MAKING A DIFFERENCE ONE CORNER OF THE WORLD AT A TIME

Nancy Brannaman conducts an impromptu photo shoot with local villagers in Azerbaijan. Intrigued by her camera, family after family approached her asking for portraits from her Polaroid. She and her husband John didn’t leave until each person had a copy of their own. This photo is among their favorite memories of their service abroad.

By Melea Reicks Licht

As a foreign service officer for the U.S. Department of State, Nancy (Barickman) Brannaman has experienced several moments during her career that have driven home the importance of her work.

One such moment came in September when the U.S. Consulate in Libya was attacked.

“I was anguished for all of the families of Americans and Libyan staff who worked in the Consulate. What a tragic loss of innocent lives,” she says. “This event illuminates the dangers that can exist for diplomats overseas. ”

Another was 9/11. Brannaman was conducting visa interviews in Ukraine ensuring those requesting to enter the United States were who they claimed to be.

“That historic event drove home the importance of keeping the U.S. safe through qualified access like visas, and striking a balance so that business people, students and visitors may travel to the U.S.,” she says.

Brannaman (’83 agricultural business and farm operations, MS ’85 agricultural economics), has been stationed in Islamic countries for the majority of her 12-year service. She says she felt welcomed and appreciated at each of her posts.

Motivated by a desire to help others, Brannaman and her husband John (’78 animal science, MS ’82), an officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development, find their work gratifying.

“When we visit places we worked 10 years ago and see the improvements made in the area thanks to our effort—that is what it is all about,” says John. “And you can’t deny the sense of adventure.”

John works in Food for Peace providing food aid to refugees in developing nations.

Nancy manages operations, finance and human resources in embassies and finances in the State Department in Washington, D.C.

“In management we want to make sure the rest of the diplomats at our embassy aren’t distracted by the little details and can focus on their jobs,” she says. “I help them find ways to stretch tight budgets, or accomplish special projects. For me, finance is all about helping people meet their goals.”

The two have been fortunate to be placed together since she signed up with the State Department. Their first post was Ukraine in 2000. Following Ukraine, they landed in Baku, Azerbaijan; then Tashkent, Uzbekistan; then Tirana, Albania.

State Department postings last, at most, three years before requiring personnel to move to another assignment, including jobs stateside. Currently, Nancy is a financial management officer for the International Cooperative Administrative Support Service in Washington, D.C.

Thanks to rigorous language training at the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, Va., Nancy speaks Russian and Albanian proficiently. She says her ability to communicate with local embassy employees is essential to making connections and developing an esprit de corps.

Traveling and experiencing the culture and countryside of their host nations has been the biggest perk of working abroad, Brannaman says.

“Azerbaijan was especially enjoyable. I loved the culture, the friendly, hospitable people and the food,” she says. “I traveled freely throughout the country exploring Christian ruins, monasteries and mosques.”

Prior to working with the State Department Nancy worked with John on agricultural development projects for the State of Iowa and Land O’ Lakes Inc. in rural Ukraine and Russia for three years following the break-up of the Soviet Union. She first  gained experience living abroad as an exchange student in her teens. In total, Nancy has worked in or visited more than 25 countries.

While traveling the globe Nancy, a third-generation Iowa Stater, has kept her alma mater close to heart.

She has fond memories of her time on campus, including meeting her husband while both were enrolled in macroeconomics.

After graduation, Nancy worked for Iowa State University Extension as an area management specialist. She and economics professor William Edwards traveled the

state with 40-pound “portable” computers to perform financial analysis and scenario planning with farmers in the 1980s.

“We would set up our machines on their kitchen tables,” she recalls. “For many we were trying to find ways to save the family farm.”

Nancy is a recipient of Iowa State University’s Outstanding Young Alumna Award, Outstanding Agribusiness Alumna Award and an ISU Extension New Professional Award. She is a member of Cardinal Key and received the William G. Murray Award for outstanding Senior in Agricultural Business.

Ron Dieter, economics professor, uses her as an example when talking to prospective students.

“Nancy went from farm management to Amana Appliances to a career in foreign service,” he says. “She shows students a degree in agricultural business provides skills that are transferable. With an education like hers you can work anywhere.”

Nancy was a guest lecturer in one of Dieter’s classes this fall. She and John returned to campus to share their experiences with several classes and encourage students to consider a “richly rewarding” career in foreign service.

