AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Iowa State University Alumni Association will present awards to several CALS alums and friends at the 93rd annual Honors & Awards Ceremony on Nov. 1.
The public ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. in Stephens Auditorium, immediately followed by a dessert reception. Registration is not required to attend.
CALS Awards
Floyd Andre Award
Jim Knuth ('84 English) has made outstanding contributions to Iowa agriculture and the agricultural business industry.
He has more than 40 years of commercial and agricultural lending experience. He serves as senior vice president – lending at Farm Credit Services of America, where he has been a part of the senior leadership team since 1997. Prior to his current role, Knuth led the organization’s Agribusiness and Capital Markets division and started the organization’s AgDirect business model. AgDirect has evolved into the second largest agricultural machinery and equipment lender in the United States.
Beyond his professional contributions, Knuth has remained engaged with Iowa State, specifically the agricultural business major within the Department of Economics. He was instrumental in establishing the Ron Deiter ISU Agricultural Business Club Endowment and the Ron and Lynn Deiter Endowed Chair for Sustaining Excellence in Agricultural Business. Knuth was honored by the Iowa State Ag Business Club in 2021 when they named their campus lecture series after him - Jim Knuth Lessons in Leadership and Life. He continues to be a regular speaker at the event.
Knuth is a former Iowa State football player. He has been married to his wife, Dawn, for over 35 years, and they have four children and four grandchildren. Knuth is a life member of the ISU Alumni Association and a member of the ISU Letterwinners Club.
George Washington Carver Distinguished Service Award
Robert and Patricia ('64 food and nutrition) Jester have made influential contributions to society and Iowa State University.
Robert is president and owner of Jester Insurance Services, which was founded by his great-grandfather in 1897. In 1974, Robert contacted EMC Companies about a new approach of providing insurance to government entities. Starting with the Iowa Association of School Boards and a sponsored safety group program, it now includes almost all public-school entities in Iowa. Robert has given much of his time to organizations such as the Municipal Clerks School, Iowa Association of School Boards, and others by developing educational programs for insurance agents and school personal. He previously served as president for the board of directors of Friends of Iowa Public Television and the Des Moines Metropolitan Transit Authority. He was named ISU Outstanding Young Alumnus in 1975.
Patricia is the retired president and owner of Creative Foods Ltd., a food and nutrition consulting firm. She authored five cookbooks, including a microwave cookbook that reached 1.5 million copies sold, and consulted for Victoria Magazine, a Hearst publication. She has served on the Iowa State Achievement Fund Board of Trustees and was co-founder of the Polk County Iowa State Alumni Association.
The Jesters have been generous donors to Iowa State. The couple created the Robert and Patricia Jester Endowment Fund for General Scholarships in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Additionally, they have supported the Iowa State Center, the Durham Computational Center, and the construction of a new Honors Program Building.
The Jesters are ISU Foundation Governors, life members of the ISU Alumni Association and members of the Order of the Knoll.
Henry A. Wallace Award
Scott Hutchins ('87 PhD entomology) has made a pronounced impact in both the public and private sectors of the agricultural industry, finding bridges between the two. Prior to becoming an independent consultant, Hutchins served as the deputy under secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area.
Hutchins’ impact while at the USDA was extensive. The agencies that make up the REE have a unique federal leadership responsibility to advance agriculture research, extension and education. Hutchins’ focus was developing a national agricultural innovation strategy and USDA science blueprint.
Before his time with the USDA, Hutchins spent nearly 32 years in the private sector working for Dow AgroSciences (now Corteva AgriSciences). There, he served in several technical and leadership roles focused on agricultural innovation, ultimately serving as the Global R&D Leader for the company.
As a professional entomologist, Hutchins is the past president of the Entomological Society of America and was subsequently elected as a Fellow and Honorary member.
His time at Iowa State had a lasting impact, both professionally and personally. As a graduate student, Hutchins had an extraordinary mentor (Dr. Larry Pedigo) and supportive fellow graduate students that worked to challenge each other. Beyond receiving his doctoral degree here, Ames is a special place for Hutchins and his wife, Janet. They’ve encountered many memorable life experiences in Ames, including the birth of two of their three children.
Hutchins is an ISU Alumni Association Life Member.
Outstanding Young Professional Award
Brad Kinsinger ('05 agricultural and life sciences education) is an Iowa native and an individual who has made significant achievements in the world of agricultural education. He serves as the dean of agricultural sciences and hospitality arts at Kirkwood Community College.
Prior to his current role, Kinsinger spent more than 12 years at Hawkeye Community College. He started as an assistant professor in agricultural business management/precision agriculture, then became the founder and director of the Global Agriculture Learning Center. Through this role, Kinsinger became well known for his work with agricultural and educational professionals around the world, promoting agricultural practices to produce food, fiber and fuel via education. He built and continues to foster collaboration with educational institutions and organizations in countries on every continent around the globe, minus Antartica.
Kinsinger credits Iowa State University for the influence it has had on his life. He was fortunate to have spectacular classmates, faculty and advisors. The feeling of being “home” renews itself every time he returns to campus. Kinsinger hopes to help students find similar success in his current role at Kirkwood.
Kinsinger is a former ISU Outstanding Agricultural Education Student (2005) and currently serves as chair and board member for the Governor’s Council on Agricultural Education for the State of Iowa. He and his wife, Jill, have three children: Shay, Macy and Ainsley
ISU Alumni Association Awards
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Kevin Roepke ('06 public service and administration in agriculture) has dedicated his life to the advancement of the American farmer. His passion rests in connecting U.S. farmers to overseas markets and bringing foreign customers closer to the United States. Over his career, he has executed this by working in over 40 different countries and living in five (U.S., China, Mexico, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates).
As the U.S. Soybean Export Council’s (USSEC) regional director of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, Roepke works to expand sales of U.S. soy throughout the region.
At USSEC, Roepke collaborates with industry stakeholders, government officials and key opinion leaders in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Nigeria for the advancement of food security, with U.S. soy as the nexus of trust.
Within the world of food security advocacy, Roepke co-founded the Right to Protein campaign, an initiative to improve education and awareness of the importance of higher protein consumption in the developing world, where diets are predominately carbohydrate based.
Previously, in his work with the U.S. Grains Council, Roepke introduced a new era for ethanol in India, moving it from a minor importer to nearly a $300 million market.
Roepke serves on two boards of directors: the U.S.-Bangladesh Business Council and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Club of the United Arab Emirates.
Roepke has been honored for his outstanding work with numerous recognitions, including the 2018 American Farm Bureau Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge, the Iowa STATEMent Maker Award, and the 2023 World Poultry Science Association Pakistan Chapter Gold Medal.
Roepke resides in Dubai with his wife, Lilia, and two children, Bianca and Colin. He is a life member of the ISU Alumni Association.