Our Tuesday night AgChat host has earned a few extra letters to put after her name.
Michele Payn-Knoper, a professional agricultural speaker and principal of Cause Matters Corp., has earned the coveted Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation, and has been singled out in the current issue of Speaker magazine as one of the “25 Hot Speakers” who are shaping the speaking industry.
Payn-Knoper, who for eight years has been building her speaking practice on connecting agriculture to “the 98.5% of Americans not involved with farming,” said she was “truly humbled” by the recognition. She hopes it will help her reach even more agriculturists with advocacy training and tools to educate the consumer public about farm and food issues.
According to the National Speakers Association (NSA), fewer than 10 percent of speakers who belong to the International Federation for Professional Speakers hold the CSP distinction. One of 30 professionals to earn the CSP in 2009, Payn-Knoper will be honored at the NSA Convention in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 19.
“It is an honor to receive this designation while doing what I love: helping agriculturists champion their cause,” Payn-Knoper said. “I am grateful to those clients who allowed me to continue serving them while completing the tenuous five-year CSP process.”
Payn-Knoper is known as a leader in agricultural advocacy, having worked with thousands of people through her motivational keynotes, workshops and social media tools. She is the founder of AgChat on Twitter, a weekly streaming conversation for people in agriculture that has captured national media attention. She also consults and conducts workshops training and keynote addresses across North America, as well as overseas. Her blog “Gate to Plate” can be found at http://causematters.wordpress.com.