Valent Summit 2024
Welcome to the Valent Summit '24!
This year, we’re embracing the power of unity and collaboration to achieve extraordinary results. Together, as a diverse and dynamic team, we’re ready to tackle new challenges and seize new opportunities. Let’s embark on this journey to Reimagine, Refocus, and Reignite.
Keynote Speakers:
Ward Bloodworth, Helena Agri-Enterprises, LLC, Executive Vice President
Ward grew up in North Mississippi in a home centered around the ag retail business. It was a part of his everyday life, and helped him to build a strong foundation of knowledge in the ag business and its culture.
Ward attended Mississippi State University where he earned his undergraduate degree in Agronomy and Master’s degree in Weed Science.
In 2003, Ward began his career as a salesman with Helena in Yazoo City, MS. He was promoted to Branch Manager in 2006, and then to Area Manager as well in 2012. In the fall of 2013, Ward became the Fertilizer Manager for the Southern Business Unit. Three years later he assumed the role of South Texas Division Manager. Most recently, in August of 2020, he moved into a national role as the Director of Fertilizer, and then in 2021, became Executive Vice President. In his current role as Executive Vice President, his responsibilities include Seed, Crop Protection, Fertilizer, Purchasing, and AGRIntelligence.
Ward has previously served as President of Mississippi CCA and President of Mississippi Ag Industry Council. Presently, he serves on Ag Retailers Association Board of Directors, TFI Board of Directors, Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation Board of Trustees, and is also a member of the Mississippi State Plant and Soil Science Advisory Council and a Delta Council Committee member.
Alexandra (Alex) Dapolito Dunn, President and CEO, CropLife America
Alex Dunn joined CropLife America (CLA) as President and CEO in March 2024, bringing exciting leadership and direction to this relevant and dynamic organization. Established in 1933, CLA represents the developers, manufacturers, formulators, and distributors of agricultural pest management tools in the United States.
Alex brings to CLA 30 years of experience at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as her passion for agriculture, partnerships, engagement, communication, and results. She was an executive at several national environmental associations and served as Regional Administrator in New England (2018) for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as Assistant Administrator for the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (2019-2021). Following, Alex was a Partner in the Environmental, Safety and Incident Response group at the international law firm of Baker Botts, LLP.
Alex is widely recognized as one of the top environmental leaders and attorneys in the nation, and is a past Chair and active member of the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, a member of the Board of Regents of the American College of Environmental Lawyers, and serves on the Leadership Council of the Environmental Law Institute. Committed to the next generation of environmental professionals, she has been a professor of environmental justice at four law schools, and was a full time academic as Dean of Environmental Law Programs at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University.
She earned a B.A. in Political Science and French, cum laude, from James Madison University and a J.D., magna cum laude, from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, where she was editor-in-chief of the law review. Alex is a member of the bar in D.C., Maryland, New York, and the U.S. Supreme Court. She resides in Northern Virginia.