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Heartland Community College Trustee,
student recognized as Ag Leaders
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[November 23, 2024]
NORMAL, IL, – Heartland Community College
student Lauren Monk and Becky Ropp, Chair of the college’s Board of
Trustees, were honored as leaders working to improve the agriculture
industry in McLean County.
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 On
Thursday, November 21, 2024, the McLean County Chamber of Commerce
recognized individuals as “the best in 2024 McLean County
agriculture” at their Agriculture Awards Dinner.
Illinois Community College District 540 Board of Trustees Chair
Becky Ropp was recognized as a business person who has served to
improve agriculture through civic and community activities. Ropp was
given the Outstanding Person in Agribusiness Award, acknowledging
her civic and community work through her leadership of the Board of
Trustees. Under her tenure as a Trustee and as Chair of the Board
Ropp helped guide Heartland Community College toward the expansion
of Ag education with three new degree programs and multiple
certification programs which led to rapid employment in the
agriculture industry. Ropp has served on the Heartland Board since
2014.
In support of those programs and Ag students, Ropp was a leading
voice for the development, funding, and construction of a
29,500-square-foot Ag Complex on the Heartland Campus. The Ag
Complex, which opened in January of 2024, has classrooms, labs,
greenhouses, and plots for the educational support of 200+ students
annually. The Ag Complex has also served as a community hub with the
facilities used by ag educational and industry groups.
Ropp is the Director of Compliance and Employee Relations at
GROWMARK, Inc., and is in partnership with her husband Ken, daughter
Leah, and her in-laws Ray and Carol Ropp in their dairy farm and
cheese manufacturing and marketing LLC named Ropp Jersey Cheese.
Heartland Community College student Lauren Monk was named the
recipient of the 2024 Emerging Leader in Agriculture Award. The
award recognizes a young professional, high school, or college
student engaged in non-production agriculture who has served to
improve agriculture through civic and community activities.
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Board Chair Becky Ropp (L) and HCC student Lauren Monk earlier this
year at Spring 24 student awards presentation
Monk led Heartland’s Collegiate
Farm Bureau Club, served as a Student Ambassador, and has spoken
with numerous high school FFA and 4H students regarding college
and educational pathways in agriculture.
During her collegiate career, she competed in State and National
competitions of the Professional Agriculture Student
Organization (PAS). She placed as a national runner-up in both
Agriculture Education and Ag Ed Career Planning and was a member
of the Heartland PAS College Bowl Team which competed at the
National Conference.
In her freshman year Monk was one of only 55 students across the
U.S. and Canada to be named a GROWMARK Scholar.
Both awards are voted on by the Ag Council.
[Text & Photo provided by Steve Fast] |
