Leadership Team

Dan serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Farm Credit Mid-America. He works with the Association’s Board of Directors and leads The Leadership Team, representing all business segments. He was named to the post in December 2021.

Dan began his career in 1998 as a software developer at Farm Credit Services of America in Omaha, Nebraska. He left the Farm Credit System to work for Cap Gemini, Ernst & Young, and IBM Global Services before returning to Farm Credit Services of America in 2004. He held various technology leadership positions before becoming that association’s Chief Technology Officer in 2008.

Dan joined Farm Credit Mid-America in June 2012 and has held various leadership positions here, most recently overseeing the Association’s business technology, finance, organizational process excellence and security teams as Chief Operating Officer. He has served on the Farm Credit Foundations Board of Directors since 2018.

He holds a bachelor’s in Mathematics and Information Management Systems from Chadron State College and an MBA with an emphasis in finance from the University of Nebraska.

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Vince serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer for Farm Credit Mid-America. He has more than 30 years of financial services experience within the Farm Credit System, having served in various capacities within the Association.

Vince began his Farm Credit career as a financial officer in Williamsport, then served as a special accounts officer in Indiana before becoming a credit officer in Louisville, Kentucky, then Assistant Vice President in Lafayette, Indiana. Additionally, he served as Vice President, Vice President Credit, as well as Regional Vice President of Agribusiness in Lafayette and Louisville. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President Credit – Ag Underwriting, where he led Retail Credit and Agribusiness Underwriting teams to ensure portfolio growth through sound credit administration and collaboration with sales leaders and staff.

Vince holds a bachelor’s in Agriculture Economics from Purdue University.

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Tara serves as Chief Lending Officer for Agriculture at Farm Credit Mid-America. She previously served as Senior Vice President Agricultural Lending and provided strategic leadership for Farm Credit Mid-America as she led team members across the state of Ohio in their retail sales efforts. She aims to keep customers at the heart of all she does, from leading strategic projects to meeting one-on-one with team members across the Association.

She began her career as a Financial Services Officer in 2001 and has served in other leadership roles including Assistant Regional Vice President in 2009 and Regional Vice President in 2013.

Tara holds a bachelor’s in Agriculture and Business Marketing from Wilmington College and a master’s in Business Administration from Mount Vernon Nazarene University. She also received a Leadership Certificate from The Wharton School and graduated from the Farm Credit Mid-America’s Leadership College.

She represents the Association on the Ohio 4-H Foundation Board and was elected President of the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation Board in 2022. She also received the 2021 Ohio 4-H Alumna Award.

Tara, her husband Dusty, son Daxton, and English Mastiff, Elmer live on their farm near Mount Vernon, Ohio. They run a cash grain operation as well as a custom farming and application business. The family loves spending the warm days on the lake wakeboarding, wake surfing, and swimming. They also enjoy going to concerts and spending time together on the farm.

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Kevin serves as the Chief Information Officer for Farm Credit Mid-America. He leads the data, enterprise applications, security, application development and infrastructure functions in Business Technology.

He has more than 27 years with Farm Credit Mid-America and has served in several leadership roles. Kevin began his career with the Association as a Senior Loan Accountant before moving to Director of Loan Servicing, and then became Vice President Loan Accounting. In 2013, he transitioned from accounting to technology to lead and build the Business Applications team. Since then, he’s served as Vice President of Business Applications, Vice President of Infrastructure as well as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer.

Kevin holds a bachelor’s in Accounting from Western Kentucky University and an MBA from Indiana University.

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Mark serves as an Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer for Farm Credit Mid-America. He leads collateral services, risk management, internal audit, and credit review. Mark joined the Association in 2020 with significant experience in risk management and analytics from his prior work experiences.

He began his career as a biostatistician for Indiana University, consulting on medical research projects. Mark then joined Deere & Company and held various roles of increasing responsibility for over 20 years. His experience includes risk analytics, enterprise risk management, interest rate risk, and crop insurance risk.

Mark holds a bachelor’s in Mathematical Sciences and a master’s in Statistics from the University of Kentucky. He also earned an MBA in finance from Indiana University.

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Keith serves as Chief of Staff for Farm Credit Mid-America. He works on behalf of the President and CEO with senior leaders from every business segment in the Association on a variety of projects. His 45 years of experience across multiple territories and roles are a tremendous asset.

He began his career with Farm Credit in 1977 and served in various positions throughout Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. These roles included leadership positions in credit, business development, real estate appraisal, and special assets.

Keith holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Communications from Purdue University.

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Chuck serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Farm Credit Mid-America. He has over 25 years of experience in strategic planning, operations management, quality management, project management, program management, and portfolio management. Past positions include Senior Vice President Operational Process Excellence and Vice President Process Improvement and Execution for Farm Credit Mid-America, Director of Program Management for Churchill Downs Incorporated, and Manager of the Applications Engineering Project Management Office for Humana. Chuck also retired from the U.S. Navy as a Lieutenant Commander Special Duty Intelligence Officer.

