Alumni Spotlight

Name: Becky Fouard

Current Title: Global Learning and Development Leader

Organization: Elanco Animal Health

Majors: B.S. Agricultural Communications and Journalism, minor in Leadership Studies 2011

 

K-State College of Ag is proud to recognize alumni from all departments who continue to pursue their passion in their respective fields. It is through experience that we continue to grow as individuals and stewards of the industry. Through those experiences, we hope to be a continued resource for the next generation of K-State students to lean on for advice and continue to build our network!

What has your educational and professional journey been like since graduating from K-State?

After graduating in 2011, at that time, Jackie McClaskey was still with the College of Agriculture and she went off to work for the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) and told me that she had an opportunity for me. So, I followed her to the KDA and started off as our state trademark program coordinator. During my second year at the KDA I actually took on a new responsibility that I never even knew existed.

I was a liaison for Food Export Midwest, which meant working with producers with 500 or fewer employees and making trade connections with them using farm bill money in different countries. So, in that second year, I traveled with producers to Russia, India, Switzerland and Germany. I didn't know that a job at the department of agriculture with all this international travel existed.

I had a couple of contacts at Elanco Animal Health who I'd met when I was in FFA while I was in college. I ended up flying to Indianapolis and interviewing for a U.S. marketing role on the farm animal business side. I fell in love with the people I met there and was excited about the opportunities that that organization had to offer. Now, here we are, 10 years later, and I'm still at Elanco.

At Elanco today, I'm doing what I love: coaching, mentoring and training adults on how to be good managers and leaders. I've learned so much about different roles and careers and even what I enjoy and what fills my bucket. You're not a failure if your golden plan in college changes. Because it should change. What I want today is different from three years ago.

I was very fortunate to have a mentor in college who told me, if you're green, you're growing. If you're ripe, you're rotten. I'm someone who always loves to continue to grow. When you think about your current job, even if you don't change positions, you still have to be learning and growing. You have to be constantly asking yourself, what is that new innovation?

Elanco has funded my completion of an executive program certificate. Even if you aren't in the learning and development space, it's still beneficial to have that knowledge and to leverage it as a leader in the workplace.

If provided the opportunity, would you recommend that students participate in educational international travel? Why?

Two big pieces of value, and I've done three different types of international travel. I've done a vacation in Italy with my husband, work travel which is the majority, and then a mission trip through Heifer International.

When I think about the benefits of international travel and why I would encourage it, one is perspective, especially if you're doing more of a mission trip. I went to Honduras with Heifer International, which gives you this perspective of how blessed or fortunate we are in the U.S.. Having international travel expereince gives us perspective, whether it's how innovative we are here in the U.S. or just seeing differences.

Second benefit is when we think about diversity, how we think and how we do things. I remember going to Russia for work and going out to a cattle farm which looked totally different than how we would raise cattle here in the U.S.. It was very eye opening to witness first-hand the different types of agriculture but also different business models and how the government works and what the impacts were.

Getting that international exposure is truly opening up your eyes to show us the diversity and how things can be done. Challenge the way we innovate and really broaden our perspective of what we do have and differences across the world.

What are some courses that you took that helped prepare you for your current role?

The first one that came to my mind specifically for ag communications was working on the magazine, Agriculturalist. When I think about how I best learn, it is hands-on. That was a course where we were designing, interviewing, and creating content. It was that capstone experience from communications and journalism classes. To me that was one of my favorites because you actually got to create with your class and have an end product.

Another one is ag policy. I was told by so many people that I needed to take ag policy. I was a little afraid, but taking that course, I remember talking about the people behind the government faces you see, and just these different concepts that peeked behind the curtain of policy and how it happens. For me, I think that was great exposure because, so often, you only see what's on the cover versus what's working behind the scenes.

Crisis communications was another one that stands out. How do we communicate in a time of crisis? Crisis communication is so important. I wish I didn't have to use it, but I'm glad I have the tools learned in that class in the event they’re needed.

I’d also have to mention my senior capstone. That class offered opportunities for resume building and hosted individuals from the industry and other organizations. They spoke about interviewing skills and shared what they're looking for when they’re hiring. That, to me, was truly great exposure to the reality of what I needed to expect when I got out of college.

What value do you feel like you’ve gained as a graduate from the K-State College of Agriculture?

There are two big things. One is the value and the soft skills, or you might call them transferable skills, that I gained while I was at K-State and that has transferred over to that workplace. Things such as communications are huge. No matter where you go, you’ve got to be a good communicator.

If you're a poor communicator and you share an idea and nobody's listening, then it will go nowhere. Communication skills, leadership skills, the ability to take risks and fail forward, be okay with failure, and keep trying—those are all soft skills I'd say I learned in the safety of that environment at K-State and the College of Agriculture.

The second benefit is the network. I've been out of college for some time now, and I still get emails or connections with people from K-State. Those connections stay strong. Don't devalue that network. If you are looking for advice, ideas, shared learnings, or maybe even different job opportunities, that K-State network is so powerful that I highly encourage people to leverage it after graduation.