Laurie is a person you want on your team, if not for her smarts, then for her wits that keep life from getting too serious. Laurie’s original plan, after getting her degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, was to become a sportswriter. But a job at MorganMyers during college caused her to fall in love with agriculture (don’t worry, she still finds time to manage the company-wide March Madness brackets each year). She helps farmers protect their crops, their animals, their businesses and their reputations. It’s work she loves, because farmers feed the world. She’s great at her job because she’s a really good speller, and can put herself in other people’s shoes.

WHAT MOVES ME?

Being a mom. I love working in agriculture because farmers feed the world, but that’s not a given. Look at other places in the world – a poorly functioning government can destroy a country’s food supply. Farmers need to be respected – and their voices need to be heard.

A LITTLE ABOUT ME:

• If I won the lottery tomorrow, I’d build apartments for homeless moms and their kids, and get them the help they need to get on their feet and keep a stable, family-supporting job. Once they succeed, we transition them to the real world. (I’ve given this some thought.) And, you know, keep working here.
• One of the craziest experiences in my life in 10 words or less: Jumping out of an airplane.
• If I were a superhero, my superpower would be sarcasm.
• Three items on my bucket list are the pyramids of Egypt, the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem and Machu Picchu.