The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) announced Danielle Cummins as its new director of membership engagement in a recent news release.
Cummins brings a wealth of experience in agriculture, market intelligence and member engagement. She joins ASTA after a tenure at The Directions Group (formerly Aimpoint Research), where she served as account executive and senior intelligence analyst. In that role, she managed a diverse client portfolio, excelled in sales and established herself as a subject matter expert on consumer and agricultural trends, frequently speaking at national conferences and workshops.
“I am thrilled to welcome Danielle Cummins to the ASTA team as director of membership engagement,” ASTA president and CEO Andy LaVigne said in the release. “She rounds out our bench of highly qualified and well-connected individuals who work diligently on behalf of the American seed industry—in our state capitals, Washington, D.C., and around the world. I look forward to working with Danielle to continue improving our member experience and ensuring that our nearly 700 member companies, service providers and related organizations receive the high-quality engagement we strive to deliver.”
In her new role, Cummins will lead ASTA’s membership development and engagement initiatives, focusing on strengthening connections with current members while building relationships with prospective members.
Cummins’s extensive background includes more than seven years as a crop insurance agent with Farm Credit East/Crop Growers LLP. She has also held multiple government affairs roles with trade associations and members of Congress.
A lifelong advocate for agriculture, Cummins grew up on a family farm in Western New York. Her family continues to operate a large, diversified row crop and processing vegetable farm in the region.
She will officially begin her new role Feb. 18. Although based remotely, she will travel extensively to engage with ASTA’s geographically diverse membership across the country.
