Leadership

Bobby G. “Bob” Lines, Chairman, is a cattle rancher, as well as a Bahia sod and seed producer in Palm Beach, Martin, and Okeechobee Counties.  Mr. Lines co-owns and operates Agricultural Land Services, Inc. and Lines Ag Properties, LLC.  He is a grassing contractor that provides sodding and seeding services to various government projects.  Additionally, he supervises 4L Land & Cattle, LLC which is a beef cattle cow-calf operation.  He is also a past Director and past President of the Florida Quarter Horse Association and is a current National Director Emeritus of the American Quarter Horse Association.  Mr. Lines was originally appointed to the Farm Credit of Florida board in 2015 for a term that expired in 2016, and his current term of office is 2024-2027. Mr. Lines serves as chair of the Executive Committee.

Wayne H. Simmons, Vice Chairman, is a citrus grower, certified crop advisor, timber farmer, realtor, and rental property owner from LaBelle, Florida. He is an owner and President of Simmons Family Grove, Inc.  He is an owner and manager of LaBelle Fruit Company, LLC, LaBelle Housing Company, LLC and LaBelle Timber Company, LLC. Mr. Simmons is a Broker Associate of Southern Heritage Real Estate and Investments, and with Greene Forest & Farm Realty, LLC.  He is a Director and President of the Gulf Citrus Growers Association.  Mr. Simmons is a Director of Florida Citrus Mutual, and a member of Florida Gulf Coast University Agriculture Advisory Committee.  Mr. Simmons is a past Director of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation. He is also a member of the Hendry County Farm Bureau and the Realtors Land Institute.  Mr. Simmons serves on the Board of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board – Citrus Disease Subcommittee. Mr. Simmons was elected to the Farm Credit of Florida board in 2014 and his term of office is 2023 - 2026.  He also serves on the AgFirst District Advisory Committee.  Mr. Simmons serves as chair of the Credit/Lending Committee and is a current member of the Governance and Executive Committees.

John L. Alger is a vegetable grower and nurseryman in Miami-Dade County and is President of Alger Farms, Inc.  He is an owner, President and Director of S. M. Jones and Company, Inc., a produce sales company in Belle Glade, and HAB Packing, LLC, a vegetable packing company in Brinson, Georgia.  Mr. Alger is also on the board of Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, and a member of the Baptist Health South Florida Founders Society, the University of Miami UHealth Champions, the Biscayne Bay Watershed Management Advisory Board, and the Dade County Farm Bureau.  Mr. Alger was elected to the Farm Credit of South Florida board in 2007 and his current term of office is 2024-2027.  He is a current member of the Audit and Credit/Lending Committees.

Tobin J. “Toby” Basore is a vegetable grower in Western Palm Beach County.  He is an owner and manager of TKM Bengard Farms, LLC, a vegetable grower and packing company, and Cypress Cooling, LLC, a vegetable cooling and shipping company.  He is an owner and President of TKM Farms, Inc., a vegetable grower and packing company and an owner and senior officer of TKM Management, Inc.  He is a Director of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (and serves as Director and past Chairman of the Florida Vegetable Exchange), and a past Director of the Wedgworth Leadership Institute Alumni Association, a graduate of the Wedgworth Leadership Institute and a member and past Director of the Leadership Palm Beach County organization.  Mr. Basore was elected to the Farm Credit of Florida board in 2014 and his current term of office is 2023 - 2026.  He is a current member of the Credit/Lending and Governance Committees.  He also serves on the AgFirst Legislative Advisory Committee.

Howard P. “Rowdy” Bateman has interests in a family cattle operation, as well as his own cattle operation and is President of Bateman Family Partnership, Inc. and is Managing Member of I S Ranch, LLC.  He was elected to the Farm Credit of Southwest Florida board in 2004 and his current term of office is 2022 - 2025.  Mr. Bateman is a current member of the Audit and Governance Committees.

Roger W. Davis is a tobacco, corn, timber farmer, and cattle rancher based in Alachua County. He is owner, President and Director of R & H Farms, Inc. He owns CWH Land, LLC and RFD Land, LLC, and is an owner and Managing Partner of 848 Land, LLC.  He is a member of the SHARE Council at the University of Florida and a member of Florida Farm Bureau.  Mr. Davis was elected to the Farm Credit of North Florida board in 1998 and his current term of office is 2022 - 2025.  

