David Kohl is an academic hall of famer in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech. He is widely respected across the dairy industry for his keen insight into the agriculture industry, which he gained through extensive travel, research and involvement in ag businesses. He plans on talking about the long-term economic implications of COVID-19 on the dairy industry, what to expect and how to prepare for the future.

Heglar Creek Dairy based near Declo, Idaho, is a five-generation dairy farm with four partners. The Webb family has a dairy and beef operation, farms multiple crops, and has other enterprises — including electrical contracting and a dairy chemical and supply company. They have a 1,100-cow barn that is fully robotic and automated, and they milk about 2,300 cows. The family is passionate about their farm’s team approach and plans to discuss, as a panel, how working together with hard work and a positive attitude have contributed to their success.

Tara Vander Dussen grew up on her family’s dairy farm in eastern New Mexico. She has worked as an environmental scientist for the past nine years on dairy farm projects throughout the southwest. As a project manager, she assists her clients with state and federal regulatory compliance, water conservation, sustainable management practices, and analytical reports. With sustainability at the forefront of consumers’ minds, Vander Dussen plans to talk about strategies for connecting with consumers by telling dairy's sustainability story, highlighting the progress dairy has made, and leveraging sustainability efforts to market products.

Lee Rubin is an emerging voice at corporations, conferences and schools throughout the U.S. He holds a bachelor’s degree in speech communications with a minor in business from Penn State, where he played football and was a team captain. Rubin will talk about the five components of extraordinary teams and how dairy teams can make sacrifices to achieve common goals, build trust with open communication, and strive for consistency with focused discipline.