NORFOLK – Early registration is encouraged for Northeast Community College’s annual AG-ceptional Women’s Conference.

This year’s event will be held Friday, November 21, from 8 a.m. – 5p.m. in the Lifelong Learning Center on Northeast’s campus in Norfolk.   Advance registration is now open with a cost of $38, which includes lunch.

The AG-ceptional Women’s Conference focuses on women in agriculture and puts them in the lime- light for the day.  “It is an opportunity to inspire excellence, gain knowledge and recognize the importance of women in agriculture,” said Corinne Morris, dean of agriculture, math and science at Northeast.

The conference is intended to empower women to meet the challenges of the diverse agriculture industry.  Morris said the popular event provides a networking venue where women in agriculture can learn more about management skills, gain confidence in decision making, and obtain information to achieve an overall sense of well-being.

The Ag-ceptional Women’s Conference is an initiative of Northeast Community College’s Agriculture Division, led by Morris, and Hilary Maricle, associate dean of agriculture, math and science. Kathy Neidig serves as the conference coordinator.  Additionally, several committee members from Norfolk and surrounding communities assist in the planning. “The conference is made possible through the generous support of over 80 sponsors including agricultural businesses, financial institutions, and others throughout the region,” Morris said. “We could not do it without their support!”

“We are drawing sell-out crowds to our annual conference,” she said.  “I cannot reiterate enough that early registration is most important for those who want to attend for the first time or return for another conference.”

Check-in is set from 8-8:30 a.m. on November 21, with exhibits, networking and a breakfast scheduled from 8-9 a.m.  The opening session features an energized presentation, featuring the 2014
AG-ceptional Woman of the Year and an inspiring keynote address.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Connie Reimers-Hild. In her address, she will unleash leadership and innovation in people, organizations and communities. She is a Certified Professional Coach (CPC), thought leader, trend watcher and 80’s hair band fanatic.

Dr. Reimers-Hild’s award-winning work provides resources on future-focused leadership and innovation, with an emphasis on entrepreneurial behavior, self-leadership, wellbeing and fun.  She has taught over 25,000 people and is continually expanding her reach by authoring books, e-books, downloadable educational resources and blogging. Additional information may be found at  AskDr.Connie.com and KimmelTV.org.

Dr. Reimers-Hild’s educational background is a mix of both hard and social sciences. She holds a doctorate in human sciences with a focus on leadership studies; a Master’s of Science degree in entomology; and a Bachelor of Science degree in natural resources.  Dr. Reimer-Hild also has a passion for the spirituality of innovation. This rare blend of expertise provides her with a unique and emerging perspective on leadership.

One talent of Dr. Reimers-Hild lies in linking leadership and innovation concepts to the laws of nature. “Learning about leadership and life from the global ecosystem is becoming increasingly important in an era of globalization where knowledge, social responsibility, environmental sustainability and innovation are vital components of success and growth,” she said.

She is passionate about developing future-focused leaders and is looking forward to focusing on AG-ceptional women and the AG-ceptional Women’s Conference.

During the day-long conference, women may choose to attend three, 50-minute break-out sessions from a total of 16 different presentations.  Break-out sessions include health and wellness, record keeping, farm taxation, family succession planning, social media, and commodity markets.

In the closing session, Morris said there will be a special presentation of “FarmHer” – a project that documents women in agriculture that began in spring 2013 by Marji Guyler-Alaniz. “FarmHer” is a long-term project of Guyler-Alaniz where she intends to continue photographing women in all areas of agriculture and from all backgrounds, reaching as far as she can. She will be spending some time documenting women in Northeast Nebraska prior to the conference. Through “FarmHer,” Guyler-Alaniz has a goal of changing society’s perception of a farmer by infusing these photographs of women into farm imagery.

Information on the Ag-ceptional Women’s Conference, as well as online registration, is available at http://www.northeast.edu/Agceptional. Additional information may be obtained by contacting the Northeast Community College Agriculture Division at (402)-844-7180.