Five Kentucky graduates — the largest representation of any state or country around the world — have been selected for the Alltech Graduate Program, an elite class of emerging leaders in global agribusiness.
The Alltech Graduate Program kicked off Nov. 26 at Alltech’s European Headquarters in Ireland. The program will train talented agribusiness graduates through year-long projects at one of 128 Alltech offices around the world.
Twenty-one graduates were selected for the program from a competitive pool of 1,550 applicants from around the globe, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, Estonia, Canada and the United States.
The Kentucky Alltech Graduates are:
• Danielle Palmer, a recent graduate with a master’s degree in diplomacy and international commerce from UK’s Patterson School of Diplomacy. Last summer, she completed an internship in Geneva, Switzerland, with the Office for International Affairs and Human Rights at the Lutheran World Federation, a faith-based NGO. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and has worked as a daily newspaper reporter and a public relations coordinator in the private sector.
• Rebecca Noble, a native of Versailles, Ky., and graduate of Woodford County High School. She received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Kentucky and was awarded a master’s degree in international political economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She interned in the U.S. Congress, UK Parliament and with the Kentucky China Trade Centre in Beijing. During the past year she has worked for The Stern Group, Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm, implementing overseas commercialization and marketing projects.
• Daniel Grubb, who grew up in Ashland, Ky., and attended Georgetown College in Georgetown, Ky., where he studied chemistry and physics. His interests include alternative energy, especially algae and how it can improve our daily lives.
• Bethany Brashears, a recent graduate of the University of Kentucky, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree of arts in integrated strategic communications. Brashear’s professional goals include working as an executive marketing director and to be known for her new and innovative advertising campaigns.
• Ashley Hamilton Baker, a native of Versailles, Ky. She graduated from the University of Auburn with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish in 2005. Additionally, she attended the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2005. This past year, she earned her master’s degree in international business management, from Kingston University, London. Ashley has gained experience in business development, sales and business strategy in both the nonprofit and professional fields.
“From Canada to India, applicants for the first-ever class of the Alltech Graduate Program poured in from all over the world,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. “After a rigorous evaluation, five Kentuckians emerged as top talent in the future of agribusiness. Kentuckians are among the exceptional young minds who will lead the charge in finding solutions to feed the future — and I couldn’t be more proud.”
The group will pursue further knowledge in one of Alltech’s areas of business, including agribusiness, crop science, algae and fermentation. The 12-month, salaried, executive program will begin with an intensive induction and training period in Alltech’s European Bioscience Centre in Dunboyne, Ireland, and Alltech’s global headquarters in Lexington. Graduates will attend lectures for two weeks at the company’s European headquarters and the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. They will travel to Nicholasville, Ky., for a week of further training at Alltech’s headquarters before dispersing to their assigned project locations. There, they will learn practical management skills and lay the foundations for a career.
The aim of the Alltech Graduate Program is to give participants in-depth exposure to the management of an international business. Why does Alltech do all this? Survival in a competitive world, according to the company website: “By investing in you, we invest in the continued growth and success of Alltech as a pioneer and innovator in the world of health and nutrition for animals, plants and people.”