W. Eric Hopkins, is a sugarcane and vegetable grower in Western Palm Beach County, employed by, and part owner of, Hundley Farms, Inc.  He is the Board Chairman of Pioneer Growers Cooperative and serves as Director on the Boards of Hundley Farms, Inc., Frontier Produce, Inc., Double H Farms, Inc., Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, and Law Enforcement Assistance Foundation, a fund raising organization.  He is President of Sunshine Sweet Corn Farmers of Florida. He serves as a Director of Elberta Logistics International, LLC, an agricultural transport business, is an owner and managing member of Many H’s, LLC, an agricultural transport business, and is an owner and managing member of American Berry Company, LLC, a blueberry growing business.  Mr. Hopkins had previously held elected director positions on the Boards of Farm Credit of South Florida and Farm Credit of Florida from 2009 until 2013.  During this time, he was a member of the Audit Committee. On January 30, 2014, the Board appointed Mr. Hopkins as an appointed stockholder director, a position established under the Bylaws and his current term of office is 2023 - 2026. Mr. Hopkins is a current member of the Compensation, Governance and Executive Committees.  He also serves on the AgFirst Nominating Committee.

Joseph C. Joyce serves as an Outside Director of the Association.  He is the Executive Director of the University of Florida Leadership and Education Foundation, Inc. He retired from the University of Florida in 2015 as a Professor Emeritus after serving 20 years as Senior Associate Vice President for IFAS. He is a 2016 inductee to the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame. He was appointed by the Governor to the Florida Environmental Regulation commission and served from 2008 - 2024. He is a past Director of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation, and retired as a Brigadier General, US Army Reserves after a 28 year career. Dr. Joyce was appointed to the Farm Credit of North Florida board in 2008 and his current term of office is 2022 - 2025. He is a current member of the Audit and Compensation Committees.  He also serves on the AgFirst Plan Sponsor and the AgFirst / FCBT Plan Sponsor Committees.

Martin J. “Marty” McKenna is a citrus grower and operates McKenna Brothers, Inc., a privately owned citrus and harvesting operation.  He has ownership in Dixie Belle Grove Partnership, Tombstone Grove Partnership, JMCK Enterprises, LLC, New Port Groves Partnership, EdMac Partnership, and McKenna Family Enterprises, LLC.  Mr. McKenna is a Director, Officer, and has ownership interest in McKenna Brothers, Inc., McKenna & Associates Citrus, Inc., McKenna Harvesting, Inc., and Poachers Hammock Grove, Inc.  He manages Firetower Grove Partnership.  Mr. McKenna serves on the Board of Florida’s Natural Growers.  He is President and an Officer of Orange Growers Marketing Association, Inc. He is a former Chairman and currently serves on the Florida Citrus Commission.  Mr. McKenna was elected to the Farm Credit of Southwest Florida board in 2009.  His current term of office is 2024-2027.  He is a current member of the Credit/Lending and Governance Committees.

John R. Newbold, III owns, operates and is President of Forest Groves, Inc., a cut-foliage farm and vineyard.  He is an owner and manager of Newbold Farms, LLC. He is a Director of the Putnam County Fair Authority.  He serves as Director and President of the Florida Wine and Grape Growers Association, and is a Director of the Viticulture Advisory Council, the Crescent City Cemetery Association, and the Florida Wildflower Cooperative.  He serves on the Board of Supervisors of the Putnam County Soil & Water Conservation District, and on the Board of Trustees of the Putnam First Cancer Fund.  Mr. Newbold was elected to the Farm Credit of Florida board in 2014 and his current term of office is 2023 - 2026.  Mr. Newbold serves as chair of the Compensation Committee and is a current member of the Audit and Executive Committees.

Harrell H. “Hal” Phillips, Jr. is a cattleman and veterinarian in Levy and Marion Counties.  Dr. Phillips owns and operates Phillips Ranch, a ranching and background / stocker operation, with almost 1,200 breeding age beef cattle and background approximately 1,000 calves annually.  The ranch also produces hay, sod, grass seed, small grains, and timber. Dr. Phillips has 37 years of experience as a veterinarian.  He serves as Director, and is past President, of both the Florida Cattlemen’s Association and the Marion County Cattlemen’s Association.  Dr. Phillips is a past Director of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.  He serves as Director on the Southeastern Youth Fair Board.  He was originally appointed to the Farm Credit of Florida board in 2015 for a term that expired in 2016, and then was elected to serve a term of office from 2016 – 2017.  His current term of office is 2023 - 2026.  Dr. Phillips serves as chair of the Governance Committee and is a current member of the Compensation and Executive Committees.

