Four promoted to OFBF senior directors

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Farm Bureau staff members Adam Carney, Susan Gaughan, Ty Higgins and Kelsie Schwyn have been elevated to senior leadership positions within Ohio’s largest farm and food organization.

Adam Carney has been named senior director of membership sales and marketing. His almost 15 years of sales and sales leadership experience will be used to help grow Farm Bureau by developing and implementing comprehensive membership marketing campaigns. He also will provide direct sales support and deliver ongoing sales training to ensure membership growth. He has been Ohio Farm Bureau’s director of membership sales since 2017.

Prior to joining Ohio Farm Bureau, Carney was employed as director of premium sales and service with the Columbus Crew.

Carney received his bachelor’s degree in sports management/business from Wilmington College in 2005. He and his wife, Jody, have two children and reside in Plain City.

Susan Gaughan has been named senior director of human resources. She will provide both strategic and operational leadership with the responsibility for all human resources functions. Gaughan is responsible for setting, enforcing and evaluating legally compliant human resources policies, procedures and best practices, as well as developing and cultivating an organizational culture of integrity, diversity, learning and respect.

Gaughan has 17 years of service with Ohio Farm Bureau, most recently as the organization’s director of human resources.

Ty Higgins has been promoted to senior director of communications and media relations. He serves as a spokesperson for the organization and is the primary point of contact for journalists reporting on farm, food, environmental and public policy issues. Higgins leads Farm Bureau’s social media efforts and contributes content across Farm Bureau’s print and broadcast channels. In addition, he works with Farm Bureau members as they communicate with public officials and consumers. He has been Ohio Farm Bureau’s director of media relations since 2019.

Prior to joining Ohio Farm Bureau, Higgins was a farm broadcaster, writer and network director for Ohio AgNet and Ohio’s Country Journal. He has been deeply engaged in issues important to both farmers and the public. His 25-year career includes farm broadcasting at WRFD radio and the Agri Broadcasting Network and as an on-air personality for WHOK radio in Columbus.

He’s a member of Delaware County Farm Bureau, and he and his wife, Angela, are parents of two children.

Kelsie Schwyn has been named senior director of strategic partnerships and Nationwide services. She is a member of Ohio Farm Bureau’s Strategic Partnerships team, which develops and manages key relationships and partnerships within the farm and food sector and with businesses, member associations and commodity groups.

In her role, she will be developing new partnerships that create value on behalf of members and partner organizations’ brands and continuing to focus on strengthening the impact of Ohio Farm Bureau and Nationwide’s partnership within the agriculture community.

Schwyn joined Ohio Farm Bureau in 2019, after working as an associate account executive at FLM Harvest, an agricultural strategic consulting, marketing and communication agency, where she supported clients, managed marketing campaigns and cultivated client relationships.

Schwyn was raised on an Angus cattle farm in Newcomerstown. She has degrees in agribusiness and applied economics from both Lake Land College in Mattoon, Illinois and The Ohio State University.

She and her husband, Brandon, reside in Marysville. They are members of the Union County Farm Bureau and are active in their local church.

Ohio Farm Bureau’s mission is working together for Ohio farmers to advance agriculture and strengthen our communities. Learn more at ofbf.org.

— Ohio Farm Bureau Federation

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