Hannah Thompson-Weeman’s journey with the Animal Agriculture Alliance started back in 2014 when she was hired as the director of communications. Since then, Hannah has held various leadership roles within the Alliance, and in May of 2022 was named...
Hannah Thompson-Weeman’s journey with the Animal Agriculture Alliance started back in 2014 when she was hired as the director of communications. Since then, Hannah has held various leadership roles within the Alliance, and in May of 2022 was named president and CEO. In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at the (still relatively!) new leader behind the Alliance, who is at the forefront of the organization’s mission to safeguard the future of animal agriculture.
Passion for Agriculture and Early Involvement in 4-H and FFA
Hannah with her heifer “Joy” at the local 4-H fair.
Hannah grew up on a small hobby farm in Maryland, where her family had horses, sheep, goats, ducks and chickens. Agriculture always played a very prominent in her life, and Hannah credits her upbringing for her deep appreciation for rural farming communities.
It was on a close family friend’s dairy farm where she found her passion for animal agriculture. When she was old enough to join 4-H, Hannah was gifted a Brown Swiss heifer named “Joy.” In the years to follow Hannah was very involved in 4-H and FFA, including showing animals, dairy judging, and public speaking. When it came time to pick a career path, Hannah knew she wanted to do something that allowed her to put her strengths as a writer and communicator to work on behalf of the animal agriculture community.
Hannah’s passion and interest for dairy judging led her to The Ohio State University where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural communication, with minors in Spanish and agribusiness in 2011. Directly after finishing her undergrad degree, Hannah began pursuing her Master of Science degree in agricultural and extension education, which she graduated with in 2012.
Transitioning from Internships to Leadership Roles
Throughout Hannah’s college career, she held many internships at various agricultural organizations, including the Buckeye Ag Radio Network, Select Sires, Inc., C.O.nxt, and Ohio’s Country Journal/Ohio Ag Net. These experiences exposed her to different facets of the agriculture community and developed her communication and advocacy skills.
Directly after college, her first full-time role was in marketing and public relations for Farm Credit Mid-America in Louisville, Kentucky. While she enjoyed working directly with farmers in this role, Hannah felt a calling to do more to engage with stakeholders outside of the barnyard to bring more awareness to the importance of animal agriculture. Her opportunity came when she joined the Alliance team as director of communications in 2014. Over the years, she’s held various leadership roles within the Alliance.
In her role as President and CEO, Hannah provides strategic direction and oversees daily operations. She remains actively engaged in its work by connecting with key stakeholders about the value of animal agriculture and providing guidance to the animal agriculture community about managing various issues, including animal rights extremist activity and campaigns.
Leadership Insights and Valuable Lessons Learned
One valuable lesson Hannah has learned in her career is the importance of focus. She believes that if an opportunity doesn’t elicit a resounding “heck yes,” it should be a “no.” Hannah says this was one of the hardest lessons she had to learn because she hates to miss opportunities and, of course, there is no end to the important work that needs to be done to safeguard the future of animal agriculture.
Hannah first learned this lesson in college when she found herself overcommitted to various student organizations. She quickly found she wasn’t able to give her all to each commitment because she was spread too thin. The Alliance has struggled with the same issue in the past, which is why being strategic in our efforts has been a key foundation of Hannah’s leadership. As a team we work hard to make sure everything we take on aligns with our strategic plan and current priorities.
Proud Moments at the Alliance
The Animal Agriculture Alliance team.
Hannah mentioned that as president and CEO she is most proud of the small but mighty team at the Alliance. Despite having only five full-time staff members, the Alliance consistently achieves beyond its size and budget, thanks to its professional, dedicated, and enthusiastic team members. Watching her team successfully navigate major transitions and excel in their roles has been incredibly rewarding for Hannah.
“My proudest moments over the past year have included watching our team hit their stride following some major transitions, including: our director of membership and marketing, Casey, successfully recruiting and onboarding many new members; our manager, communications and content, Emily, strengthening awareness of the Alliance among the nutrition community; our manager, issues and engagement, Abby, becoming recognized as a trusted advisor to the restaurant and retail communities on issues; and our coordinator, membership and communications, Grace, knocking her first speaking engagements as an Alliance staffer out of the park.”
– Hannah Thompson-Weeman
A Perfect Day for Hannah in Her Role
For Hannah, a perfect day in her role starts with a team meeting. She enjoys catching up with everyone while getting a chance to hear about all the progress everyone is making on the initiatives they lead. She also loves every chance she gets to hop on a flight to meet with a member and help them navigate a problem they’re facing. Helping members deal with challenges and being able to support them in times of need is deeply fulfilling and one of Hannah’s favorite things about working at the Alliance. She also recognizes that being an issues management-focused organization isn’t always the most fun thing, but it’s all worth it when our knowledge and resources can help someone in a crisis.
Fun Tidbits: Exploring Hannah’s Interests
Hannah at the Era Tour concert.
Whether you know it or not, Hannah is a huge Taylor Swift fan! The Alliance team can agree to the fact that Hannah does indeed know the words to every single Taylor Swift song and, yes, of course, she attended the Eras Tour. The Alliance staff supported Hannah’s love for all-things Taylor this year by gifting her tour merch for her birthday.
Whether it’s sitting by the pool, visiting the beach, or exploring all that the Eastern Shore and Chesapeake Bay has to offer, Hannah loves the water, and this is where you’ll find her most days in the summer!
Like most kids, Hannah had several jobs she dreamed about doing when she was older. At the top of the list was doing marine biology or becoming a news anchor.
Hannah Thompson-Weeman has an unwavering passion and dedication to the mission of the Alliance. Her journey from a small hobby farm to the helm of this vital non-profit organization in such a short time speaks volumes about her passion and commitment to the agriculture community. As we look to the future, rest assured that the Alliance is in the capable hands of a leader who embodies the very essence of dedication, passion, and collaboration.
All posts are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily represent the view of the?Animal Ag Alliance.
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