Chuck holds a doctorate in Information Management from Syracuse University in 2015, a master’s in Project Management from the University of Wisconsin in 2003, an MBA from the University of Florida in 2000, and a bachelor’s in Management from Southern Illinois University. He is currently attending ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking through a partnership with the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School.

Chuck’s certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP), Program Management Professional (PgMP), Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP), Six Sigma Black Belt, Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE), Certified Software Quality Engineer (CSQE), and Certified Managed Healthcare Professional (MHP).

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Heather serves as the Chief Administrative Officer for Farm Credit Mid-America. She leads human resources, facilities, organizational development, customer experience, legal operations, and legislative affairs.

She began her Farm Credit career in 1997 as a Recruitment Specialist. She later served as Director of Training and Development followed by Vice President Human Resources and Executive Vice President Human Capital.

In 2000, she was named Outstanding Young Alumnus in the University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture. She also obtained a Certificate in the Essentials of Human Resource Management.

Heather’s agricultural experience began in her youth through 4-H and FFA, and has continued to be a passion throughout her life.

She has served on the Farm Credit Foundations Trust Committee since 2017 and currently serves as Vice Chair.

Heather holds a bachelor's in Agricultural Communications from the University of Kentucky and a master’s in Education with a focus on organizational development from University of Louisville.

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Derrick serves as Chief Lending Officer for Diversified Markets at Farm Credit Mid-America.

He leads Farm Credit Mid-America’s Food & Agribusiness, Crop Insurance, Growing Forward, and Farm Credit System Partnership teams. Derrick is a seasoned leader with 23 years of experience working in the Farm Credit System. Previously, he was a Division Leader and the East Region President for the Regional Agribusiness Banking Group at CoBank, one of the largest providers of credit to the U.S. rural economy.

Derrick holds a bachelor’s in Accounting from Murray State University. He also graduated from the LSU Graduate School of Banking and has held board leadership positions with the Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development, Kentucky Council of Cooperatives, Mid-America Council of Cooperatives, and Tennessee Council of Cooperatives.

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Art Whaley is the Chief Lending Officer for Rural 1st, the consumer lending division of Farm Credit Mid-America. He began his 21 year career with the Association as a loan officer selling both Agricultural and Consumer loans in the Lebanon, Cookeville, and Knoxville retail offices. After serving customers for over 10 years in his market, Art transitioned to a leadership role as Regional Vice President for East Tennessee leading a new team in a quickly growing market.

Art was then promoted in 2017 to Senior Vice President of Consumer Lending—leading what is now known as Rural 1st. Consumer lending for Farm Credit Mid-America centralized to the Louisville, KY office headquarters and Art currently leads the sales, operations, product, and partner channels of the business. Promoted to Rural 1st Chief Lending Officer in 2020, Rural 1st has grown exponentially under his leadership—from serving customers in Farm Credit Mid-America’s four state territory in 2017 to now serving customers in 13 states and six associations across rural America. In 2021, Rural 1st produced in excess of $2.6 Billion in New Money with a current portfolio size nearing $8 Billion.

Art is an avid Tennessee Volunteers fan having earned a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics, a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics, and an Executive MBA from the University of Tennessee. When he is not at home on his farm in Sevierville, TN, Art can be found in Louisville, KY where his splits his time for work between his native Tennessee and the Bluegrass State.

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Steve serves as Chief Financial Officer for Farm Credit Mid-America. He leads the financial operations division, which includes finance, accounting and loan servicing.

He joined Farm Credit Mid-America in 2013 as Vice President of Accounting Operations. From there, he became Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 2018. Steve has over 25 years’ experience in finance, accounting, and auditing working for several financial service companies as well as a large public accounting firm.

Steve holds a bachelor’s in Business Administration from Kent State University. He also holds an MBA and a master’s in Strategic Finance; both from Indiana University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and holds several other industry certifications. He has served on the board of directors at Farm Credit Employees Federal Credit Union since 2017.

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He began his career with the Association in 2006 as a Financial Officer trainee in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee before becoming Tennessee’s first Crop Insurance Specialist three years later. From there, Jason became Regional Vice President for Crop Insurance, leading and growing the crop insurance portfolio in Kentucky and Tennessee. He has continued to hold positions with additional responsibilities throughout his time at Farm Credit Mid-America. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President of Related Services, overseeing Crop Insurance, Growing Forward, Leasing and Ag Direct.

Jason holds a bachelor’s in Agribusiness from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife, Courtney, and sons Whit, Charlie, and Holland. Outside of Association life, he enjoys coaching baseball, basketball, and spending time with his family outdoors.

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Mark serves as Senior Vice President of Agricultural Lending in Kentucky for Farm Credit Mid-America. Starting in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, he began his career with Farm Credit Mid-America in 2001 and has served in a variety of roles since then including Financial Services Officer, Dealer Relationship Manager, Vice President of Agnition, Regional Vice President, and Senior Vice President of Agricultural Lending.

