Although our ag clients might never guess it, Diana didn’t grow up on a farm or study agriculture in school. Upon joining TKXS in 2006, however, she was so determined to serve the industry that she took a second job at local 15,000 acre operation. Working there as a farmhand, Diana helped grow corn, soybeans and winter wheat, and raise cows, chickens and swine—all in addition to her full-time responsibilities here. She learned the industry from the ground up, quickly positioning her to serve all TKXS clients in their go-to-market strategies, data-driven initiatives, and sales and marketing efforts.

"Ag was and still is my entire family life,” says Paula. She grew up on a farm, growing corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton and tobacco, while raising turkeys, hogs and a 100 head of cattle. As a girl, she was active in Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H, before earning an ag business degree from NC State. “I’ve worked my entire professional adult life in ag,” she says, “My dad, uncle and brother still actively farm.”

Ashley brings an impressive background from the manufacturer side of the business, having previously worked for basic ag manufacturers in seed and crop protection products, as well as serving clients in turf and ornamental, animal health and pest control. Prior to joining TKXS, she’d been an agricultural product manager, communications manager, database marketing manager, and had the distinction of being the first female district sales manager for a major ag manufacturer. Now, as TKXS senior vice president of client development, she works closely with ag clients to develop highly-customized, data-driven marketing and sales strategies.

Mariebeth didn’t grow up on a farm. However, as a born and raised "Hoosier" (Indiana native), she was never far from corn and bean fields. In high school, she had an opportunity to attend a plant DNA class at Purdue University’s Ag Day, which sparked her interest in agriculture. She ended up earning a degree in Agronomic Business and Marketing at Purdue. Her passion for the industry is undeniable. As she often says, “No matter what you do for a living, if you ate today, you should thank a farmer.”

Growing up, Abby showed hogs and steers for her local 4-H and worked weekends and summers for the largest sweet potato supplier in the United States, doing everything from manual field labor to managing the scale house to office work, including season audits and accounts receivable. Abby now says, “The work definitely built character. I learned early on what I love about the industry and it pushed me to make a career out of it.” Abby holds a degree in agribusiness management from NC State.

Agriculture has always been Sarah’s passion. Her dad runs the largest sweet potato packing facilities in North Carolina. While in high school, Sarah took on varying roles there, including summers in the company’s cucumber grading facility. After earning a degree in agriculture business management from NC State, she had every intention of returning “home,” but her father encouraged her to try something different “for a year.” That was years ago. Now, as a TKXS’ technology solutions owner, she works with one of our company’s largest clients. (If you get a chance, be sure to ask about her tour of Scotland’s revered St. Andrews Links, led by the course groundskeeper!)

Alyssa grew up riding horses in rural New Jersey. She worked on various farms through her young and adult life, completed a degree in equine science and management, (specializing in equine and livestock reproduction) and even studied agroecology and other sustainable ag classes in New Zealand to further her education. Here at TKXS, Alyssa says she is thrilled to have found a career that allows her to put her passion for agriculture to work—and we are, as well!

As a college student, Angel realized that if she wanted to impact our planet’s ecology, agriculture was the path to pursue. As she points out, “Fuel, fiber, feed and food all depend on agriculture.” That passion led her to earn an undergraduate degree in biology and a masters’ in agriculture with a focus on plant health. Prior to joining TKXS, Angel spent a decade as a data scientist/biostatistician at Monsanto, eventually founding her own company. Now, in addition to advancing TKXS’ agriculture, ag-tech, and agronomy efforts, Angel runs a North Carolina-based ag networking group.