Facilitator Information

Again this year we are excited to announce that we have selected three outstanding Sigma Alpha and Alpha Gamma Rho alumni to facilitate the Leadership Seminars. Below you will find a short biography for each facilitator.

Melissa Ernst Johnson: Melissa Ernst Johnson, M.Ed. is an innovative instructional leader who is passionate about connecting motivated individuals with resources to help them think bigger about what they can achieve. Melissa's own quest to become focused in her academic and career pursuits gives her insight and empathy for the practical applications of education and career planning. Melissa is currently the Assistant Director of Pickens Technical College in Denver’s suburb of Aurora, Colorado and an alumni of The Ohio State University Sigma Alpha- Alpha Chapter.

Jason "Bear" Wilson: Jason “Bear” Wilson is a PhD graduate student in the Department of Human Resource Development at Texas A&M University. He is an AGR Alumni from Tarleton State University. Wilson is a Houston Firefighter at George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas; he is a Logistics Specialist on FEMA/Texas Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue team; and, for the past 16 years, he has been active in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s Rodeo Express committee, holding various leadership positions. In 2006, Wilson received the Firefighter of the Year award for his service during Hurricane Katrina rescue and recovery efforts. He received the Medal of Valor for his service at the World Trade Center after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Elliot Marsh: Elliott Marsh is a faculty member at Ogeechee Technical College as the Agribusiness Program Coordinator and Instructor in September 2006. His duties at the College include managing the agribusiness curriculum, course instruction, advising students, and recruiting new students into the program. Prior to joining Ogeechee Technical College, Elliott was a Research Associate with the Coastal Rivers Water Planning and Policy Center at Georgia Southern University. There, his responsibilities included designing and assisting with projects related to water policy and its effects on agriculture in Southeast Georgia. Elliott authored and co-authored several white and research papers on this subject. He was also lead researcher for the Water Policy Center on a joint project with the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission that highlighted the use of irrigation meters on agricultural irrigation systems in the Southeast Georgia region. Elliott is active in a number of state organizations including the Georgia Agribusiness Council and the Agricultural Economics Association of Georgia, where he serves on the Board of Directors. As a native of Statesboro, Georgia, Elliott earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Economics at the University of Georgia, graduating in 2002. There he was president of Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. He also graduated in August 2011 with a Master of Agricultural Leadership degree from the University of Georgia. Elliott and his wife Christy along with their two daughters live on his family’s farm in Bulloch County.

Logan Chrislaw: Logan Chrislaw, grew up in the small mid Missouri town of Fayette. He is a 2011 University of Missouri Graduate, where he earned a Bachelors Degree in Agricultural Economics with an emphasis in public policy. He was initiated into Theta chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho in the fall of 2007, and served numerous leadership positions in college including VNR Activities, as well as Noble Ruler. Following college Logan returned to work on the family farm with his father and younger brother, raising purebred Charolais cattle as well as a row crop operation growing corn, soybeans, and wheat.