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Nancy Mann
Nancy has worked in the greenhouses since she could walk and knows the business inside out. Although she is now the company’s president, she works in the business and doesn’t mind “getting dirty.” For a number of years, the mainstay of Mann’s Greenhouses was its wholesale clientele, which includes Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Pike Family Nursery, Ace Hardware, and various landscaping companies. In the last 10 years, the company has expanded to include retail sales, and Nancy is focusing on that component of the operation. Mann’s Greenhouses grow most of the plants they sell, including over 200 varieties of herbs, and ship products all over the Southeast. Being a grower enables the business to offer good prices to customers. Kristin McWhorter
Kristin has worked for the organization since 1992. Before then, she was general manager or Poultry & Egg News, a publication firm for the poultry industry which prints Poultry Times. She has also worked for Gold Kist and ConAgra since graduation. Kristin oversees all phases of management and administration and handles the organization’s membership development, accounting, marketing and strategic development. Kristin states, “Taking over NPFDA when times were tough, and turning the association into a strong and vital organization with the help of dedicated employees and board members, may have been my greatest accomplishment since college graduation.” One of the other responsibilities of Kristin’s is to run the NPFDA Scholarship Foundation – a 501(c)3 organization. Every year, NPFDA awards scholarships to four outstanding students who are enrolled full-time while pursuing an agriculture or food science (related) degree. The NPFDA Scholarship Foundation was established in 1979. Since that time, the Foundation has awarded nearly $135,000 in scholarships to outstanding students. The NPFDA Scholarship Foundation, Inc. is entering its 26th year of assistance to help build "People Resources" for the poultry and food industries by providing scholarships to students pursuing an education in all fields relating to the poultry industry. Kristin graduated from UGA with a B.S.A. in Agricultural Economics in 1984. While she is now busy promoting the poultry and food industries, she has found time for other activities. She has completed about half of her Masters degree in Public Administration. She is very active and has some key leadership roles with the Georgia Society of Association Executives. She is a past Trustee of the GSAE Foundation – an organization committed to spreading the word about associations and providing assistance and internships to students interested in working in the association field. She is also a member of the American Society of Association Executives. She has mentored elementary children in Gainesville, GA/Hall County through the Hall County Mentoring program. Kristin’s key interests lie in caring for mistreated and homeless pets. She has volunteered to work for several non-profit groups and gives many of these groups financial support. She is currently working with a group to build an animal sanctuary in north Georgia. The group has acquired its non-profit status, but has a lot of work to do. Kristin would like to focus a lot of her time in the future in helping make the animal sanctuary a dream come true. “There are so many animals out there that are victims of cruelty, negligence and ignorance. We would like to come to the aid of these animals, as well as educate the public about inexpensive ways to care for their animals, spay and neuter programs, etc.” Kristin is an active member of Chestnut Mountain Church and serves the church in different capacities. Through her church, Kristin is currently involved with the Hall County Habitat for Humanity. She is a volunteer for fund raising, volunteer coordination, as well as a laborer. “Habitat for Humanity is a great organization. They help people help themselves by giving them a way to own their own home while sharing in the financial and physical responsibility. Not only does the organization put a roof over a family, but it teaches them responsibility and gives people a sense of pride they might not otherwise have. Kristin is a firm believer of the importance of belonging to and being active in associations and organizations. Kristin says “You get out of something what you put into it. You’ve heard that many times over the years. This is especially true with organizations and associations. Some people elect to be barely involved, and they will benefit some from membership. But it is those who choose to really be involved who get the big payoffs. Those who contribute time though leadership or committee work will soon begin to get a return on their investment.” Kristin is a member of the South Hall Homeowner’s Association, member and previous Board Member of the Lake Lanier Association, member of River Keepers, and President of the McEver Business Center Condo Association. She is a member of the UGA Alumni Association and is a member and serves on the Board of the Agricultural Economics Association of Georgia. Kristin says, “I believe in being involved in organizations when I am able and I want to give back what I can.” Kristin says she has been busy all her life. She personally financed one hundred percent of her education at the University of Georgia. As a result, she developed a drive to succeed and never takes anything for granted. While attending the University of Georgia, full time employment limited Kristin’s extra curricular activities, but she was a member of the National Agriculture Marketing Association. She remarks, “I wish I had been more involved in campus organizations and clubs but time was precious. I worked full time and carried a pretty full class load. However, I did manage to be on the Dean’s List multiple times and was a contributor to the National Agriculture Law Paper Competition. Kristin’s home is near Lake Lanier and her relaxing moments are spent boating and training and playing with her dogs. “I also enjoy gardening because you can truly see the results of your work.” Steve Morse
Steve enjoys a variety of activities in his leisure time, including reading and piloting a plane. In addition, he enjoys his pontoon. In May of 2005, he and his brother traveled from the coast near Apalachicola, Florida for ten days up the Apalachicola River to Lake Seminole, Georgia, then up the Flint River to a location near Bainbridge, Georgia to meet two friends who had canoed from south of Atlanta. It was an interesting trip for the men, including their sightings of huge alligators sunning along the riverbank.
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Nancy Mann (B.S.A. in Agribusiness, 2004) is President of Mann’s Greenhouses in Hickory Flat, Georgia. She took over the family business in January 2005 when her father retired. Nancy’s parents, Robert and Louise Mann, started the greenhouse business in the mid-1970s. They converted two chicken houses into greenhouses and employed family members. Now the company operates 30 greenhouses and employs 100 workers during peak season.
Kristin McWhorter is the Executive Director of the National Poultry and Food Distributors Association (NPFDA), a non-profit trade association based in Gainesville, Georgia which has been in existence since 1967. It is comprised of poultry and food suppliers, retailers, processors, transportation companies and marketers with a membership of 220 industry firms from throughout the country. The association’s goal is to provide their members with services to help increase profits and provide a competitive advantage through networking opportunities for exchanging ideas and discussing challenges and opportunities in the poultry and food industries. 
Steve Morse was recently appointed as Director of the University of Tennessee Tourism Research Institute in the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management. Prior to this appointment, he was a faculty member at the University of South Carolina, where he established a national reputation in tourism and hospitality economic analysis. He received a B.S.A. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Georgia in 1978 and a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Applied Economics from the University of Tennessee.
Bidisha Rudra (Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics, 1999) is a Senior Business Market Analyst for TXU Energy in Dallas, Texas. She is involved in a wide range of challenging projects involving various statistical methods. Her work focuses on conducting market segmentation, performing optimization analyses related to pricing, and developing survival models. Previously, Bidisha worked for American Express in Phoenix, Arizona and Citigroup in Dallas, Texas.
Matt Rushton (B.S.A. in Agricultural Economics - 2001) works for SunTrust Bank in Albany, GA as a Commercial Lender. He was a Portfolio Specialist with SunTrust until his recent promotion. His current duties involve obtaining and retaining clients and managing business accounts. After joining the company, Matt completed an eleven-month SunTrust University Commercial Lending Program.
Warren Kriesel is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Georgia. His research examines the relationships between a locality’s economic vitality and its natural resource base. For his Extension program, he has developed the interactive statistics website at www.georgiastats.uga.edu. He teaches two classes – Applied Econometrics and Rural Economic Development and Growth.