2025 Small Farms Conference Guest Speakers

Chris Adair

Linda Adams
Linda Adams is a Purdue Extension Community Wellness Coordinator for Marion County (Indianapolis), serving since 2015. She collaborates with communities to implement sustainable policy, system, and environmental changes that improve health outcomes. Key initiatives include the Bethany Community Gardens, Chin Refugee Training Garden, Southport Park improvements, and pedestrian infrastructure improvements.
A passionate advocate for neighborhoods affected by zoning and city regulations, Linda works closely with local officials to drive positive change. She has built strong, ongoing relationships with the Chin-Burmese Refugee Community, providing support to help them navigate the complexities of American assimilation. Through her work, Linda is committed to fostering a more inclusive, healthier, and thriving environment for all. Living in the Indianapolis area with her husband and five children, Linda balances her family life with her dedication to creating positive, lasting change in her community.

Kevin Allison

Jim Baughman

Rachel Beyer

Jordan Bohall

Katherine Boyles

Amanda Bradshaw Burks

Jonas Carpenter

Wendy Carpenter

Axel Cooper
Axel Cooper has been a lifelong culinarian. An Indiana native, he grew up in the rural Harrison County farming community. During an early career in high end food service, he spent 2 years working in Portland Oregon were he became enamored with the small farms that brought their wares in the back doors of restaurants, and returned to the family farm where he spent a decade building up a robust market garden, at one time serving a 25 member CSA, 2 Farmers Markets, and over a dozen high end wholesale accounts.
He now splits his time between supporting the family farm and working with and mentoring middle school aged youths at Community Montessori, where he exploring what it means to inspire subsequent generations.

Kendell Culp
Kendell Culp became vice president of Indiana Farm Bureau in January 2016, but he has served the organization at many different levels.
His history with Farm Bureau started with the Jasper County Farm Bureau Young Farmer committee, followed by service on his county board, the state Young Farmer committee, and as county president, before being elected district director in 2000, a position he held for 12 years.
Culp farms near Rensselaer with his father, his wife Tammy, and their son Brandon. They raise corn, soybeans, and beef cattle and have an independent swine finishing operation.
Culp also has served his state and community in a variety of ways. He was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 2022 and now represents District 16. In the General Assembly, he serves on the Elections, Energy & Utilities Committee and is vice chair of the Environment Committee.
He served as a Jasper County commissioner for 18 years and is a past president of the Indiana Association of County Commissioners. In addition, he is a past member of the Jasper County drainage board, Northwest Indiana Solid Waste District board, Jasper County community corrections board and the Jasper County economic development board.
Culp has served agriculture in other ways in addition to Farm Bureau. He is a past member of the American Soybean Association board, where he served as director, chaired ASA’s farm policy and crop insurance advocacy team, and served on the SoyPac committee.
At the community level, he attends Truth Bible Church and is a past member of the Jasper County 4-H Council.
In addition to their son and his wife, Abby, Culp and Tammy have a daughter, Kayla, son-in-law Brandon, and four grandchildren.

Paul Cummings
Paul Cummings has worked in the renewable energy field since 2006. He has experienced the industry from many sides. He started in state government at the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) and then the Indiana Office of Energy Development (OED). After his time with the state, he has worked for a public utility (Hoosier Energy) and private developers EDPR, Geenex, and energyRe, where he is Senior Vice President of Development.
Paul runs a 20-acre sheep ranch in Franklin, IN with his wife, Dana and two sons, PJ and Owen, and daughter Susan. He and his family are committed to solar grazing as a resilient, low input agriculture that complements our need for energy production and sets an example for raising food in a future with an uncertain climate.

