Author Archives: Laura Phillips

One of the questions we hear most often about our workforce priorities is: How do you measure the impact of talking to middle school and high school educators about career exploration in animal health? It’s a fair question and one we’ve reflected on deeply.

The truth is, it’s nearly impossible to draw a clean line from a single conversation with a teacher to a student ultimately stepping into a career in our industry. There’s no dashboard, no tidy funnel, no tracking mechanism that tells us which young minds were influenced by the resources, stories and insights we share.

But does that mean we stop? Absolutely not.

In a world where organizations rely on KPIs and measurable outcomes to justify their time, it’s easy to overlook the kind of work that shapes long-term possibility rather than short-term metrics. Inspiring future talent doesn’t fit neatly into a spreadsheet and that’s exactly why it requires leadership, commitment and collective effort.

In early December, we attended the National Association of Agricultural Educators Conference (NAAE) in Nashville. We spoke with more than 500 educators, from seasoned teachers to students preparing to enter the classroom for the first time. No matter what their level of experience, their reactions were strikingly consistent. Their first question was: “Are these resources free?” And when they learned that an entire industry rallied together to create, brand and share tools designed specifically to help them guide the next generation, they were amazed.

In that moment, the measurement became clear. Not in data points, but in human moments.

Not in metrics, but in momentum.

When educators feel supported, students feel possibility. When an industry shows up, a pathway appears.

We may never know exactly how many students choose animal health because of something they heard, saw or explored through the resources we have developed on exploreahcareers.com. But we do know one thing with absolute certainty: doing nothing guarantees we lose future talent to industries that consistently show up in classrooms.

If educators, students and parents only hear about careers in crop science and equipment, which are excellent careers, then we risk offering young people only a narrow snapshot of what agricultural innovation looks like. Our field has so much more to give. From science and technology to business, care, innovation and global impact, animal health holds a world of opportunity.

Building the next generation of talent isn’t the job of one company. It’s the responsibility and the opportunity of an entire industry.

By standing together, investing together and showing up together, we are shaping not only who enters animal health tomorrow, but how they see themselves today. And while we may not be able to measure that in numbers, we can measure it in purpose.

And purpose is what builds an industry’s future.

As we approach the end of another busy year, many leaders are taking stock and reflecting on accomplishments, recalibrating priorities, and thinking about how best to give back in the year ahead. For those who serve on our Industry Advisory Board or other collaborative committees, this is also a moment to appreciate the unique role you play in shaping the future of our industry.

Serving on an advisory board like the Animal Health Corridor is unlike any other leadership experience. Here, competitors sit side by side, united by a shared mission: advancing the industry as a whole. That’s not always easy. It requires trust, vision, and the willingness to look beyond individual company interests to focus on what benefits everyone. For us, it is our focus on innovation, workforce development, public policy, and promotion of the animal health industry through our communication strategies and events.

Balancing Competition and Shared Purpose

The executives around our table represent organizations that often compete in the marketplace yet when they collaborate through our not-for-profit, they help build the foundation for long-term industry strength. The issues we tackle together are shared priorities where progress benefits all players and where a collective voice carries more weight than any single company could alone.

As a board member, your role in this process is both strategic and symbolic. You model what it looks like when leaders set aside rivalry to pursue shared progress. You show that the health of the industry is a shared responsibility and that collaboration is a mark of strength, not concession.

How Great Advisory Leaders Lead

Leading or contributing to an industry advisory board is not about authority. It’s about influence. It’s about inspiring action and alignment among peers. The most effective board leaders and members:

• Keep the focus on shared priorities that serve the entire ecosystem.
• Listen generously and seek common ground across diverse perspectives.
• Champion collaboration both in and outside of meetings, reinforcing that the work we do together matters.
• Celebrate collective wins, reminding everyone that progress is possible and powerful when we speak as one.

Our Staff: Your Partners in Impact

Behind the scenes, the staff of the Corridor work tirelessly to keep these collaborations moving by organizing meetings, facilitating discussions, synthesizing insights, and helping ensure follow-through. We are the steady hands that keep competitors around the table and progress on track.

As you reflect on your involvement, I encourage you to view our team not just as coordinators, but as strategic partners. Our role is to help you and the industry succeed. By working closely with our team by offering feedback and supporting our efforts, you strengthen the collective work we do together.

Looking Ahead

As we look to the year ahead, I hope you will continue to see the value of your participation and perhaps even consider ways to deepen it. The time, insight, and leadership you invest in this board ripple far beyond our meetings. You are shaping the policies, standards, and innovations that will define our industry for years to come.

Thank you for the trust, energy, and vision you bring to this shared endeavor. The progress we’ve made this year is proof that when competitors collaborate, industries advance and everyone benefits.

Here’s to another year of working together to make a lasting impact.