Liz Henry’s service life

• Liz Henry was the associate director of the UW-Renk Agribusiness Institute from 2005 to 2016. It was established in 1996 with an endowment from the Renk families of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. The institute manages and coordinates agribusiness teaching, research and outreach at the UW-College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the UW-School of Business and the UW-Division of Extension.
• Through the institute Henry developed and managed the Renk Scholars program. It provides scholarship funding, mentoring and advising to undergraduate students in the areas of agricultural economics and business management. Since its beginning in 2013 the program has awarded 174 scholarships, she said.
• Her proudest achievement, she said, has been establishing in 2015 the undergraduate Certificate in Business Management for Agricultural and Life Sciences. The business side of agriculture is important so she wanted to give students opportunities to learn business skills. Since its inception about 1,200 undergraduates have earned the certificate.
• She served from 2007 to 2009 as president of the Wisconsin Agricultural and Life Sciences Alumni Association. At that time the university was required to cut its budget. There was a proposal to cut the alumni association from the agriculture college’s budget; she struggled with how the association could continue to fulfill its mission. But Pete Giacomini, then chief operating officer of Ag Source, listened to her concerns and pushed for the association’s representation on the UW-College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Board of Visitors. That resulted her serving on the board.
• She’s served two terms as president of Demeter, a nonprofit that provides scholarships to students in the UW-College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
• She’s a member of TEMPO – a Madison-area service and networking organization that connects women leaders and executives from the Madison area.
• She’s a member of Spirited Women, a community of women working in the craft-spirit and -cocktail industry.