Berry, OH
Owner
Subway Franchise
Rep. Marsha Blackburn, MS
Congresswoman
Tennessee US Senator
Jim Borel, IA
Executive Vice President (Retired)
DuPont
Marcia Borel, IA
Iowa 4-H Alumna
Andrew “Boz” Bosworth
Vice President, Consumer Hardware
Anne Burrell, NY
Chef TV personality & Food Network Host
Nicole “ Nikki” Clifton, GA
Vice President
UPS
Andrew Dunckelman, LA
Head of Education & Economic Opportunity
Google.org
Zippy Duvall, GA
President
American Farm Bureau Federation
David Epstein, WI
President & CEO
Mosser Lee Company
National 4-H Council Trustee
Dr. W Franklin Evans, GA
President
Voorhees College
Bruce Fouke, IL
Professor of Geology
University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign
Dr. E Gordon Gee, UT
President
West Virginia University
National 4-H Council Trustee
Dr. Barbara Glenn, OH
CEO
National Association of State
Departments of Agriculture
Elizabeth Gore, TX
President
Alice
Nancy Grace, GA
Political Commentator and TV Personality
Dr. Ronnie Green, VA
Chancellor
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Tess Hammock, GA
Miss Warner Robins 2016
Krysta Harden, GA
EVP of Global Environment Strategy
Dairy Management, Inc.
National 4-H Council Trustee
Regina Heyward, GA
Senior Vice President and Head of Supplier Diversity
Wells Fargo
David Horsager, MN
Author, Speaker, Consultant, CEO
Trust Edge Leadership Institute
Dr. Glenda Humiston, CO
Vice President
Division of Ag & Natural Resources
University of California
Jacki Kelley, CO
CEO
Dentsu Aegis Network Americas
Lazarus Lynch, NY
Brand Developer and Entertainment Chef
Son of a Southern Chef
Colleen McCreary, FL
Chief People Officer
Credit Karma
Shelby McLeod, GA
Singer/Songwriter
Post Monroe
Trent McKnight, TX
CEO, Founder
AgriCorps
M. Peter McPherson, MI
President
Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities
Craig Melvin, SC
Award-Winning Journalist, Correspondent & Anchor
Today Show & MSNBC
Ellen Moran, MA
Vice Chancellor for Communications & Marketing
University of Pittsburgh
Dan Mozena, IA
Former Ambassador
U.S. Embassies of Angola and Bangladesh
Michelle Munson, KS
President, CEO & Co-founder
Aspera, Inc.
National 4-H Council Trustee
Jennifer Nettles, GA
Grammy Award Winning Singer and Songwriter
National 4-H Spokesperson
Shannon Oleen, MO
Keynote Speaker and Inspiration Coach
Teresa Paulsen, NE
Vice President of Communications & External Relations
ConAgra Foods, Inc.
Dr. Franci Phelan, IA
Chief Human Resources Officer
The Kennedy Center
Aubrey Plaza, DE
Actor & Producer
Susan Popper, NY
Hewlett Packard
Adam Putnam, FL
Former Commissioner
Florida Department of Agriculture
Nancy Redd, VA
Bestselling author, Journalist and Talk Show Host
So-Me TV
Brian Sandoval, NV
Former Governor
Nevada
Orion Samuelson, IL
Vice President
WGN
Otha Thorton, GA
Principal Consultant
Thorton Consulting Group
Kip Tom, IN
U.S. Ambassador
U.N. Agencies for Food & Agriculture in Rome
Amy Weisenbach, IN
The New York Times
Temple Grandin
best-selling author, autism activist and consultant to the livestock industry
Terri Sewell
Representative, U.S. Congress
Photos
4‑H Luminaries are an exclusive group of the most influential 4‑H alumni across the nation. Together, they help raise awareness of the impact 4‑H has on our nation’s youth and work to generate support for bringing 4‑H to more youth.
2019 class of 4‑H luminaries
The 2019 class of 4‑H Luminaries were officially inducted at the National 4‑H Council Annual Legacy Awards on March 12, 2019 in Washington, D.C. They are pictured with National 4‑H Council President and CEO Jennifer Sirangelo.
From left to right: Doug Carver (Former Chief of Chaplains , U.S. Army), Justine Boyd (Regional Development Director, United Negro College Fund), Jennifer Crider (Senior Director, Public Affairs, Microsoft) Bob Baffert (American Racehorse Trainer, Bob Baffert Racing Stables), Jennifer Sirangelo, President and CEO, National 4‑H Council), Ericka Flanigan (Colonel, U.S. Airforce), Charlie Kimball (President & Race Driver, CK Motorsport), Lori Gadkari (Senior Program Officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)
2018 class of 4‑H luminaries
The 2018 class of 4‑H Luminaries were officially inducted at the National 4‑H Council Annual Legacy Awards on March 20, 2018 in Washington, D.C.
From left to right: Curtis Ullerich (Software Engineer, Google), Maggie Sans (SVP and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Wal-Mart in China), Dr. Julier Bell (President, University of Maryland Eastern Shore), Ethel Branch (Attorney General of the Navajo Nation), Jill Soltau (CEO JOANN Stores), Jeffrey Zeleny (Senior White House Correspondent, CNN)
2017 4‑H luminaries launch
The official launch of the 2017 Luminaries took place on March 21, 2017 at the 8th Annual National 4‑H Council Legacy Awards.
Thank you to those Luminaires who were able to attend our launch event in person.
