Brother Dr. Lucas Maxwell of Beta Alpha Chapter, Southern Illinois, was named the chair of the Department of Agriculture at Illinois State University effective July 1, 2025.
Brother Maxwell began his career with the university in 2017 working with students on their undergraduate and graduate degrees in agriculture education, communication and leadership. He is active at the local and national levels in agricultural education including serving on the Illinois Agricultural Education University Council and the National FFA Agricultural Issues Career Development Event committee. He has also served on several other committees with the university as well.
Brother Mitch Whitaker of Omicron Chapter, Kentucky, was sworn in as a freshman representative of the Kentucky State General Assembly. He will be taking on a district that covers parts of three different counties, which can be a challenge, but he plans to take the challenges in stride.
During his time in office, he hopes to work on reducing bills for local residents, specifically energy bills, reduce state income taxes, support Kentucky’s working families and more.
Brother Tyler Thomas of Alpha Zeta Chapter, Kansas State, received a $15,000 W.D. Farr Scholarship by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation (NCF). He was one of two graduate students to receive the scholarship for their outstanding academic achievements, leadership and commitment to the advancement of the beef industry. Both recipients will be recognized at CattleCon 2025, Feb. 4-6, in San Antonio, Texas.
Brother Mark Munger of Phi Chapter, California-Davis, is Senior Director of Marketing for Ocean Mist Farms and helped the farm accept the Joe Nucci Innovation Award for their new Roastables line of Brussel Sprouts. These Brussel Sprouts are harvested from the companys’ fields and are packaged in ready-to-roast kits packed with flavor without compromising on nutrition.
Alpha Upsilon Chapter at Tennessee-Martin leads all fraternities on campus with the highest average GPA. The chapter has accumulated a 3.14 GPA average among all current members. The Tennessee-Martin College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences shared the chapter’s success on their Facebook page earlier this month.
Brother Jim Hagar of Beta Epsilon Chapter, Arkansas State, owns his own company, Executive Quality and Compliance Consulting, where he helps organizations maintain compliance and grow their organization in a variety of areas including business development, emotional intelligence, team building and more.
Brother Hagar was the Adviser for the Beta Epsilon Chapter until he left the role in 2023. Over the years, he has worked closely with chapter brothers to help them grow, not only their careers and education, but in their lives. He continues to serve the Fraternity by working with Beta Epsilon alumni.
Through his work, Brother Hagar helps people foster innovation and inclusivity in everything they do. He looks forward to what 2025 has in store for himself and the National Fraternity.
Brothers of Alpha Zeta Chapter at Kansas State attended Kansas Soybean Commission’s Etiquette Dinner January 28, where they got the opportunity to network and learn more about the soybean industry. The dinner is also an opportunity for attendees to share their insights. The chapter shared on social media their time at the event. Other attendees included farmers, students and industry professionals.
