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Combining business acumen with client segment and industry knowledge, our board of directors is committed to supporting a business strategy and an executive team that meets the changing needs of our clients. Our board offers an unparalleled passion that inspires our organization to deliver innovative products and services.
Jennifer Zessin
Chair
Jennifer Zessin
Chair
Jennifer was elected to the Farm Credit Council board of directors in 2019, and to the FCCS board in 2020. Along with her husband and son, Jennifer operates a grain farm in northeast Nebraska raising corn, soybeans, and alfalfa. She has past business experience in banking, human resources, and internal auditing and has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln in business administration/finance.
Jennifer currently serves on the Farm Credit Services of America board, AgriBank District Farm Credit Council and is the treasurer for Trinity Lutheran Church and School.
Bo Stone
Chair
Bo Stone
Chair
Bo is from Rowland, North Carolina where he and his family are seventh generation farmers. He and his family operate a diversified farm that produces corn, wheat and soybeans. They also finish approximately 10,000 hogs annually under contract with Smithfield foods, and have an 80 cow beef cattle operation. The farm also produces strawberries and sweet corn that is sold at its roadside stand.
Bo serves as the Board Chair at AgFirst, and as Board Chair at the Farm Credit Council, and is a member of the Audit Committee at AgCarolina Farm Credit.
Dan Childs
Vice Chair
Dan Childs
Vice Chair
Dan and his wife, Junita, own and operate a livestock farm in Johnston County, Oklahoma as well as serving as an Agricultural Economist with the Noble Research Institute. He is a member of the board of directors of Oklahoma AgCredit ACA, FCCS , the Farm Credit Council and the Johnston County Farm Bureau. Dan is a member of Gideons International, a US Army veteran, and has his Bachelor and Master degrees from Oklahoma State University. He and his wife are members of the Mannsville First Baptist Church and have two children and six grandchildren.
Vance Dalton, Jr.
Vance Dalton, Jr.
Vance C Dalton, Jr. is the President and Chief Executive Officer of AgSouth Farm Credit, a $4 billion financial institution focused on supporting agriculture and rural communities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. He has over 30 years of experience with Farm Credit. He graduated from NC State University with a BS in Animal Science and a minor in Agricultural Business Management. He is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program of the NC School of Banking. Prior to coming to AgSouth Farm Credit, he worked as an Area Livestock Agent with the NC State University Cooperative Extension Service. He joined AgSouth Farm Credit in 1993 as a loan officer in Statesville, NC. He has served in numerous roles over the years rising to his current leadership role as President and CEO in 2014. Vance also serves on the national Farm Credit System President’s Planning Council, currently serving as chair of the Finance Committee.
Vance is also highly involved in several national and southeast regional organizations. He currently serves on the board of directors of the NC 4-H Development Fund, NC Agribusiness Council, Palmetto Agribusiness Council, University of Georgia-Advancing Georgia’s Leaders in Agriculture & Forestry, Appalachian State University-Hickory Campus Advisory Committee, Charlotte Regional Business Alliance and FCCS.
Keeping close to his roots growing up on a small apple and beef cattle farm in western NC, Vance has committed his career to supporting agriculture and growing the next generation of leaders in the industry.
Randall J. Doll, MA
Randall J. Doll, MA
Mr. Doll is a life resident of Kansas. He owns Walnut River Ranch, fifth generation, located in the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie region, which contracts row crop, cattle and native bluestem hay production. He is a board member with American Ag Credit located in Santa Rosa California as well as FCCS in Denver Colorado. He is the President and CEO of Capital Partners Group LLC, a training and development firm. He has an extensive business background that encompasses Fortune 500 management positions including PepsiCo Inc/Pizza Hut Inc located in Wichita, Kansas and Purchase, New York, as well as over a decade of experience in government including elected and appointed positions at the regional and state level. He has served the past three governors of Kansas and most recently served on the Kansas Parks and Tourism board, a cabinet level position for the State of Kansas. He has been teaching at the university level since 2005 primarily in the academic fields of strategic planning and economics and has developed and deployed HLC credentialed, USAF Tier 1 approved, post-secondary undergraduate and graduate programs for our nation’s finest: The United States Air Force. He holds a BA in Business from Wichita State University’s Barton School of Business and an MBA from Webster University located in St Louis Missouri.
