Penn State Ag Council honors leaders in agriculture at fall meeting

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Agricultural leadership took the spotlight at the Penn State Ag Council’s fall meeting in State College, where the council honored the recipients of its 2025 Leadership Awards.

This year’s recipients are Jim MacKenzie, owner of Octoraro Native Plant Nursery, and Kelly Shenk, agriculture adviser with the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The honorees each received a Penn State Nittany Lion statuette, and their names were added to a permanent display on the University Park campus.

Troy Ott, dean of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, congratulated the winners, noting the importance of recognizing individuals, organizations and initiatives that make a lasting impact on Pennsylvania’s agricultural sector.

“Our award winners exemplify the highest standards of leadership in Pennsylvania’s agricultural community,” Ott said. “Acknowledging their achievements highlights the essential role leadership plays in advancing the industry and strengthening our communities. The Ag Council serves as a key advisory body, providing expertise, feedback and advocacy that help inform the college’s programs and priorities in support of Pennsylvania agriculture.”

MacKenzie, co-owner of Octoraro Native Plant Nursery in Kirkwood, received the 2025 Leadership Award. MacKenzie is involved with the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association, having previously served on the board of directors for 13 years and currently serving on its government relations committee.

From 2003 to 2008, he served as vice chairman of the state Department of Environmental Protection’s statewide water resources committee. He recently was appointed to the board of directors of the Center for Plant Excellence, a partnership among the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Penn State Extension and industry leaders to address emerging challenges and opportunities.

“Jim is a visionary,” said Greg Kirkham, council president. “With Mark Gutshall, he started the nursery, growing mid-Atlantic native trees and shrubs for what he saw as a developing need for plants for riparian buffers and environmental restoration. Jim has developed Octoraro into one of the premier native plant nurseries in the mid-Atlantic region.”

The company also donates plants to schools and nonprofits to help educate children and the public about the importance of native plants in the environment and the ecosystem services they provide. MacKenzie, who holds a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Penn State, speaks at conferences and workshops on environmental restoration and the role of native plants in preserving and improving water quality.

“If running a nursery that produces tens of thousands of native trees and shrubs each season isn't enough, several years ago Jim went back to school to become a registered nurse,” Kirkham said, adding that MacKenzie now works as a hospice nurse. “To that end, he is transitioning ownership of the nursery to Claire and Kevin Zuidervliet, who have his same commitment to producing native plants for environmental improvement.”

The Ag Council presented the 2025 Leadership in Action Award to Shenk, who has served as the agriculture adviser for EPA's mid-Atlantic region for more than a decade.

Shenk has 30 years of experience with the EPA, working closely with federal and state agencies and key stakeholders in the Chesapeake Bay Program on both technical and policy fronts, addressing issues related to agriculture and urban stormwater.

As the agriculture adviser for EPA Region III, she served as the liaison between the farming community and EPA, addressing policy and programmatic opportunities and challenges facing the region’s communities to achieve well-managed, profitable farms and clean local and Chesapeake Bay waters.

Additionally, Shenk served on the planning and implementation committee for the Agriculture in Balance conference in 2008 and all of the Pennsylvania in the Balance conferences hosted by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

These events brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, where agricultural and environmental leaders explored innovative solutions to support thriving, productive agriculture while advancing water quality goals for Pennsylvania’s rivers, streams and the Chesapeake Bay.

“Kelly has been instrumental in the success of these programs,” Kirkham said. “She has devoted years to building partnerships with federal and state agricultural agencies and the agricultural community to find collaborative solutions to achieving the agency’s shared goals of vibrant agriculture and clean water.”

Shenk holds a master’s degree in water resource management from the University of Vermont and a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Duke University.

Also during the meeting, delegates heard presentations on agricultural trade trends, regulations and policy, featuring expert speakers from government, industry and academia.

The Penn State Ag Council, an independent association of more than 90 organizations, works to advise Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and advocate for agricultural education and research in the state. The next delegate meeting is scheduled for April 23, 2026.