“Working with citizens of the host country and speaking their language we learn their history, traditions and perspectives while we progress U.S. foreign policy,” she says. “We also put a human face on American values and ideals.”

REMOVING BARRIERS TO BETTER HEALTH

Anthony Davis, clinic director and chiropractor, says his background in genetics gives him a unique perspective in enabling the body’s natural ability to heal.

By Melea Reicks Licht

If it is possible to be both serene and passionate at the same time, then Anthony Davis is just that.

Davis (’97 genetics) practically glows as he describes the philosophy that drives his chiropractic practice in Ames.

“The body has a remarkable ability to heal itself from illness as long as there is nothing in the way. My job is to get those barriers out of the way,” he says. “There is so much joy in what I do. I help people get more control over their health. Having the opportunity to do that is such a gift. Every day is different, even when you see the same patients—your radar always has to be up to identify their current needs.”

Davis describes chiropractic care similar to repairing the wiring system in a house.

“We remove stress and interference from the nervous system by adjusting bones. It’s like a wiring system in a house and the vertebra are the circuit breakers. If one is out of place it leads to bad communication between the body and the brain. Discomfort or illness could result,” he says.

Those barriers may contribute to neck or back pain, which chiropractors are best known for treating, but Davis says his treatment can influence the gamut of health issues from digestion to asthma to allergies and beyond.

Davis may be unique in that he came to chiropractic medicine through agriculture.

He became interested biotechnology and genetics while a high school student in Madrid. A self-described “lifelong Iowa Stater,” Davis says once he discovered Iowa State offered a degree in genetics it never crossed his mind to attend any other university. He shared his enthusiasm while at Iowa State playing saxophone in the marching and pep bands.

“Going to chiropractic school was a bit of a left turn for me,” Davis says. “I was working in a lab at Pioneer in Johnston when I realized that I wanted to be more directly involved in helping people.”

A good experience with chiropractic medicine following a sports injury in high school made a lasting impression on Davis. As he explored his options, pursuing a career in chiropractic care rose to the top. His genetics degree armed him with the necessary prerequisites and a unique perspective to approaching chiropractic care.

Davis attended Cleveland Chiropractic College in Kansas City, Mo. He specializes in a method using a small handheld device called an Activator to gently tap vertebra in place. He opened his own practice, Complete Spine and Headache Center, in 2006 in southwest Ames.

Davis lists awareness and acceptance of chiropractic care as a top challenge for his profession. About 8 percent of the U.S. population sees a chiropractor in a given year. He says his ultimate goal is to create a world-class chiropractic center in Ames so he can work to improve the quality of life for his patients and raise awareness and acceptance of his field.

REFEREEING THE SEED INDUSTRY

Chet Boruff, with the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies and former Deputy Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, considers industry regulation key to protecting farmers and consumers.

By Melea Reicks Licht

Chet Boruff has made a career protecting agricultural producers and consumers through regulatory affairs.

Boruff (’76 farm operations) is the chief executive officer of the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA). The organization is “like the NCAA of the seed industry,” he says.

“We govern how the seed industry plays in terms of isolation, handling and maintaining identity, purity and quality. We protect farmers to make sure what they buy is what they get,” Boruff says.

The association’s members are certification agencies in 45 states and Canada, Australia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa. These agencies administer seed certification programs protecting the varietal purity and quality of a wide range of seeds and plant propagating materials.

“AOSCA has always worked to ensure genetic purity and varietal identity are maintained and preserved. We are simply working with different technologies than we were in 1919 when the organization was created,” Boruff says. “We want to make sure there is credibility in the seed market and our members have active participation in decisions regulating the seed industry.”

Throughout his career he has operated a farm near his home in Moline, Ill., which he credits for helping him stay focused in serving agricultural producers and consumers.

Boruff was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity while at Iowa State and met his wife Joy, a journalism grad. What strikes him most about his Iowa State experience is that at the time, he didn’t appreciate student access to “highly-esteemed” professors like Neil Harl, whose lectures were like “opening a fire hose” of knowledge.

Prior to his current position, Boruff worked in agricultural finance, sales and marketing.

Thanks in part to networking and experience gained as part of the inaugural class of the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Program, Boruff was selected to serve as the Deputy Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. He worked for seven years under former Governor Jim Edgar, overseeing regulatory and natural resource programs.