Jacqueline Hooper
Jacqueline Hooper
Jacqueline (“Jackie”) Hooper is Assistant Professor of Professional Development Programs at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). In this role, Jackie is responsible for advancing, sharing, practicing, and integrating character and leadership development opportunities for the 4,000+ cadets and 1,000+ faculty, staff, and administrator professionals academic staff professionals at USAFA. Jackie joined the FCCS Board as an Outside Director in November of 2020.
Jackie is a scholar-practitioner in positive psychology, an International Coaching Federation-certified coach, and facilitator with extensive experience working in academic institutions, healthcare companies, and corporate settings. She also is a Certified Prosci Organizational Change Practitioner. Her responsibilities have included creating, supporting, and evaluating leadership development experiences at the department, division, and enterprise-wide levels in both for-profit and not-for-profit companies. She also has extensive experience supporting senior leadership teams’ succession planning and employee engagement efforts. Early in her career, Jackie worked as a sport psychology consultant to elite athletes and teams. Jackie holds several certifications in talent management assessments and training programs.
Jackie and her husband and their three kids have lived in Colorado since 2008. An avid trail runner, Jackie enjoys outdoor activities and supporting the many extra-curricular activities her children participate in.
Mark Miller
Mark Miller
As CEO of Texas Farm Credit, Mark Miller has spent his career in the Farm Credit System serving an agricultural community that he has been a part of since his childhood days. Mark grew up on a farm and ranch in Bishop, Texas, producing cotton, grain sorghum, cattle, hogs, and poultry. It is during those formative years that Mark’s passion for the agricultural industry was ignited.
Upon graduating from Bishop High School in 1983, Mark began his college career. During his time as a student at Texas A&M, Mark owned and operated a custom harvesting operation each summer, and he also worked as a teaching/research assistant with Dr. Ed Rister. Mark graduated from A&M in 1987 with a degree in Agricultural Economics. Since his time at A&M, Mark has continued his personal growth through education having graduated from the Texas Agriculture Lifetime Leadership Program in 2002. In addition, Mark continues to support educational activities by serving in leadership roles on the Texas A&M College of Agriculture Development Council (serving as a member), The Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership program (serving as an advisory director) and the Nueces County Texas AgriLife Extension Crops Committee.
Mark began his career with Texas Farm Credit in 1989 as a loan officer in Robstown, Texas and was appointed CEO in 2013, having served in roles ranging from Loan Officer to Chief Credit Officer.
While Mark is extremely passionate about his career, his true love and dedication is to his family. Mark and his wife Jeannie have been married since 1990, and they are dedicated parents to their son Grant who is attending Texas A&M University. They are both active members of the First Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, Texas, where Mark is a deacon and member the church’s Fiscal Committee.
Bill Oemichen
Bill Oemichen
Bill Oemichen has served as Outside Director of the FCCS Board since 2006, and currently chairs the FCCS Audit Committee. He is also a current member of the AgCountry Farm Credit Services Board where he chairs the Risk Committee. Oemichen is a former member of the United FCS, GreenStone FCS and Farm Credit Services of Northeast Wisconsin Board of Directors where he served as chair of the Audit committees and as the board designated financial expert.
Oemichen is Professor of Practice - Law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with appointments in both Extension and Law School. Oemichen previously served as a senior researcher in food systems security at U.W.-Madison and is currently writing his PhD Dissertation at the University of Saskatchewan on the increasing risk posed to U.S. food systems by foreign ownership of agricultural inputs, processing and farmland.
Oemichen is a partner in the Calgary-based law firm of Oemichen and Bridgewater LLP where he is Barrister and Solicitor, and practices law in both the U.S. and Canada. He previously practiced business, cooperative and accountant malpractice law at two major law firms headquartered in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Oemichen is the chair of the board of trustees for Wisconsin's $8 billion IRS Section 529 College Savings Program, is President of the New Glarus Area School District Board, is a member of the Slipstream (energy efficiency research) board of directors, is board treasurer for Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin where he chairs both the Finance and Audit committees, and is a Fellow with the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives.
Oemichen is former Director of the Office of Preparedness & Emergency Health Care at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Wisconsin's former chief Consumer Protection official; former Minnesota Deputy Agriculture Commissioner, and former President & CEO of Cooperative Network, the largest all-cooperative trade association in the United States.
Oemichen and his wife Mary Anne live in New Glarus, Wisconsin.
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