Dr. Karisha Devlin and Doris Mold are the new joint Chief Executive Officers for the Annie’s Project Education for Farm Women.

Devlin and Mold have a long history of working with women in agriculture. They will work closely with the APEFW Board of Directors, State Coordinators and facilitators, and Director of Administration on moving the organization forward.

“We are looking forward to the next chapter of growth of Annie’s Project, which will benefit women farmers, ranchers and growers across the United States. The most recent Census of Agriculture recognized that there are substantially more women producers out there than previously thought. Our new Co-CEOs will help us reach women with the necessary information and skill building to empower them to be better managers and leaders in agriculture,” says APEFW Board President and Annie’s Project Founder Ruth Hambleton.

APEFW is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational programs designed to strengthen women’s roles in farm, ranch and growing enterprises. APEFW is governed by a national board of directors and is recognized across the United States as a key organization in enhancing the well-being of women in agriculture.

This new approach brings together the strengths of two recognized leaders to expand the reach of APEFW, which has educated more than 14,000 women in agriculture since 2003. APEFW is based in Woodlawn, Illinois.

About Devlin

Devlin is a Field Specialist in Agricultural Business with University of Missouri Extension. Devlin has been involved with Annie’s Project since 2004. She has served on the Annie’s Project National Leadership Team and later, on the Annie’s Project Education for Farm Women Board of Directors. Additionally, Devlin serves as the co-state coordinator for Annie’s Project in Missouri.

Her dissertation “Meeting the Educational Needs of Farm Women: A Case Study of Annie’s Project,” evaluated the effectiveness of Annie’s Project in meeting the educational needs of Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois farm women.

Devlin is an alum of ALOT (Agricultural Leadership of Tomorrow) Class XI. She serves as a board member for the University of Missouri Greenley Research Center Advisory Board, Chair of the Missouri Agriculture and Small Business Development Authority, Past President of the ALOT Board, Secretary/Treasurer of the St. Joseph Parish Improvement Foundation, and Past President of the Knox County Rotary Club.

A native of Mississippi, she received a B.S. degree in Animal Science as well as an M.S. degree in Agribusiness Management from Mississippi State University, and an EdD in Educational Leadership from University of Missouri.

Devlin is married to a fifth-generation row crop farmer and has two children.

About Mold

Mold is the President of Sunrise Agricultural Associates, LLC, an agricultural consulting firm. She is an agricultural consultant, agricultural economist, educator and advocate, as well as a farm co-owner/operator. Mold's consulting practice has included a broad range of work, including business and risk management, farm stress, coaching, evaluation, marketing, advocacy, leadership, and organizational development. She teaches Farm and Agri-Business Management at the University of Minnesota for MAST International.

Mold served on the Annie’s Project Board of Directors for four years, as well as the American Agri-Women Executive Committee for six years, Mold was President of American Agri-Women in 2016 and 2017. Mold has also been co-led of the Cultivating Resiliency for Women in Agriculture “farm stress” project and co-founded the Women's Agricultural Leadership Conference, which is entering its 22nd year. In 2015 she served on an expert national Panel on Statistics on Women and Beginning Farmers for the USDA Census of Agriculture that recommended the new demographic questions for the 2017 Census of Agriculture, which resulted in an increase of nearly 27% in women producers. Mold served six years on the USDA Agricultural Statistics Advisory Committee for NASS and chaired the committee for three years. Mold has served as the Upper Midwest Dairy Industry Association General Manager for the past decade. Previously, Mold worked as an Agricultural Economist at the U of MN and continues to work on research/education projects on a project basis.

Additionally, Mold is a member of, serves or has served with several other agricultural organizations on a local, state, national and international basis.  Mold has an M.S. in Agricultural and Applied Economics and a B.S. in Agricultural and Applied Economics, Animal Science and Agricultural Education, all from the U of MN. She did her master’s work on Conflict Resolution in Agriculture - Farmer Lender Mediation in Minnesota.

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