Francisco J. Pines serves as an Outside Director of the Association.  He is the founder and managing partner of Francisco J. Pines, PA, a law firm in Coral Gables, Florida, that specializes in the protection of constitutional property rights and the representation of property owners, ranchers, growers, and business owners in eminent domain proceedings.  In addition to his property defense practice, he acts as preferred title agent to national developers in connection with real estate transactions and land use and development counsel for large scale planned communities.  He holds various leadership roles in family-owned entities involved in agriculture and commercial real estate.  Mr. Pines served two terms on the Florida Citrus Commission and is a graduate of the Wedgworth Leadership Institute Class V.  He was originally appointed to the Board in 2022 for a term which expired in 2023. His current term of office is 2023 – 2026. Mr. Pines serves on the Compensation and Credit/Lending committees.

Robert G. “Bobby” Sexton is a citrus grower and juice processor from Vero Beach, Florida.  He is the owner, a Director and President of Oslo Citrus Growers Association, Inc., and co-owner of Orchid Island Juice Company.  He is co-owner and serves as Chairman of Oslo Packing Company and Sexton Inc., family real estate companies.  He is co-owner and serves as a Director on the Board of Lost Legend, LLC.  He is a shareholder and also serves as a Director on the Board of the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac). He serves on the Board of the Scholarship Foundation of Indian River County and the Indian River Citrus League. Mr. Sexton was elected to the Farm Credit of South Florida board in 1995 and his current term of office is 2022 - 2025. He is a current member of the Audit and Governance Committees.

Alisa “Lisa” Sherman operates a beef cattle operation in Highlands County and is a Certified Public Accountant in Lake Placid. Ms. Sherman is an officer and serves on the board of Lake Childs Citrus, Inc., The Great Fruit Company, Inc., Highlands County 4H Club Foundation, Inc., Embassy Ministries, Inc., Good Care Home, Inc., and Lisa Sherman, CPA, P.A.  Ms. Sherman is an officer of Citrus Marketing Services, Inc.  She had previously held an Outside Director position on the boards of Farm Credit of Southwest Florida and Farm Credit of Florida from 2008 until May 2014.  On May 29, 2014, the board appointed Ms. Sherman as an appointed stockholder director, a position established under the Bylaws and her current term of office is 2023 - 2026. Ms. Sherman serves as chair of the Audit Committee and is a current member of the Compensation and Executive Committees.

Donald G. "Don" Tanner Jr. operates Oak Hill Farms Cattle Company, which is a cow/calf and stocker operation in Callahan, FL.  He has a three generation relationship with Farm Credit. His family (grandparents and parents) produced hay and cattle and were contract poultry growers for what became Tyson Foods, Inc. in Jacksonville, where he worked in management for the company itself in live production, plant operations, and ultimately Controller of the Jacksonville Complex. He is Controller at reforestation contractor Mizell Development, Inc., and President of Oak Hill Farms Cattle Company. He currently serves as a Director of Farmers Federal Credit Union where he was past chair of the Supervisory Committee. He is a Director of Nassau County Farm Bureau and current member of the Florida Farm Bureau Beef Advisory Committee. He is a past Officer/Director and current member of the Nassau County Cattlemen's Association and past Director/Trustee and current member of the Northeast Florida Fair Association. Mr. Tanner is also a Public Arbitrator with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). He was elected to the Farm Credit of Florida Board in 2021, and his current term of office is 2024-2027. Mr. Tanner is a member of the Audit and Credit/Lending Committees.  Mr. Tanner serves as the Board Cybersecurity Specialist and holds the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) CERT Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight.

Amanda E. Taylor serves as an Outside Director of the Association. She is co-founder and partner of Houston Taylor, PLLC, a law firm in St. Petersburg, Florida.  She is a member of Taylor Farms, LLC, a commercial cow/ calf operation.  Ms. Taylor serves on the Board of the Florida State Fair Authority and is a graduate of the Wedgworth Leadership Institute. She was appointed to the Board on February 23, 2022, and her current term of office is 2022 - 2024. Ms. Taylor serves on the Audit and Credit/Lending committees.