As a Montana farm girl, Vice President and COO Kimberly Atkins says it has been especially rewarding to see the impact the Council has on moving grain overseas during her 10 years of service to the organization.

She was recognized by the Council for this long tenure during a recent membership meeting in Panama City, Panama. Her experiences with the Council provide Atkins with a full grasp of the depth and breadth of USGC operations. 

Atkins started with the Council in 2005, serving as communications coordinator, executive assistant and manager of international programs. In 2011, she left the Council to work as the consulting projects manager for a Washington, D.C.-based agricultural consulting firm. She returned to the Council in 2012 as director of global programs and took up her current role in 2014. 

Now, she works closely with the USGC Board of Directors as well as member leadership and manages day-to-day operations in the USGC headquarters office in Washington, D.C. Atkins is also responsible for general oversight of all Council programs, including accounting, administration, global programs and implementation of the USGC strategic plan. 

With such broad responsibilities, it is no surprise that Atkins takes a similarly broad view of the rewards she has experienced. Asked what she has found most exciting about her time at the Council, she cites the opportunities to see the Council’s mission in action. 

Coming from a barley farm, Atkins said she especially enjoyed watching the success of barley promotion programs in markets like Mexico, Japan and South Korea, which help support operations like her family’s in Montana. 

“It was exciting to see the direct economic impact that one of these programs had on my hometown,” she said.

Editor’s note: USGC recognizes individual staff, delegates and directors for major anniversaries of their service to the organization. Look for more of these stories here or in future editions.