The Directions Group (formerly Aimpoint Research) will host a public webinar on October 1 at 1pm EST/12pm CST to dive deeper into the results of the recently completed 2024 U.S. Election Analysis report.
Mark Purdy will moderate a discussion with veteran ag economist, Dave Juday, and retired multinational executive, Mark Schweitzer, on the factors shaping the ag policy agenda for 2025, including potential impacts from midnight regulations and Presidential Executive Orders, and the recent Supreme Court ruling that overturned the so-called “Chevron deference”.
Register here.
Panel Bios
Mark Purdy
Colonel (retired) Mark Purdy is The Directions Group Executive Vice President of Agri-Food. He is responsible for day-to-day operations, research oversight and accountability toward achieving organizational goals. He guides clients to strategically activate their research results, assess impacts and develop business strategies.
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Mark brings over 30 years of results-oriented experience leading organizations of more than 2,000 people. His vast experiences range from leading combat units over multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan to managing multi-billion-dollar security assistance portfolios that included procurement, managing the supply chain and government regulatory compliance. Mark also served as Director of Wargames at the U.S. Army War College providing actionable solutions to top national security dilemmas.
Mark grew up on a farm in central Ohio where his family raised sheep, corn, soybeans and hay, and continues to operate the family farm today. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, as well as master’s degrees in Military Operational Arts from the Air Force Air University and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.
Dave Juday
As The Directions Group Executive Advisor for Economics and Trade, Dave Juday works with the WatchDesk team of analysts and select clients on custom intelligence and market analysis projects. He also contributes to thought leadership platforms and the Executive Intelligence Network.
Founder and principal of The Juday Group, Dave brings expertise in market analysis, policy, economics, issue management, agriculture, and food. Dave started his career in the U.S. Senate as an aide and Task Force Investigator for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget.
He later served in the White House in the Office of the Vice President as Deputy Director of Domestic Policy and staff member for the Council on Competitiveness, a Cabinet-level working group tasked with reviewing federal regulations to ensure U.S. economic competitiveness. He has also held an appointment as an adjunct fellow with the Hudson Institute’s Center for Global Food Issues.
In addition to his work with a broad range of profit and non-profit organizations in agriculture, Dave has managed ad hoc industry coalitions in the forest products industry and assisted State Departments of Agriculture on international trade strategies and evaluations. He is particularly skilled at market assessment and policy risks to business models.
Mark Schweitzer
Mark D. Schweitzer is the retired vice president, Global Economic Research, at ADM. In this role he led a diverse team of global analysts to provide ADM colleagues with timely and accurate proprietary research that underpinned ADM’s grain and oilseed strategies and international marketing efforts.
Previously, Schweitzer was vice president of Investor Relations. Here Mark oversaw and built strong relationships with ADM’s investor community and facilitated investors’ understanding of ADM’s many global businesses and the company’s algorithm for value creation.
The future of agriculture and helping develop the next diverse and inclusive generation of leaders is one of Mark’s passions. His commitment to this passion led him to serve on the National FFA Sponsors Board for a 3-year term in 2013. In 2015, he was elected to serve as 2016 chair-elect of the Sponsors Board. In 2017, Mark Chaired the National FFA Foundation Sponsors Board as well as serving on the Board of Trustees and its Finance Committee. In 2020, he joined FFA’s President advisory council. He continues to support and promote the next generation in agriculture.
Schweitzer holds a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University, an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University and executive education in leadership and finance from Harvard University.