He holds a bachelor’s in Agricultural Economics from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, a master’s in Agricultural Economics from Murray State University, and a graduate degree from the Louisiana State University School of Banking. He is the current Chair of the Kentucky Ag Council and a board member of the Kentucky Ag Development Fund.

In recent years, Mark spent time coaching youth league and middle school football. He also enjoys playing golf. Mark lives in Crestwood, Kentucky with his wife of 24 years and their two teenage children.

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Daro Mott serves as Vice President of Process Improvement and Execution for Farm Credit Mid-America. He joined the Association in January 2019 as the leader of the Process Improvement and Execution Team, the team which leads the Association's Strategic Projects.

His personal mission statement is to help family, friends, colleagues and organizations achieve their strategy. Prior to joining the Association, Daro was a senior leader in local government where he led an innovation team and oversaw strategic planning, continuous improvement, and project portfolio management functions.

Daro earned a bachelor’s from Yale University and two graduate degrees from the University of Louisville. He is a published author and has attended executive education programs at Harvard and Wharton.

In his spare time, Daro lectures at the University of Louisville in the areas of process improvement, project management, and strategic planning.

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Kristie serves as General Counsel of Farm Credit Mid-America to support its corporate function. She joined the Association as an attorney on the legal team in 2019. She and her team provide business and legal advice focusing on the corporate function of the business, and she serves as Corporate Secretary and Standards of Conduct Official for the Association.

She holds a bachelor’s in Business Administration and a Juris Doctor, both from the University of Louisville.

When not at work, Kristie enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, attending University of Louisville sporting events, and traveling.

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Dan serves as General Counsel for Farm Credit Mid-America and supports lending while also serving as Chief Compliance Officer. He leads the Association’s legal support for enterprise-wide lending operations and provides leadership as well as oversight of the Association’s compliance strategy and functions.

He began his career in the Farm Credit System with CoBank in 2011, serving in a number of roles of increasing responsibility before joining Farm Credit Mid-America as Associate General Counsel. Prior to joining the Farm Credit System, Dan was in private practice in Denver, Colorado representing clients in commercial, real estate, and asset-backed financing transactions. He also advised on general corporate matters, creditor’s rights, and receiverships.

Dan holds a bachelor’s in Political Science from Murray State University and a Juris Doctor from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

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Melanie serves as Senior Vice President of Agricultural Lending in Ohio for Farm Credit Mid-America. She leads team members across the state of Ohio in their retail sales efforts. Prior to her current role, Melanie served as Regional Vice President of Agricultural Lending for Northwest Ohio. She has held various roles during her 18 years with Farm Credit Mid-America—serving farmers, rural homeowners, and team members in Ohio and Indiana.

Melanie holds a bachelor’s in Agriculture, Environmental, and Development Economics from The Ohio State University and a master’s of Business Administration from Bluffton University. She is also an active member of Ohio Farm Bureau, Ohio Corn and Wheat, Ohio Soybean Association, Northwest Ohio Women in Ag and Farmer Veteran Coalition.

Melanie resides in Northwest Ohio with her husband and two children. They are part-owners of a cash grain farm, Pioneer Seed business and Cone Guard LLC.

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Mark serves as Senior Vice President of Credit, Food and Agribusiness for Farm Credit Mid-America.

Mark began his career with Farm Credit Mid-America in 1999 as a business analyst. Since that time, he has served in roles with progressive responsibilities including: Credit Officer, Senior Credit Officer, Assistant Vice President of Capital Markets, and Vice President Credit of Capital Markets. Prior to joining the Association, he worked with a commercial bank in Illinois.

Mark holds a bachelor’s in Agriculture Economics from Ohio State University and a master’s in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois.

He enjoys hiking, home improvement projects, and supporting his two children in their various activities. He has been married to his wife Jill for 26 years and lives in Shelby County, Kentucky.

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Steve serves as Senior Vice President of Agricultural Lending in Indiana for Farm Credit Mid-America.

He began his career with the Farm Credit System in 1985. He earned numerous sales and services awards for his excellence performance in serving customers. In 1999, he was promoted to a management position at the organization he was with and elevated to an executive leadership position with Farm Credit Illinois in 2009 as a Regional Vice President of Ag Lending. In early 2019, Steve joined Farm Credit Mid-America and is responsible for retail operations across the state of Indiana.

Steve holds a bachelor’s in Agricultural Economics from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

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Camille serves as Chief Auditor for Farm Credit Mid-America. She first joined our Association in 2016 as an Auditor and was promoted to Internal Audit Manager prior to her current role. She is a liaison between our Board of Directors, Audit Committee, and Leadership Team. She provides accountability to our customers, identifies areas where we can strengthen operations, and helps mitigate risk. The Chief Auditor role also helps fulfill expectations set out by the Farm Credit Administration.

She holds a bachelor’s in Accounting from the University of Louisville and an MBA with a focus on Strategic Human Capital Management from Sullivan University. Camille is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) by the Institute of Internal Auditors and is currently in progress to obtain her CPA. She is also a Certified Financial Institutions Examiner in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Camille enjoys cycling, reading, and spending time with her dog Maya.

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