Southeast Produce Council reveals keynote speakers for Southern Exposure conference
Georgia-based Southeast Produce Council announced its lineup of speakers for its upcoming conference, Southern Exposure: Produce — The Final Frontier, set for March 3-5, 2023, in Orlando, Fla.
“We are extremely proud and excited to have such an outstanding lineup of speakers for Southern Exposure: Produce — The Final Frontier. The SEPC team has stepped up its game again this year, and attendees will enjoy a double dose of keynote speakers, another first for our industry,” Tim Grass, SEPC chairman of the board, said in a news release. “To top it off, these three amazing ladies are sure to motivate, inspire, and challenge attendees to think outside the box all in an effort to build a better tomorrow. As Spock said, it would be ‘highly illogical’ for you to miss this one, so get signed up today!”
According to the release, the following are set to speak:
Celebrity keynote speaker — Kimberly Williams-Paisley
Kimberly Williams-Paisley is an actress, New York Times bestselling author, Alzheimer’s advocate and co-founder of the nonprofit, The Store, an organization in Nashville, Tenn. that aims to address food insecurity.
Her film credits include "Father of the Bride," its sequel, as well as the recent "Part 3(ish)" mini sequel; Netflix’s "The Christmas Chronicles" and its sequel, "The Christmas Chronicles 2"; "We Are Marshall"; "The War at Home"; "Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Road Chip"; and "How to Eat Fried Worms."
Williams-Paisley’s memoir, "Where the Light Gets In: Losing My Mother Only to Find Her Again," chronicling her mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease, came out in 2016 and hit The New York Times Bestseller List. She received a Champion Award from the Alzheimer’s Association in 2016 for her advocacy work dedicated to sharing her family’s story, funding research and supporting caregivers. Her annual Dance Party to End ALZ in Nashville has raised over a million dollars in its first three years.
She is a global ambassador for CARE International and a spokesperson for CARE’s She Feeds the World partnership with the PepsiCo Foundation.
In 2020, Williams-Paisley and her husband, Brad Paisley, opened their nonprofit free, referral-based grocery called The Store. The Store aims to empower and dignify individuals and families seeking self-sufficiency by providing choices for their food needs.
Industry keynote speaker — Sonia Lo
Sonia is an ag-tech industry executive who brings a wealth of experience scaling indoor agriculture operations. She has served as CEO of Sensei AG and Crop One Holdings Inc. and in various leadership roles, including at Google and eZoka. Lo currently also serves on the board of directors of Griffith Foods International, Urban-Gro, and Hart Dairy.
Lo earned her bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in mathematics from Stanford University and an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School. She also holds professional chef and pastry degrees from London and City College.
Southern Roots Luncheon speaker — Heather “Lucky” Penney
Most widely recognized for her service on Sept. 11, Heather “Lucky” Penney was part of the first wave of women who went directly into fighters from pilot training. The first and only woman in the 121st Fighter Squadron, she deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom for initial combat operations as a nighttime Scud missile hunter in the western deserts of Iraq, also supporting Special Operations Forces.
Penney flew the F-16 for 10 years before having to make the difficult decision to leave the fighter aviation as a single mother. She then flew the special airlift mission and retired out of the Pentagon. For over 10 years, she was a director of various Air Force programs for Lockheed Martin.
Penney is now a senior resident fellow for the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, where she is an expert on defense policy issues related to airpower and the Air Force.
Visit SEPC’s Southern Exposure website to learn more about the spring 2023 event. The member-driven nonprofit promotes fresh produce throughout Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia.
