Meet Our Team

Aline DeLucia leads AgSpire in pursuing cutting-edge ideas to address challenges and advance goals. With a background in livestock nutrition and reproduction, stakeholder engagement, corporate issues management, and agricultural policy and advocacy, Aline offers a comprehensive and pragmatic understanding of the industry.

Aline started her career in livestock, where she worked on beef cattle reproduction, as well as exotic ruminants’ nutrition. She maintains strong ties to her family’s beef cattle ranch in Brazil, bringing a valuable perspective into discussions impacting producers and the food value chain.

She took that practical knowledge and applied it to public policy and business management. Through her roles with Syngenta, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, and BASF, Aline gained extensive experience engaging stakeholders throughout the agriculture value chain to advance key industry issues.

She has three master’s degrees spanning the breadth of agricultural sciences and business from Indiana University, Purdue University, and the University of Florida. She received her bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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With extensive experience utilizing diverse regenerative practices, Jared assists AgSpire’s clients to impact their supply chains through strategy, program design, and on-the-ground implementation.

Jared has 25 years of experience on the land as a part-owner of a diversified livestock and crop farm in Eastern South Dakota that focuses on cow/calf production. Through the lessons learned on his own land, Jared is passionate about equipping fellow farmers and ranchers to enable greater resilience and functionality through positive land management and grazing practices.

Jared’s expertise has been further honed through his background in livestock genetics, seed sales, business development, and as co-host of the Roots + Ruminants Podcast. Jared has a degree in Animal Science from South Dakota State University and China Agricultural University in Beijing.

With a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, majoring in Animal Science from the University of Guelph, and an MBA from William & Mary in Virginia, Sydney has extensive experience in the agriculture industry and brings knowledge from having worked across many different segments.

Most recently, Sydney served as the North American Marketing Lead for the Seed Treatment business at BASF where she led a team responsible for managing all on-seed technology. Prior to this, Sydney was the Global Marketing Manager, responsible for the global strategy of three key active ingredients. Sydney’s experience also includes various country-level marketing roles focused on providing innovative solutions for farmer customers across North America.

Sydney brings a passion for the agriculture industry, and helping farmers identify meaningful and sustainable solutions to maximize productivity.

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Taylor Polka joined the AgSpire team as an Enrollment Specialist focused on our Producer Programs. She assists producers in the enrollment process as well as collects and manages data.

Taylor was raised in Wisconsin where a love for animals and agriculture were fostered. Being heavily involved in 4-H and FFA created further agricultural and leadership development opportunities. She has an Animal Science degree from the University of Wisconsin- River Falls. During her time in River Falls, she focused on animal genetics and reproduction. Previously, Taylor was managing a dairy teaching farm for a technical college. Her role encompassed animal husbandry, education, and crop planning and management.

Derek is passionate about conservation and natural ecosystems – a passion he uses to guide his work as Senior Conservation Agronomist at AgSpire. He has a deep respect for mother nature and the symbiosis organisms have with one another in the environment. In his work, Derek seeks to harness these natural relationships for crop production so that environmental impacts can be mitigated while still producing high quality commodities for the growing world’s population.

Prior to joining AgSpire, Derek spent more than 15 years working with landowners and corporations to design, manage, and validate research trials, maximizing short- and long-term crop outputs. Always eager to learn, he is continuously expanding his knowledge of soil health, chemistry, biology, technical advancements in crop production and integrated pest management (IPM).

Derek holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from South Dakota State University and a master’s degree in Agronomy from Iowa State University. He is a Certified Crop Advisor (CCA), Technical Service Provider (TSP) for the NRCS, and is also a small business owner.

In his spare time, Derek enjoys the outdoors, coaching youth sports, and spending time with his family.

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Dr. Kristina Porter serves as a technical advisor for AgSpire, bringing deep expertise to our livestock focused programs.

She has spent most of her veterinary career focusing on reproduction to maximize performance and profitability for her clients. She has complemented this focus with low-stress animal handling to create the healthiest, most efficient animal possible.

Dr. Kristina has worked alongside members of the Beef Reproduction task force to develop synchronization protocols for the industry. This earned her their “Service to Industry Award” in 2022 for her contributions.

Dr. Kristina is from eastern South Dakota and returned to the family ranch after veterinary school. Dr. Kristina received her BS in Animal Science from Kansas State University in 2008 and her DVM from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State in 2010. She completed the Executive Veterinary Program from the University of Illinois in 2023.

She and her husband, also a veterinarian, practice in Huron, South Dakota while raising their four daughters and working on the family ranch.

Austin grew up helping on the family century farm and now operates that farm with his uncle raising hogs, corn, and soybeans. Austin has seen the effects of incorporating conservation practices on his own farm and uses those experiences to help others incorporate practices on their operations. Previously, Austin worked as a Sustainability Agronomist working with producers across the country helping bring value to their operations through sustainable practices.

Austin holds a bachelor’s degree in Agronomy from Iowa State University. He is also a Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) and Technical Service Provider (TSP) through NRCS, covering multiple practices and states.

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Jake’s passion lies in working with farmers which began on the family farm in northeast South Dakota. His pursuit has led him to work in research and development, seed sales, market development, and – more recently – soil health and sustainable agriculture. He enjoys sharing his knowledge with farmers to help them gain a better understanding of what the soil health principles can offer and how to manage expectations.

