LESLIE SVACINA (SHULER) linkedin.

com/in/lesliesvacina
leslie.svacina@gmail.com


SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
Passionate about the agriculture industry: Proudly playing a role in farming, agribusiness and agricultural organizations
Seven years of marketing communications and writing/editing experience in agriculture
Project management experience: Developing and executing programs, while meeting deadlines and goals
Strongly values the power of relationships, as demonstrated through work in education and the agricultural industry

AGRICULTURE & COMMUNICATIONS EXPERIENCE
Internship Coordinator, Career & Internship Services, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN April 2013-Present
Grant funded position serving students in the College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences
Manages a hybrid-online internship course, providing students guidance on the transition from student to professional
Selects, trains and monitors contributions of volunteer coaches, who provide mentoring/workplace guidance to interns
Coordinates an internship fair, where interns present final projects to employers, university staff and students
Developed and coordinates assessment of intern program and participants, including focus groups and online surveys

Owner & Operator, Cylon Rolling Acres, Deer Park, WI 2013-Present
Responsible for care, health, nutrition and kidding for a growing herd of Boer meat goats
Manages all aspects of business operations: financial management with QuickBooks, tax preparation, business planning
Collaborating with NRCS in conservation planning to implement intensive rotational grazing of livestock
Harvests maple sap from 100+ trees, selling raw sap to a local maple syrup processor

Associate Lecture, Agricultural Education Department, UW-River Falls, River Falls, WI April 2012-May 2012
Team taught AGED/JOUR 230: Agricultural News Writing, a three-credit course; responsible for one credit of content
Utilized professional corporate communications experience to teach topics on public relations, social media,
sales/marketing writing, and editorial policies and ethics

Student Newspaper Advisor, The UW-La Crosse Racquet, La Crosse, WI August 2009-May 2011
Advised the student-run weekly newspaper, providing feedback/guidance on content, operations and student-press rights
Met weekly with the newspaper editor; coordinated advisory board meetings; organized staff development workshop

Communications Director, Minnesota Agri-Growth Council, St. Paul, MN April 2008-July 2009
Executed communications plan: news releases, website, media relations, op eds, newsletters (print/e-news), LinkedIn
group, issue management strategies to supplement positions on state/federal policies, new member recruitment materials
Presented quarterly communications report to 23-member board of food/agribusiness industry leaders in Minnesota
Served on the planning team for AgNite, a nonpartisan, major agriculture industry event during the 2008 GOP National
Convention. The invite-only event drew 5,500-plus guests, including members of Congress, delegates, industry leaders

Senior Editor, CHS Inc., Inver Grove Heights, MN | CHS Foundation March 2003-April 2008
Managed foundation communications efforts: developed annual marketing communications plan, managed web site,
wrote news releases for targeted media, developed marketing collateral, managed image
Provided Foundation Communications Report presentations during the Board of Trustees monthly committee meetings
Oversaw marketing and assisted with program planning for the New Leader Institute, a young farmer conference
Provided project management and planning for a variety of CHS Foundation initiatives, including website development,
new corporate giving area focused on higher education, board education/training manuals, scholarship programs
Coordinated CHS volunteerism projects, volunteerism grant program and United Way Giving Campaign
Collaborated with universities and national collegiate organizations to discuss customized, funding partnerships
Enhanced company visibility by strategically arranging for key CHS staff to serve as conference or class speakers

Senior Editor, Marketing Communications March 2003-September 2007
CHS Inc. and CHS-Land OLakes, Inver Grove Heights, MN
Served as editor for an online, daily business news publication for cooperative management across the country
Responsible for storyboarding, sourcing leads, assigning stories, writing and editing, photo selection for daily deadlines
Developed and successfully executed a transition plan to move ePreview from print to a solely online publication
Wrote for company magazines: authoring 20-plus technical and human interest articles on agriculture and rural life
Hired as marketing communications intern, progressively moving up in positions and responsibilities


LESLIE SVACINA (SHULER) linkedin.com/in/lesliesvacina
leslie.svacina@gmail.com


HIGHER EDUCATION EXPERIENCE
Academic and Career Advising, UW-Stout, Menomonie, WI July 2011-March 2013
Academic Advisor September 2011-March 2013
Responsible for advising up to 260 first year students in seven majors, transfer students and undeclared students
Provided major and career exploration guidance to undecided students through appointments and a career course
Assisted with coordinating new student registration and orientation programs for both first year and transfer students
Coordinated the hiring, training and supervision of 10 student staff for the summer new student registration program
Cooperative Education Assistant | temporary position July-August 2011
Assisted students in understanding co-op education / internship course requirements and the enrollment process
Tracked student intern class deadlines and assignments; registered students for intern credits through People Soft
Monitored student assignments and evaluations for issues to refer to co-op education coordinator and faculty
Managed student and employer internship records through CSO Research, a client management tool

Career Services Advisor / Graduate Assistant, UW-La Crosse, La Crosse, WI August 2010- May 2011
Advised College of Business Administration students one-on-one with career preparation needs, including interview
coaching/mock interviews, resume and cover letter development, job/internship search process, and networking
Served as a teaching assistant for BUS 350-Career Preparation: taught classes on job search ethics and professionalism
Assisted with various Career Services events, including career fairs, campus interviews and specialized career speakers

Career Services Counselor / Graduate Intern, UW-River Falls, River Falls, WI Summer 2010
Provided individual career counseling to undergraduate students and alumni on writing resumes and cover letters, thank
you letters, the job and internship search process, mock interviews, and networking and career exploration guidance
Developed structure, policies and marketing plan for UWRF Career Services LinkedIn Groups

TECHNICAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
Website management: content updates
Web-based e-newsletter platforms
Design and photo editing software
Journalistic-style writing and editing
Social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, YouTube
Web-based survey tools
Online course management platforms
Online instruction techniques and tools

AGRICULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATIONS & HONORS
National Agri-Marketing Association
Region III Awards Committee Chair, 2007-08;
committee member, 2005-08
North Central Board Member
Corporate Identity 1
st
National, 2004; Public Affairs
1
st
Region III, 2007; eNewsletter 1
st
Region III, 2008


National Council of Farmer Cooperatives Contest
Identity/Awareness Campaign 1
st
, 2007
Advertising Leaflets 3
rd
, 2007
Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA)
Electronic Newsletter 1
st
Place, 2007
Management Planning 1
st
Place, 2005
Program/Projects, Honorable Mention, 2004
AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVEMENT & SERVICE
UW-River Falls Alumni Advisory Board | Special Events Committee, 2012-Present
UW-River Falls College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Alumni Board | Past President, 2008-2014
o Lead a nine-member volunteer alumni board to support alumni activities and contributions to the University
o Served on the Communications Committee, assisted with expanding web content, social media presence,
membership marketing materials, establishing a formal communications chair
Wisconsin Farm Bureau: Involved with St. Croix County and the state Young Farmer & Agriculturalist program
Wisconsin FFA Volunteer: State/National Office Selection Process, New Richmond FFA Alumni
Past Wisconsin State FFA Officer, Past Agriculture Future of America Student Advisory Team Member

EDUCATION
M.S. in Education in Higher Education, 2011
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, WI

Master of Agribusiness, 2009
Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
International study in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam
B.S. in Ag Marketing Communications, 2004
University of Wisconsin-River Falls, River Falls, WI
Minor in agribusiness, emphasis in Journalism
International study in Mexico, Germany, Finland, Austria