CALS Alumni Organization (CALSAO)
Mission/Vision:
“Cultivating and connecting CALS Hokies for the future of agriculture and life sciences”
All graduates of any degree program offered by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech are automatically members of the College Alumni Organization.
Purpose
The purpose of the CALS ALUMNI ORGANIZATION BOARD is to work together to provide key insights to and enhance alumni engagement for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Members of the CALS ALUMNI ORGANIZATION BOARD serve at the discretion of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Advancement. This board does not participate in decision-making related to program personnel, budget, or internal policy development within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences or Virginia Tech.
Board Objectives:
- PROMOTE CALS and its learning, discovery, and Extension missions to alumni, industry, and the general public.
- PARTNER with the CALS Dean and Associate Deans, CALS Advancement, and other campus stakeholders [e.g., Career and Professional Development; the Virginia Tech Alumni Association] to support their financial and programmatic initiatives.
- DEVELOP and IMPLEMENT programming to recruit new alumni, maintain alumni engagement, encourage volunteerism, and strengthen relationships between the college, its alumni, and the industries they serve.
If you're ready to be involved, please email us at calsadvancement@vt.edu.
Meet the CALS Alumni Organization Board Members
Executive Committee
Jessica Jones, President
’04 Secondary Ed, Agriculture
'04 Interdisciplinary Studies
Sarah Jane Thomsen, President-Elect
’19 M.S., Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences
Ronnie Gill, Past-President
’82 Agronomy
Board Members
Aldyn Abell-Denton
'16 Agricultural and Applied Economics
Marjorie Browning-Toohey
'00 Dairy Science
'03 M.S. Entomology
Will Fiske
'12 A.AG., Agricultural Technology
'14 B.S., Animal and Poultry Sciences
Kim Foley
‘14 Crop & Soil Environmental Science
Elijah Griles
‘19 Animal and Poultry Sciences
'22 M.S., Agricultural and Applied Economics
Mindy McCroskey
'04 Secondary Ed, Agriculture & '05 Career and Technical Education
Jenn Myers
‘00 Crop & Soil Environmental Science
Price Saunders
'20 Agricultural and Applied Economics
Tim Schell
‘91 M.S., Animal Science
'94 Ph.D., Animal Science
Anh Tran
'06 Biochemistry
Emily Williams
'14 Animal and Poultry Sciences
‘22 M.S., Natural Resources
Naida Young
‘23 M.S., Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic Unit Representatives
There is a liaison from each academic unit serving on the board through an annual appointment. Ideally these members identify opportunities for alumni engagement such as mentoring, guest speaking, or internships, facilitate connections between faculty, students, and board members to strengthen community and enhance impact, provide updates, bring forth nominations for unit recognition during the Alumni Awards process and new alumni board members, and promote the alumni scholarship opportunities within their unit.
Normand Adams - Agricultural and Applied Economics
'15 Agricultural and Applied Economics and Horticulture
'20 M.S., Agricultural and Applied Economics
Jon Dickerson - Agricultural Technology
'10 Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences
'13 M.S., Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences
Brett Milliken - Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education
Amy Rasor - Biochemistry
'97 Chemistry
'12 M.S., Food Science and Technology
Priscilla Baker - Biological Systems Engineering
James Wilson - Entomology
'12 M.S., Entomology
'16 Ph.D., Entomology
Jeri Smith - Food Science and Technology
'11 Food Science and Technology
'12 M.S., Food Science and Technology
Nicolin Girmes-Grieco - Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise
'01 M.S., Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise
Scott Greiner - School of Animal Sciences
Karen Drake-Whitney - School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Academy Members
Academy members have served on the board at least 6 years and now serve in designated seats due to their previous contributions and ongoing relevance to the board’s mission. While their service builds on a history of leadership, they remain actively engaged in the board’s current responsibilities, offering both institutional insight and direct participation in strategic initiatives.