Manjit Misra, director of the Seed Science Center and the Biosafety Institute for Genetically Modified Agricultural Products based at Iowa State University, considers Boruff a capable leader and spokesperson with the ability to anticipate and meet the needs of member organizations.

“Under Chet’s leadership, AOSCA has become a visible and effective organization,” Misra says. “AOSCA recently developed an organic seed database that I’m hearing very good things about. They serve both conventional and organic agriculture, giving farmers access and choice.”

The online organic seed finder brings buyers and sellers together and assists organic certifiers. It is one way AOSCA is evolving with the industry.

“The introduction of new types of technology will continue to provide challenges for seed producers and those that regulate and audit the seed industry,” Boruff says, “as will consolidation of companies and the impacts of decreased funding for public agricultural research.”

Boruff says AOSCA will continue to serve and maintain the relevance of seed certifying agencies to the agricultural industry.

USING CAREER IN CONSERVATION TO PROTECT AND INSPIRE

Wildlife biologist Jeramie Strickland says sharing his knowledge of wildlife and the outdoors is what drives him. He hopes to inspire kids to pursue careers in science.

By Melea Reicks Licht

Working with animals was my ticket out of the rough, crime-infested streets of Chicago,” Jeramie Strickland says. “And you can quote me on that. It’s my testimony.”

He isn’t shy about relaying how his love for the outdoors and nature spared him from an uncertain future, one in which many of his peers became “gang-bangers and drug dealers.”

Strickland (MS ’08 ecology and evolutionary biology) is a wildlife biologist with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service at the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. He is stationed at one of the most visited refuges in the nation, which attracts millions of hunters, fishers and other outdoor enthusiasts from nearby urban areas including Chicago.

Strickland’s inner-city Chicago childhood was interrupted by a three-year respite in the backwoods of Alabama. Without money for afterschool programs and sports, the five-year-old spent his days catching frogs, crafting homemade fishing poles and exploring every nook and cranny of the ponds surrounding his home.

“I moved back to Chicago in third grade, and I couldn’t fish or swim in Lake Michigan. It was too polluted. I didn’t have that outlet anymore,” Strickland says. “When I started to have behavior issues in elementary and junior high school, my teacher’s response was for me to do math and science with guidance counselors as my punishment.”

Strickland’s “punishments” led to winning science fair projects at the school, district and city levels. He was strongly encouraged by mentors and counselors to attend the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences where he followed the animal science track working with the school’s livestock and aquaculture programs.

To his surprise he was offered a partial scholarship to the College of Agriculture and Related Sciences at Delaware State University, where he gained undergraduate research experience and held internships at Purdue University, Michigan State University, the U. S. Department of Agriculture and in Nambia, Africa.

He realized his true passion—sharing his knowledge with youth, especially minorities and urban students—working for the Ecological Society of America as an education program coordinator. He knew a master’s degree would advance his career and provide more opportunities for him to work with youth. So he sought out Iowa State University biologists Fred Janzen and Anne Bronikowski.

“Jeramie’s application for graduate work simply oozed enthusiasm and the diversity of the meaningful experiences in his background was exceptional,” says Janzen.

Strickland went on to study painted turtle nesting in Janzen’s lab performing fieldwork at the refuge where he now works. He helped start the Turtle Camp Research and Education in Ecology program.

Strickland’s work at the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is busy and varied. His enthusiasm and down-to-earth nature is obvious as he explains a day’s work could entail hosting youth and disabled hunters during specialized  hunts, bald eagle population counts, recovery of threatened ornate box turtles—the list goes on and on. There is no typical day.

“I have to remember to say, no,” he admits. “There are so many fun and exciting projects to take on I have to remember I can’t do everything.”

One thing he rarely says no to is any opportunity to share his love for wildlife and the environment with youth. In doing so he realizes he isn’t just teaching science, he’s showing kids like him a glimpse of a future they may not have thought possible.

“Getting kids involved in conservation and exposing them to the outdoors is my way of giving back,” Strickland says. “I am truly thankful for my mentors, and I want to give kids from my community a better role model.”

Strickland serves as a mentor for the Ecology Society of America and The Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth System Science Program. Both programs provide students  with professional development opportunities, science exposure (including research), networking opportunities and reciprocal mentoring opportunities.