Jake holds a B.A. in Crop and Weed Sciences from North Dakota State University and a M.S. in Plant and Soil Sciences from Oklahoma State University. He is a sUAV licensed pilot and a board member for the Payne County Conservation District. Additionally, Jake serves as a crop consultant

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As the Producer Programs Intern, Gavan utilizes his passion for agriculture and conservation, as he helps expand  producer enrollment and outreach efforts within The SustainAg Network.

Gavan previously worked with Millborn Seeds, where he primarily worked in the warehouse packaging orders while creating new ways to operate more efficiently within the company since January of 2023. Additionally, his background includes volunteering for the NRCS of Brookings County, being an active member of the Ida County Iowa Pheasants Forever Chapter and is the treasurer of the South Dakota State University Pheasants Forever Chapter.

Gavan is currently a junior at SDSU working towards his degree in Ecology/Environmental Sciences.

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Sara Arsenault serves as Senior Director of Client Relations at AgSpire, bringing her keen view of the agriculture industry to current and future client projects.

Prior to joining AgSpire, Sara led the federal policy division for California Farm Bureau (CAFB), where she managed the federal policy team and developed the organization’s federal legislative and regulatory strategies. She also served as the Vice President of the Almond Alliance for a short time thereafter.

Sara also spent nearly five years in Washington, D.C., where she worked on Capitol Hill and at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), representing agriculture leaders from all fifty states and four U.S. territories at the federal level.

Sara is a native of Northern California where she currently resides. She began her academic career at Modesto Junior College and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in animal science and meat science and technology at Texas A&M University.

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As the Director of Carbon & Ecosystem Markets, Zach promotes company strategy and client success by developing and executing services at the intersection of MRV technologies, carbon accounting protocols, and ecosystem markets.

Throughout his career, Zach has focused on carbon issues for stakeholders across the agriculture value chain and in a wide array of commodities. His expertise in farm-level carbon accounting, MRV platform usage, voluntary and compliance market schemes, science-based targets, ESG reporting, and strategic planning allow him to assist industry groups, food and ag companies, and farmers on their sustainability goals.

Zach’s passion for agriculture started at Woods Hole Consortium, where he studied with scientists to evaluate carbon sequestration techniques in row crop systems. Prior to joining AgSpire, Zach managed sustainability services at Pinion Global. There, he advised clients on designing, measuring, and evaluating carbon strategies down to the farm level. Zach also has experience in social impact measurement and social entrepreneurship.

Zach has a BA in Environmental Science from Middlebury College and is an accredited verifier for both dairy and ethanol projects under the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the Oregon Clean Fuels Program.

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Julia drives AgSpire’s creative strategy with a mission to inform and inspire audiences around improved social and environmental impacts.

That mission is rooted in her family’s row crop farm in the Texas Panhandle, where she currently resides. Through her work, Julia seeks to support farmers and rural America, while contributing to sustainable and resilient global food systems.

With a background in advocacy communications and cause marketing, Julia brings a proven record leading multi-channel marketing strategies to drive brand reputation, foster partnerships, and mobilize audiences – having worked to advance education, international health, and sustainable agriculture globally.

Julia is  pursuing a master’s degree in international agriculture from Oklahoma State University to complement her master’s degree in corporate and non-profit communication from Johns Hopkins University and bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Texas Christian University. She also has a professional certificate in Sustainable Capitalism & ESG from Berkeley Law Executive Education.

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Sarah Roderick serves as the Event & Outreach Coordinator for AgSpire, with a focus on expanding the reach of our SustainAg Network Initiative. With a passion for agriculture and sustainability, she looks forward to finding innovative solutions for producers and consumers.

This passion was created by growing up on a cattle ranch in West Texas, where she learned the highs and lows within the cattle industry. This gave her a solid foundation in the agriculture sector and left her with a desire to improve the industry.

Sarah has previously worked for the New Mexico Department of Agriculture where she worked as the Communications & Events Student Assistant, as well as an intern for 44 Farms/Prime Pursuits.

Just recently, Sarah graduated from New Mexico State University (NMSU) with a double major in Agricultural Communications and Agricultural Business/Economics. While at NMSU, Sarah was a proud member of the National Agri-Marketing Association team where her team won the national title in 2023. She also served as student body treasurer for NMSU’s student government and held other various leadership roles.

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As the Senior Director of Finance and Operations at AgSpire, Andrea leverages over 12 years of experience in financial management, strategic planning, and operational leadership. Her extensive background across diverse industries enables her to excel in crafting robust financial strategies and enhancing operational efficiency to drive sustainable growth.

Andrea holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from California State University and a master’s degree from Capella University.

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Vivian leads AgSpire’s program operations, with a strong focus on achieving tangible outcomes and delivering meaningful results.

Growing up on a farm in Norway, Vivian knows the intricacies of working with the land and the vast opportunities for producers, the environment, and society at large. This spurred an interest in sustainable development that has guided her education and career since.

Prior to joining AgSpire as our inaugural hire, Vivian worked in sales at two indoor vertical farming startups, before moving into economic development for the State of Wyoming in an entrepreneurial ecosystem development role.

With a bachelor’s degree in Renewable Energy from the University of Life Sciences in Norway, she then moved to Wyoming to pursue her MBA in Energy Management at the University of Wyoming.

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