Earlier this year, the Ohio Soybean Council (OSC) hired Wendy Hovey as its new Administrative and Organizational Manager and promoted Madi Layman to Demand and Market Development Manager from her previous role as Communications Coordinator.

As Administrative and Organizational Manager, Hovey will be working on behalf of Ohio soybean farmers in supporting on-boarding, leadership and development for the board members and will help execute OSC events throughout the year. She will also act as the office’s human resources liaison.

“Wendy will be a great addition to the Ohio Soybean team,” said Kirk Merritt, OSC executive director. “She is a real go-getter. Her strong work ethic will make our office more efficient and our board stronger. We are happy to have her on board.”

Hovey has 17 years of experience in facility and administrative management. She comes to OSC from Otterbein University’s Equine Science Department where she served as facility manager from 2017–2022. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Otterbein University and has years of team management, and administrative and event organization experience.

In her new role as Demand and Market Development Manager, Layman will be working on behalf of Ohio soybean farmers by increasing global market access for Ohio soybeans and increasing customer awareness of the value and preference for high quality Ohio soybeans. She will also be monitoring the biodiesel and renewable diesel markets and seek opportunities for growth in those industries in Ohio.

“Both Wendy and Madi are bringing high-level knowledge into their new roles with the Council,” said OSC Chairman Jeff Magyar, Ashtabula County soybean farmer. “Madi has been with us a little over a year. With her soybean experience and knowledge of the industry I believe she will do a great job at growing markets and building buyer relationships for Ohio soybean farmers.”

Layman joined the OSC team in June of 2021 as Communications Coordinator. In this role, she was responsible for content creation, editorial writing and editing, event management, digital marketing and social media outreach to both farmers and consumers. She was also responsible for managing the Ohio Soybean magazine and Ohio Soybean Council Foundation scholarship program. Madi earned a Bachelor of Science in agricultural communication from The Ohio State University in May 2021. She grew up on a dairy farm in Licking County.