Kansas City, MO — May 5, 2026 — Agriculture Future of America (AFA) welcomes Lynn Parman as President, marking an exciting step forward in the organization’s continued growth and commitment to developing transformational leaders for food and agriculture.
Parman joins AFA as the organization strengthens its executive leadership structure, celebrates its 30th anniversary and pursues an ambitious long-term vision for growth and impact. Under the updated structure, Mark Stewart will continue leading AFA as Chief Executive Officer and Nancy Barcus will serve as Chief Administrative Officer.
“Welcoming Lynn to our executive team is an exciting and intentional step in AFA’s next chapter,” said Mark Stewart, CEO of AFA. “This structure allows us to focus more deeply on vision, strategy, execution and organizational readiness, all while staying rooted in the mission and culture that make AFA so special.”
Together, this expanded leadership model is designed to bring greater focus, alignment and capacity to AFA’s work as the organization advances its strategic plan and looks toward its bold Moonshot: by 2040, every college student will have access to AFA resources, and AFA will stand as the nation’s go-to source for career enhancement in agriculture.
As CEO, Stewart will focus on enterprise vision, long-term strategy, organizational growth and strategic philanthropic relationships that exponentially advance AFA’s mission. As President, Parman will lead the execution of AFA’s strategic priorities across programs and organizational initiatives. As Chief Administrative Officer, Barcus will play a critical role in strengthening the systems, people, infrastructure and operational foundation that make AFA’s growth possible.
“I am honored to join AFA at such an important and exciting moment,” said Parman. “AFA’s mission to develop transformational leaders for food and agriculture is powerful, and its vision for the future is inspiring. I look forward to working alongside Mark, Nancy, the AFA team, partners, alumni and students to build on AFA’s strong foundation and expand its impact for the next generation of leaders.”
Parman brings more than 25 years of executive leadership experience across the nonprofit, public and private sectors, with deep experience in agriculture, animal health, higher education, workforce development and organizational growth. Most recently, she served as Chief Operating Officer of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Previously, she served as President & CEO of American Royal Association, led sales and marketing operations at Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, and was instrumental in launching the KC Animal Health Corridor initiative. She has held many prominent volunteer leadership roles, including currently serving as vice chair of Alphapointe Board of Directors and as a member of the Missouri State University Board of Governors. Across her career, Parman has built a strong reputation for aligning vision, strategy and execution to help mission-driven organizations grow with purpose.
The addition of Parman and the strengthened executive structure support AFA’s strategic vision to accelerate leader excellence, bolster partnership value and advance operational effectiveness. More importantly, it reflects AFA’s commitment to strengthen the competitiveness of the industry through people development and advance its mission for years to come.
About Agriculture Future of America (AFA)
AFA builds bridges for young leaders to foster engagement and innovation in food and agriculture through premier leader and career development experiences. With program participation increasing 28% in the last five years, AFA has provided 26,000 leader development experiences to college leaders and young professionals from more than 200 colleges and universities throughout 43 states since its inception in 1996. AFA has awarded more than $11.5 million in academic and leader development scholarships. For more information about AFA, visit agfuture.org.