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Jun. 16, 2023
Source: Agricultural Relations Council news release sent via AgPR--the news distribution service for agriculture New Prague, MN - The Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) inducted two members - Janice Person, Grounded Communications CEO/founder, Olivette, Mo.; and Deron Johnson, Curious Plot executive vice president, chief brand & culture officer, Lenexa, Kan. - into the Agricultural Public Relations Hall of Fame during ARC's Golden ARC Awards Banquet, held June 14, in Des Moines, Iowa.
To view the list of past inductees click here. Raised a "city kid" in Memphis, Tenn., Person earned a bachelor's degree in mass communications from Phillips University, Enid, Okla., and master's degree in journalism and public relations from the University of Memphis. During graduate school, she researched the media under various Soviet general secretaries and interviewed editors and reporters in Volgograd, Russia. A family friend introduced Person to agriculture via an internship with Little Publications (Cotton Farming, Rice Farming and Custom Applicator). "It was the perfect entry into the business of communications while also getting me some time with the real why of agriculture - farmers and consultants," Person remarked. Next, Person joined Gibbs & Soell (now G&S Business Communications) as an account executive. She focused on ICI Ag's (now Zeneca) southern row crops portfolio. Person joined Delta and Pine Land Company as it was introducing cotton seed that offered in-plant control of a worm that devastated crops the year before. As the company's first professional communicator, she worked on all products, but started with the technical aspects of new varieties as farmers needed information on how to manage the revolutionizing technologies. "Folks often said I was hired to be the 'decoder ring' that took info from all the PhDs and made it actionable for farmers," she commented. Via a merger, Person spent 11 years the Monsanto Company, serving as public affairs director, social media director and online engagement director. "I was a deep resource for the company on cotton but also added in chemistry (e.g., Roundup), dairy (including its divestiture to Elanco) and soybeans (including the launch of Roundup Ready 2 Yield and early work on Dicamba-tolerant crops)," she explained. During this time, Person also explored and capitalized on the use of Twitter and other online media platforms. She worked with others to form the AgChat Foundation - a non-profit designed for farmers to empower each other in consumer outreach efforts that helps the general public better understand agriculture. In 2019, Person founded Grounded Communications LLC, which provides speaking and consulting services, and builds content to reach outside of agriculture. "What I love so intensely about this part of my career is the depth of knowledge and network, and how I can apply that to reach goals both for myself and clients," she stated. Two ongoing Grounded Communications programs include "Grounded by the Farm" (food and farm podcast) and "Grounded and Rising" (member-based community and training platform). Johnson earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Kansas State University in 1988. He spent nine years as a journalist, including seven years as senior editor for The Packer - the flagship publication of Vance Publishing Corp. (previously incorporated into Farm Journal Media).
With 23 years spent in agency leadership roles, Johnson's firms and positions include FleishmanHillard, Kansas City, Mo., as public relations management supervisor; Gibbs & Soell (now G&S Business Communications), Chicago, as public relations client service manager; Brighton, St. Louis, as director of public relations; Rhea + Kaiser, Chicago, as vice president/director of public relations; and Curious Plot, Kansas City, senior vice president of public relations and now executive vice president, chief brand and culture officer. "While my role at Curious Plot more closely resembles an overall client/account leader, I very much consider - and will always consider - myself as a 'PR native'," said Johnson. At Curious Plot, he is responsible for the expression of the agency's brand and reputation in the marketplace. He also leads Curious Plot's diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, and serves as a senior leader of the agency's animal health practice. An ARC member since 2005, Johnson served on the ARC board of directors from 2006 to 2018, with three years as president. "The most meaningful decision during my time as president was the decision by the board to determine the future of ARC," Johnson noted. "We were working under volunteer leadership, the active membership list was less than 20 people, and the overall viability of the organization was in question. "I'll never forget the board call where the sole agenda item was to either sunset ARC as an organization or commit to jump-starting it. I don't know that there was any real appetite to end things (certainly not by me and on my watch as president), but the option was on the table." The board decided to move forward with ARC and the first annual meeting held after this decision was a success, which was absolutely critical in determining the organization's path forward. About the Agricultural Relations Council The Agricultural Relations Council is the only association dedicated to serving the unique needs of public relations professionals working in agriculture, food, fiber and other related industries. ARC is a conduit for problem solving, idea sharing and collaboration among members, who share a passion for excellence in public relations. Tweet |
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