Alumni Check-In: Liz Wilder

Liz Wilder graduated from the University of Idaho in December 2018 with a B.S. in agricultural science, communication, and leadership and a minor in agribusiness. Wilder has recently accepted a full-time position as Programs Director for the Idaho FFA Foundation. Before being appointed to this position, she worked for the Idaho FFA Foundation as an intern for three years during her undergraduate and continued with a part-time position as the Communications Director following graduation. Needless to say, Wilder has dedicated an exceptional amount of time and hard work to rise to her current position.


Growing up in Pullman, WA, Wilder was immersed in agriculture. She joined her local 4-H club and began raising and showing lambs in 4th grade, which led her to many learning opportunities about the sheep industry and raising livestock, such as working at her sheep leader’s farm. She continued to expand her understanding of the agricultural industry after joining the Pullman FFA chapter. Wilder enjoyed the leadership and travel opportunities that she experienced in FFA. She competed in as many CDE’s as she could and participated in every available event. “I fully immersed myself in all things FFA which led me to competing at the National Convention twice and serving the state of Washington as a State Officer,” Wilder says. 


While attending UI, Wilder’s favorite experience was serving as a CALS Ambassador. She states, “getting to meet and work with fellow students from across the college gave me a greater appreciation for the depth of the agricultural industry as well as introduced me to people I would not have met otherwise.” Wilder enjoyed traveling to various schools and events to share all of the opportunities that UI has to offer students. She also said that one of the best parts was meeting a prospective student in high school, then seeing them on campus the following fall. 

A “fun fact” about Wilder is that UI, herself and another student, Maggie Elliot, founded the “Ag Comm Squad,” which was originally directed by Jeremy Falk, Ph.D. Together, they started “The Hoot” and all of the departmental social media platforms. 


Currently, Wilder and her husband live in Caldwell, ID on the family ranch, where they co-own and operate Wilder Sheep Company with her husband's parents. The company has a flock of 90 head Suffolk and Club Lamb sheep that provides seedstock rams to 6,000 head range outfits and fair lambs for local 4-H and FFA members. Wilder and her husband also created a retail branch of Wilder Sheep Company this year, called Boise River Lamb. This branch sells high quality lamb products directly to consumers and restaurants across the Boise Valley. 


Wilder is also an entrepreneur. In September 2018, she started her own communications and marketing consulting business, Wilder Communications LLC. “In this business, I take on various contracts for an array of clients looking to enhance their communications and marketing strategy, strengthen their branding, and establish a better presence on various digital and print medias,” Wilder explains. She heads and executes many regional and national media campaigns, along with implementing full marketing strategies for various clients. All of her clients are involved in the agricultural industry. 



Written by Lynnsey Tracy

Fall 2020

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CALS Ireland Study Abroad 2018

From Dublin to Dairies CALS students and faculty toured one of Ireland's agriculture research centers We were at the foot of a castle. Perched on a tall hill, impenetrable walls enclosed a millenium old round tower, cathedral, and chapel. The exposed rock of the castle was mottled and weathered, splotched with white lichen and hardy moss. After a stormy day, swirls of heavy clouds shed curtains of windblown mist across the landscape. Wind and rain lashed around us, but the castle remained still, unmoving, as if part of the earth itself.   “For those who are not faint-hearted” Dr. Ahmadzadeh called, “There is a striking view on the other side.” He pointed to a narrow, water bogged trail weaving around the sharply slanted hill. The ground had withstood hours of pouring rain, and was now saturated and unstable, shifting precariously under our feet. Undaunted, all eight students quickly fell in step behind him. We treaded through the long grass, stepping o...
Read more

Writing Toolbox

Using a Readability Scale  How easy-to-read is your writing? Whether you are designing a lesson plan or penning an article, communicating the complexity of agriculture can be challenging. One way to note the “readability” of a document is by using the Flesh Kincaid Readability Test, which is available through Microsoft Word. The scale assesses the reading ease of your document and indicates the appropriate grade level to read the paper. It takes into account sentence structure, syllables, word length, and vocabulary. With this in mind, as the author you can more accurately tailor your work to best suit the age of your audience. To access the readability statistics, go to Tools, Spelling & Grammar, 1 Click the File tab, and then click Options . 2 Click Proofing . 3 Under When correcting spelling and grammar in Word, make sure the Check grammar with spelling check box is selected. 4 Select Show readability statistics . Once the spell...
Read more

Student Spotlight: Sydney Anderson

Sydney Anderson is a senior studying ASCL in Twin Falls. Growing up in Nampa, Anderson was involved in agriculture in various ways. Her parents enrolled her in 4-H after getting a horse for her older sister and her to share; she continued to do 4-H for 12 years. Anderson got involved in the National FFA Organization because of her grandfather, who was President of the North Miami Chapter in Florida at the time. Her passion for leadership, serving others, and advocating for agriculture grew from then on.  “I chose to study ASCL because of the luxury of distance learning while having the ability to experience all the possible opportunities in the Magic Valley,” Anderson says. She believes that teaching individuals about agriculture and the impact it has on the world is extremely important. Anderson loves public speaking and coordinating events, so studying ASCL has helped her continue to learn about and keep an interest in a future career relating to these passions.  Anderson se...
Read more