June 14, 2021…Ames, Iowa: In a recent election at the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), Dr. Sally Flis—Sustainable Ag Field Manager with Nutrien Ag Solutions—was chosen as the President-Elect for 2021-2022.

Flis is a member of and has chaired the Plant Ag and Environment workgroup (PWG) at CAST. She has also served on the Board of Directors since 2018 as the PWG Liaison, has led the efforts for three CAST publications, and is a contributing author for the USDA Climate21 Response paper.

Flis is a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) and is currently serving as the chain of the ICCA board. She is passionate about agricultural sustainability and economic sustainability of growers in the U.S.—which can be seen through her current and past careers. She currently works with growers and crop consultants across the U.S. on the implementation of sustainability programs around carbon emissions, carbon sequestration, and improved crop production efficiency.

Flis is consistently telling people that CAST is one of her favorite groups to participate in, and for colleague interaction. She believes the next step for CAST is to reach more people with topics that are important to the whole agricultural system. Flis recognizes there is huge value in the quality and quantity of the papers that are produced. With the recent shifts to more virtual offerings by CAST, the continued development of these resources can help grow our level of recognition. Additionally, branching out to more variety in digital resources to reach a larger audience will help grow the impact of CAST products.

Another vision from Flis for the future of CAST is to grow the membership base with more early career members to continue to carry on CAST’s vision, those who will be the key to long-term success of the organization. Flis would like to see the scholarship contests for college students at annual meetings continue and potentially expand to students in policy, agronomy, soil science, animal science, and food science. Additionally, she would like to explore on-campus activities with the CAST educational members that can help grow the next generation of members and authors.

Flis will officially assume her responsibilities as President-Elect at the conclusion of CAST’s fall board meeting in October. In 2022-2023, she will become the 50^th president of CAST, a singular honor and responsibility dating back to 1972, when Charles A. Black and Norman Borlaug, along with other committed scientists, spearheaded the movement to “bring science-based information to policymaking and the public.”