Events

Sarah Haymaker is the Deputy District Director with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in Wichita, Kansas and has recently completed 18 years of federal service. Prior to joining SBA Sarah was with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Washington, D.C. where she led the public affairs program for the communications division, was a special assistant to the Chief of NRCS, and served as Chief of Staff for the Senior White House Advisor to the Secretary of Agriculture.  Prior to service at USDA headquarters, Sarah held several technical and management positions across Louisiana before joining the senior leadership team and eventually serving a term appointment as the state director.  

Sarah is an Oklahoma native where her family has owned and operated small businesses for more than 60 years.  Sarah holds both a Bachelor and Master of Science from Oklahoma State University.

Raised on a cattle and wheat farm in Southwest Kansas, Eric Melgren was in the first generation of his family to attend college.  He earned his undergraduate degree from Wichita State University, where he served as student body president.  After college, he worked for a few years in business management before attending law school at Washburn University, where he was a member of the Law Review and graduated in the top 5% of his class.  Following law school, he was a law clerk for Federal Judge Frank Theis in Wichita for 2 years.  Then, for 15 years he was with the Wichita firm of Foulston & Siefkin where his practice focused on tax and business matters.  In March 2002, President George W. Bush appointed Melgren United States Attorney for the District of Kansas.  He served in that position until September 2008, when the U. S. Senate confirmed President Bush’s nomination of Melgren as a judge in the U.S. District Court in Kanas.  He sits in the chambers where he clerked for Judge Theis.  Melgren has been active in the community, including serving as Chairman of the Board of the United Way of the Plains, Chairman of Leadership Wichita, and President of the Wichita State University Alumni Association.  He has also served as President of the Wesley E. Brown Inn of Court, and President of the Federal Bar Association Chapter for the District of Kansas and Western Missouri.  Judge Melgren also was appointed as the Tenth Circuit representative to the Defender Services Committee of the Judicial Conference for the United States, and served as the Judicial co-chair of a national Judicial/Executive Branch task addressing problems relating to Southwest Border prosecutions.

Fun Fact: Eric was a member of our Rotary club 1994-2002.

While growing up on a farm in Iowa, Dave VanderGriend learned early on how farming affects both rural communities and the global economy. Dave began working in the ethanol industry in the 1970s and later became vice president of operations for High Plains Corporation, an ethanol production company.

In 1995, he used this knowledge to create ICM with the goal of advancing renewable energy using efficient, streamlined methods that sustain agriculture and reduce waste. The company began as a 20-employee fabrication shop. ICM has since become the ethanol industry’s leading provider of process technologies, which have been integrated into more than 100 plants worldwide, which collectively produce 8.8 billion gallons of ethanol and 25 million tons of distillers grains annually.

In 2012, Dave received the Renewable Fuels Association Leadership Award for his role in advancing the ethanol industry through improved efficiencies and technological development that helps increase profitability throughout the industry.

As president of Urban Air Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving air quality and protecting public health by reducing vehicle emissions, Dave drives change on a national level. He is also a board member of Growth Energy, the leading biofuel trade association in the country that represents producers and supporters of ethanol who are working to bring consumers better choices at the fuel pump and improve the environment for future generations.

Dave is passionate about supporting projects and charitable organizations that involve people, food, energy and environmental restoration. He cares deeply about many local and international causes and is focused on removing barriers to opportunities and providing those less fortunate with the means to thrive.