Ayla Dollar

Angie Doucette

Sara Dzimianski

John-Michael Elmore

Jonathan Elrod

James Farmer

Yaohua Betty Feng

Gabriel Filippelli
Dr. Gabriel Filippelli is a Chancellor’s Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Executive Director of the Indiana University Environmental Resilience Institute. Filippelli is the Air Quality Fellow for the US Embassies in Pakistan.
Filippelli received his B.S. in Geology from the University of California, Davis, and his PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Filippelli is a biogeochemist with broad training in climate change, exposure science, and environmental health. Author of over 200 publications, in 2022 Filippelli also published the book Climate Change and Life with Elsevier and edited Climate Resilience in Indiana and Beyond with Indiana University Press. He was the Editor-in-Chief for the journal GeoHealth, a Fellow of the International Association of Geochemistry, a 2022 Fulbright Distinguished Chair, and former National Academy of Sciences Jefferson Science Fellow, where he served as a Senior Science Advisor for the U.S. Department of State.

Fanny Gozzi

Carey Grable

Robert Grosdidier

Wenjing Guan

Ross Harding

Kris Klueg Heeter
Kris Heeter (aka Dr. Kris Klueg) is a retired research biologist from Indiana University. She the President of the Indiana Nut and Fruit Growers Association (INFGA) and the North American Fruit Explorers (NAFEX).
She and her husband, Brian, a have a small orchard and classified forest on a 100-acre place in Solsberry, IN, near the famous Tulip Trestle (the world’s third-longest railroad viaduct). Kris has worked with INGFA to develop the first Indiana fruit and nut tree repository and they grow hundreds of fruit, nuts, herb, and veggie varieties on their property.

Anna Holloway
Anna has spent the last 20 years in Montana working as food service director and farm to school coordinator for a rural K-12 school. She currently lives on a small family farm in Morgan County where she and her family raise chickens and ducks and will be expanding to produce next year. Anna is very excited to bring her knowledge base back home to Indiana as the Farm to School movement is being developed and grows.
She currently serves as the Value Chain Professional with Indiana Grown for Schools. Her role is to assist producers wishing to enter the school food market and guide food service professionals wanting to procure more local items for their food programs.

Mike Hoopengardner

Laura Ingwell

Datrick Jefferson

Evan Kokoska

Mimi Kokoska

Jeff & Elise Koning
Jeff and Elise Koning of Sylvanmore raise sheep and Christmas trees in Parke County, Indiana. Successfully growing their farm relies on implementing sustainable practices such as rotational grazing and enterprise diversification.
In 2020, the farm started with just 10 sheep. They have already produced prize-winning lambs and fleeces. The first Christmas trees were planted in 2022.
Elise has worked with sheep her entire life, and Jeff has extensive experience with horses and trees.
Both have off-farm careers: Jeff as a machinist, Elise as a writer and event planner.

Petrus Langenhoven

Beckie Lies

Roberto Lopez

Lindsay Maliqi
Lindsay Maliqi (mah-LEE-chee) is an Outreach and Marketing Specialist for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in the Indiana District Office. She collaborates with entrepreneurial support organizations and connects Hoosier small business leaders to counseling, capital, and contracting opportunities.

Liz Maynard

Genesis McKiernan-Allen

Madison Mehringer

Candace Minster

John Orick

Anna Paltseva

Dan Perkins

Jessica Roosa

Lita Rouser

Whitney Schlegel

Alexis Sheffield

Carmen Sheppard

Nathan Shoaf

Clarenda Stanley

Andy Tauer

Arianna Torres

Jason Tower

Bridgette Wanhainen

Renee Wiatt

Legita Wilson

Mary Winstead

Roger Winstead

James Wolff

Julia Wooby

Steve Yoder

Shelli Yoder
Senator Shelli Yoder was elected to the Indiana Senate in 2020 and currently serves as the Minority Leader for the Indiana Senate Democratic Caucus. She is also a Senior Lecturer at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.
With a deep commitment to public service, Senator Yoder holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Human Services from Indiana University South Bend and a Master’s in Divinity from Vanderbilt University. Her leadership and advocacy have earned her several distinctions, including the 2022 Friend of Public Education Award from the Indiana State Teachers Association and recognition from the State Legislative Leaders Foundation for her work in advancing bipartisanship. She was also a 2021 Bowen Fellow through the Council of State Governments’ Legislative Leadership Development program.
Before joining the Senate, she served on the Monroe County Council, where she worked to improve local governance and community resources. Senator Yoder lives in Bloomington with her spouse and three children.