Arizona Farm Bureau’s own Alicia Ellis, Ph.D., was recently appointed to the National Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) Board of Directors, along with two other new appointments. These new members bring extensive expertise in agriculture, education, public service, and military leadership to guide FVC’s mission of empowering veterans to thrive in agricultural careers, with a special focus on Arizona’s vibrant farming community.

“At the risk of sounding cheesy, it’s the ingenuity and spirit of farmers that secure our future,” said Ellis in a recent article for Arizona Farm Bureau on national food security. “They’re asked to make an incredible lift: feed the world and risk their lives and livelihood in an industry that is completely reliant on something we can’t control, the weather, and while you’re at it, solve the water crisis too, while also being the first to deal with its impact. Farmers are the unsung heroes on whose output we built the modern world. It’s why the United States has been so prosperous, why we can all go to work and do different things and pursue our interests and make other stuff that makes our lives increasingly comfortable. It’s why the human species has flourished, it’s why we’ve sustained a population of 8 billion people on the planet, and yet we just keep asking farmers to do more. And they just keep doing more. They get up every day and keep innovating and keep problem-solving and I don’t think most of the world realizes just how much we rely on them to do that. So, I think whatever comes next, farmers will solve that too, because they haven’t let us down yet.”

Dr. Ellis, a United States Air Force veteran and Director of the Master of Arts in Global Security at Arizona State University, joins the board with a powerful perspective on the critical role of farmers. Operating a farm in Arizona’s East Valley with her husband, Ellis aligns her academic and professional work in economic statecraft, conflict, and agricultural supply chain security with FVC’s mission. The Ellis family are members of the Arizona Farm Bureau.

The FVC Board of Directors shapes the organization’s strategic vision, advocating for veteran farmers and strengthening the national movement to support their transition into agriculture. Arizona, with its rich agricultural heritage and challenges like water scarcity, stands to benefit significantly from FVC’s initiatives, particularly through Ellis’s leadership and local expertise.

“I am incredibly excited to welcome Brian Carpenter, Alicia Ellis, and Liz Riffle to the Farmer Veteran Coalition Board of Directors,” said Jeanette Lombardo, Chief Executive Officer of FVC. “Their leadership will enhance our ability to serve Arizona’s veteran farmers and the broader Farmer Veteran community as we expand programs like FVC Cares, FVC Tourism, and our Behavioral Health Department and Career Center.”

Brian Carpenter, a Vermont Army National Guard veteran, brings decades of experience as the Owner and General Manager of Champlain Valley Equipment, a multi-location agricultural dealership in Vermont and New York. A resident of Middlebury, Vermont, he also serves as Chair of Middlebury’s Selectboard and the Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance, contributing valuable industry and public service insights.

Liz Riffle, a U.S. Navy Nurse Corps veteran, is a regenerative agriculture pioneer and owner of Riffle Farms in West Virginia and The Honest Carnivore in Norfolk, Virginia. Through her leadership in agri-tourism and sustainable food systems, she advocates for rural revitalization and serves as President and acting CEO of the Eastern Bison Association and a board member of the National Bison Association.

In Arizona, where agriculture contributes nearly $31 billion annually to the economy and faces unique challenges like drought and land use pressures, FVC’s new initiatives—FVC Cares, FVC Tourism, and expanded behavioral health and career support—will empower veteran farmers to innovate and lead. With Ellis’s deep ties to Arizona’s East Valley and her family’s expertise in agriculture’s role in security, the state is poised to become a hub for veteran-led agricultural innovation under FVC’s guidance.

For more information about FVC and its programs, visit www.farmvetco.org.