Saluki Women's Weekend | SIU Foundation | SIU

Alex Russell is a distinguished leader in the agriculture industry, recognized for her strategic vision, technical expertise, and commitment to advancing American Agriculture. An Illinois native, she has built a dynamic career supporting growers and agriculture retailers around the nation with professional and community roots in Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, and now North Carolina.

Alex is a two‑time graduate of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees that laid the academic foundation for her work in agricultural innovation and stewardship. Her upbringing in the western way of life, including years of youth rodeo, instilled the discipline, grit, and authenticity that continue to define her leadership.

Over the past decade with Syngenta Crop Protection, Alex has held roles of increasing responsibility and now serves as the U.S. Soybean Seedcare Product Manager. In this capacity, she leads national strategy for one of the industry’s most impactful segments, partnering with growers, researchers, and channel collaborators to deliver solutions that bring plant potential to life.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Alex is deeply committed to developing the next generation of agricultural leaders. She is often found as a speaker at Leadership events and is actively engaged with FFA at the local, state, and national levels, providing mentorship, advocacy, and service to agricultural youth programs who are the next generation of leaders.

Haley Bode is an Agricultural Systems and Education student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she is also pursuing a minor in Horticulture and an endorsement in Early Childhood Education. A passionate advocate for agriculture and agricultural education, Haley has built her collegiate experience around leadership, education, and creating opportunities to connect others with the agriculture industry.

Haley currently serves as the Union County Farm Bureau Agriculture in the Classroom Coordinator, where she develops and delivers agriculture-based curriculum to nearly 60 classrooms each month and provides agricultural literacy resources to more than 70 teachers throughout the region. Her passion for agricultural education began through her involvement in Illinois FFA, where she served as the 2022–2023 Illinois FFA State Secretary. In that role, she represented more than 41,000 Illinois agriculture students, facilitated more than 200 workshops, completed over 100 school visits, and helped host the 95th Illinois FFA State Convention for more than 7,000 attendees. She continues to serve Illinois FFA as a lead facilitator and curriculum builder.

Her experiences have also allowed her to explore several areas of the agriculture industry. Haley has served as a Pioneer Seeds Commercial Sales Intern, gaining firsthand experience in the seed industry, sales, agronomy, and building relationships with farmers and agricultural professionals. She previously completed internships with Midwest Dairy, where she managed the Illinois State Fair Dairy Building and supported dairy education and communications, and Advanced Agrilytics, where she conducted agronomic field scouting for more than 50 growers across northern Illinois and worked alongside agronomists to develop crop management recommendations.

On campus, Haley has held leadership roles in Sigma Alpha and Collegiate Farm Bureau, including serving as Sigma Alpha Chapter President and Collegiate Farm Bureau Vice President. Through these organizations, she has planned service initiatives, agricultural literacy programs, and large-scale events, including Farm to Fork, which welcomed more than 400 attendees and raised over $5,000 for Agriculture in the Classroom throughout her three years of involvement. Her leadership and service have been recognized through honors including the Illinois Farm Bureau Legacy of Leadership Scholarship, Sigma Alpha Outstanding Leader, the American FFA Degree, and multiple academic honors.

Haley is passionate about empowering young women to find their voice, pursue leadership opportunities, and recognize the many possibilities available to them within agriculture. She hopes to become an agricultural educator and FFA advisor, using her experiences in the classroom, industry, and leadership to inspire the next generation of agricultural leaders.