As part of the association’s increased focus on member engagement, the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) is pleased to announce the addition of a new team member. Ellen Zimmerman starts today in the newly-created role of Director of Internal Communications and Member Engagement.
“ASTA is a member-driven organization, and we’re constantly looking at new and innovative ways of engaging with our members. As part of these efforts, ASTA’s recently updated strategic plan placed a renewed and stepped-up focus on membership engagement and outreach, and Ellen will play a key leadership role in guiding these efforts for the future,” says ASTA President & CEO Andrew LaVigne. “Ellen’s strong experience in member services, passion for communications, and love of agriculture make her a perfect fit for this new role intended to bring a higher level of service to our membership.”
Zimmerman comes to ASTA from the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) which represents over 200,000 members across the United States. At APWUZimmerman worked to communicate to members on behalf of the President, on special campaigns and planned and organized events. More importantly, prior to APWU,Zimmerman was the project manager at Ohio Corn & Wheat where she worked to advance the mission of two checkoff programs and a growers association. As project manager, she oversaw several initiatives to represent Ohio grain farmers and provide long-term profitability. Her duties included member benefits and engagement, leadership initiatives and assisting with communications. In addition,Zimmerman worked as the marketing manager at RFD-­TV where she played an integral part in developing marketing strategy and publications for the network. Zimmerman was also actively involved in FFA, including serving as a chapter president and a state officer in Ohio.
“In my new role at ASTA, I’m thrilled to utilize my experience in membership services and communication while working towards an important mission,” said Zimmerman. “I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running, and getting to know the unique needs of our diverse membership to ensure the alignment of communication, programming and education opportunities to support their business goals and objectives.”
Zimmerman is originally from McCutchenville, Ohio and earned a degree in agricultural communication from The Ohio State University. You can reach her at ezimmerman@betterseed.org.
