Written by Jordan Richardson, sophomore

In February, ALEC alumnus Michelle Howard was honored as a Volunteer 40 Under 40. The Volunteer 40 Under 40 program recognizes forty alumni under the age of 40 who have excelled personally and professionally since completing their degree at UT Knoxville.

Howard graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2015 with a master’s degree in agriculture communications. She has since taken on a role as an International Beachhead Advisor with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

Howard is an experienced commercial business leader in the agriculture industry with strength in developing growth strategies in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets. Her broad exposure within the industry led her to her current international advisor role with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, which is the business development agency of the New Zealand government. Howard serves as an advisor to Kiwi agribusinesses, while also taking contracts within the commodity trading and risk management space. When asked about her favorite UT memory, Howard said, “The friends that I made through CASNR (now the Herbert College of Agriculture). They were my first ‘professional’ industry connections, and I speak to several of them regularly, especially as my career continues to transition and evolve.”

To read about the entire Volunteer 40 Under 40 class of 2023 check out the UTK Alumni page.