Essential but undramatic tasks – maintaining contacts, managing data and planning meetings, for example – underpin the smooth running of every U.S. Grains Council (USGC) project. This winter during the Council’s 12th International Marketing Conference and 55th Annual Membership Meeting, two USGC staff are being recognized for their long and dedicated efforts in just such assignments.
For 20 years, Valerie Smiley, USGC manager of membership administration, has been organizing details, maintaining essential records, keeping people on schedule and welcoming members with a smile to USGC meetings.
“In a quiet way, Valerie is the face of the Council when people come to our meetings – often she’s the first person they see at sign-in and the one they go to for help and information,” said USGC President and CEO Tom Sleight.
“What they don’t see is all the hard work she contributes behind the scenes to our membership program.”
In Taiwan, USGC senior secretary Danny Chen is being recognized for an even longer record, 35 years.
“Danny demonstrates a deep knowledge of the skills essential to the effective performance of her position,” says Clover Chang, USGC director of Taiwan.
“She keeps our local key contacts updated with appropriate information, including the market information provided by the Council’s D.C. headquarters, and she is very good at building interpersonal relations,” he said.
“We see the benefits of her interpersonal skills in her work with local third party cooperators and in the Taiwan office’s relations with the Taiwan Feed Industry Association.”
Both will be honored on Feb. 11 at the Council’s winter annual meeting in Heredia, Costa Rica, along with other USGC staff members celebrating notable anniversaries. Click here for more information about the coming meeting.