About Us
Farm Foundation Staff
Our team is passionate about food and agriculture and works hard every day to build a future for farmers, our communities and our world.
Meet the Team
Executive
Shari Rogge-Fidler
President and CEO
Shari Rogge-Fidler joined Farm Foundation as president and CEO in 2019. She has a unique perspective, developed through her experience as a fifth-generation farm owner and operator, entrepreneur in the organic branded food industry, and founder of an agribusiness consulting firm. Shari was also CEO of a group of companies serving 1,000 farmers. She has lived and worked abroad for many years, including London in financial services and across Europe with the Boston Consulting Group. Shari has served on several corporate boards, including Farm Credit Mid-America and Coastal Pet. She currently serves on the board of GroGuru, an AgTech company, and as a trustee of as a trustee for The Nature Conservancy. Shari has a B.Sc. in Business Administration from the University of Kansas and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Innovation and Education Campus
Todd Price
Vice President, Operations
Todd Price came to Farm Foundation after two decades of leadership in the agricultural education field. This included time at Living History Farms, The Museums at Prophetstown, and Wagner Farm as founding director. Prior to joining Farm Foundation, Todd was superintendent with the Glenview Park District. Todd was raised on his family’s Iowa grain and livestock farm. Today, he is part-owner of the farm, which was established in 1853. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Simpson College, and he is a graduate of the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Foundation program. Todd volunteers with the Glenview 4-H club and local FFA chapter and is on the board of directors for Cook County Farm Bureau.
Liz Wilkin
Administrative Associate
Liz Wilkin started working for the Farm Foundation in the spring of 2023, supporting the CEO, and the vice presidents of operations and finance. She has experience in several different sectors, including insurance, IT, education, and wellness. With Liz’s assistance, the cutting-edge Innovation Campus will make its debut in the latter half of 2023. Liz graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations from Northern Michigan University in Marquette. Liz enjoys hiking, traveling, and playing tennis in her spare time.
Programs and Projects
Tim Brennan
Vice President, Programs and Strategic Impact
Tim Brennan joined the Farm Foundation staff in May 2013. Prior to that, Tim spent the majority of his career at the University of Chicago, working in a variety of roles at the Booth School of Business, Law School and College. He also served as the director of alumni relations and marketing for Northwestern University’s School of Law. Tim has also worked with a wide range of non-profits as a consultant and board member. He grew up on a small farm in Northeastern Ohio, and currently lives on a hobby farm in the Chicagoland area. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA.
Morgan Craven
Director of Programs and Events
Morgan Craven came to Farm Foundation in 2015 as the events manager, then moved into the senior manager of events role before her current role. Prior to joining the Farm Foundation team, Morgan served as the conference and events manager at Trinity Christian College and as a premium hospitality game-day staff member for the Chicago Bears NFL team. Craven also worked at various Hilton brand properties furthering her hospitality experience. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, in recreation, sports leadership, and tourism management.
Jenna Wicks
Program Manager
Jenna Wicks comes to Farm Foundation with over a decade of experience working with young leaders. She taught high school agriculture science and was an FFA chapter advisor for two years. Over the last ten years Jenna has worked at Kansas State University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and University of Kentucky developing student leaders and hosting on-campus events. Jenna has earned her Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Systems and her Master of Science in Higher Education from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Katie Merkle
Programs and Events Specialist
Katie Merkle joined the Farm Foundation team in 2023. She began her career in hospitality with an emphasis in culinary arts, cooking in restaurants throughout the Chicagoland area and eventually expanding into planning events, serving as senior events director at a full-service catering and event planning firm for nearly a decade. Katie’s curiosity for all things food and agriculture led her to a position as resident chef at a historically preserved gentleman’s farm in the Chicago suburbs, working in the fields of a certified organic farm, and as a garden educator for a boutique organic gardening firm. Katie attended Western Illinois University and went to culinary school at The Cooking and Hospitality Institute, Le Cordon Bleu. In her free time, she can be found lost in the garden, cooking, or hiking with her husband and rescue pup.
Development
Amanda Martin, Ph.D.
Senior Director of External Relations
Amanda L. Martin joined the team at the end of 2022. She brings a diverse perspective with a mix of agriculture, leadership development, fundraising, and education. Over the past decade, Amanda has worked in various leadership roles in higher education and agriculture. Working within the colleges of agriculture at Auburn University and Louisiana State University, Amanda most recently served as an Assistant Dean at LSU. Prior to making the move to Farm Foundation, Amanda worked with the executive team at the American Egg Board. She began her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration at Auburn University, finishing her degree at Louisiana State University. She holds Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Agribusiness Economics.
Marketing and Communications
Ellen Prather
Marketing and Design Coordinator
Ellen Prather joined the Farm Foundation team in November 2022. Her background covers multiple disciplines including, graphic design, marketing, communications, and photography. Her previous position was as the marketing and development associate at JOURNEYS | The Road Home, a non-profit agency that provides both shelter and social services to the homeless. She holds a degree in general studies with certificates in graphic and web design.