President's Pulse - August 2026

I began this term by sharing my core four focus areas: communications, strengthening the officer team, organizational sustainability, and membership, centered on the member experience. Those are not words on a page. They are commitments that guide my service to all of you. This past month and this past summer gave us two powerful moments to put those commitments into practice, and I want to share both with you.

What Happened at ProCORE

This past month, we reached the moment to execute the first ProCORE convening of our CORE Synergy partnership with BASF and Agriculture Future of America (AFA). I want to share virtual roses with our partners at BASF, Ebony and the entire National Office Staff, former National President and current program chair Dr. Derris Burnett, Mark Stewart, AFA CEO, and the AFA team that journeyed with us as we came together to pull it off. Their leadership, preparation, and steady presence made this convening possible. We did it. Together, we created a space where professional leaders, students, and partners could learn, grow, and strengthen the pathways that define our industry.

From our experience together, I am excited for our Regional Vice Presidents to share lessons learned with your chapters as we prepare to welcome students back to campuses across the world. Their insights will help us build stronger chapters, deepen engagement, and elevate the member experience. This is how we widen the circle of leadership and strengthen the future of our organization.

Two messages from our speakers stayed with me throughout the week.

Leadership is a daily practice. Our speakers reminded us that leadership is a choice we make every day. It is the discipline to communicate clearly, the courage to act with integrity, and the commitment to serve with purpose. This lives right inside our focus on strengthening the officer team and making sure every leader has the clarity and support needed to thrive.

Sustainability requires structure. We heard clearly that passion alone cannot carry an organization. Sustainability requires systems, shared expectations, and a structure that supports growth. This message echoes exactly what we learned from our own strategic planning work this summer, and it reinforces our commitment to organizational sustainability. When we build strong systems, we protect our mission and expand our impact.

What Our Leaders Told Us

We recently surveyed our leaders, current and former, and their answer were clear. What makes us strong is our shared commitment to the mission and our belief in the work.

That is the foundation behind our Strategic Planning Baseline Analysis, completed prior to our Summer Business Meeting in North Carolina. The National Society stands on a powerful truth. Our commitment has never been in question. Our operating structure is what needs attention. We have the passion, the talent, and the drive. Now we are building the structure to match how much we have grown.

Twenty-five leaders across our Executive Committee, committees, board, and national staff shared their voices in this report. More than half participate weekly. Their feedback was honest, constructive, and deeply rooted in our mission.

One line captures the heart of the challenge. One leader described "no true delineation of where authority for a decision" exists between the Executive Committee and the National Office. Veterans rated decision-making clarity at 2.9 out of 5, compared to 4.4 among newcomers. This gap matters because it affects onboarding, communication, and volunteer engagement.

Another leader said the organization needs "freedom within a framework." That is exactly the direction we are moving.

Five Areas of Focus

The report identifies five priority areas that will strengthen our foundation and accelerate our progress.

1. Clarify decision rights. Decision-making is the top policy gap, named by 56% of leaders who completed the survey. A clear charter will help every leader understand who owns what.

2. Build a repeatable volunteer onboarding pathway. Volunteer role clarity is the lowest rated fundamental at 3.3 out of 5. We will create a welcoming, structured path that helps new volunteers plug in quickly.

3. Establish a consistent communication cadence. Leaders want predictability, clarity, and shared access to information.
4. Document operations and centralize resources. Committees rated their clarity lowest at 3.2 out of 5. A shared workspace and operations handbook will give everyone the tools they need.
5. Protect continuity through leadership transitions. 40% of leaders who completed the survey named succession planning as a priority. We will build a transition playbook that preserves momentum year after year.

What We Are Already Doing

Our Summer Business Meeting in North Carolina showed what happens when leaders come together with purpose. Chairs and officers engaged deeply with the strategic plan. We aligned on expectations, clarified priorities, and strengthened our shared commitment to operational excellence.

We also started implementing quick wins that require no budget and deliver immediate clarity.

• Alignment on communication strategy internally and externally so we know who owns what responsibility

• Further refinement of the duties of committees surrounding our reactivation efforts from May

• Creation of a decision-making matrix so ownership and authority are clear, consistent, and relevant for differing roles

These steps reflect our belief that progress does not always require complexity. It requires consistency.

Why This Moment Matters

The work highlights strengths that give MANRRS a powerful advantage. Leaders show up because they believe in the mission. Students, alumni, and professionals carry institutional knowledge and a genuine sense of ownership. Our Executive Committee is invested and self-aware. 56 % of leaders participate weekly. The engine is running hot. Our task is to widen who can plug into it.

We are not building from scarcity. We are building from strength.

A Call to Action

As we move into the next ninety days, I ask every leader to lean into this work with clarity and purpose.

• Engage with our committees

• Align your engagement plans with our shared priorities

• Model the leadership continuity we want our chapters to follow

Our mission deserves a structure that matches its power. Our members deserve a system that supports their growth. Our leaders deserve clarity that strengthens their impact.

From ProCORE to our Strategic Planning work to the Summer Business Meeting, this season has shown us who we are and who we are becoming. The next phase of our work starts now, and I remain happy to continue building alongside you.

Best, 
Dr. Kendriana Price
2026-2027 National President

MANRRS promotes academic and professional advancement by empowering members in agriculture, natural resources, and related sciences. Our goal is to support student members, from middle school through doctoral programs, in becoming productive, career-ready individuals by engaging them in leadership development, educational opportunities, job readiness training, and facilitating internship placement and full-time employment.

MANRRS encourages and promotes agriculture, natural resources, and related STEM disciplines to inspire students and professionals to pursue educational and career opportunities in these fields.