Governance at a Glance

Chair
Member
Board Members Audit Compensation Nominating and Corporate Governance Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility

George R. Brokaw

Kate English

Benjamin D. Fishman

John E. Kiernan

W. Andrew Krusen, Jr.

Toby K. Purse

Adam Putnam

Henry R. Slack

Committee Charters

George R. Brokaw

George R. Brokaw

Mr. Brokaw has served on the Board of Directors since November 19, 2013 and as Executive Vice Chairman from December 31, 2016 until December 31, 2019, and brings to the Board of Directors extensive knowledge and experience in the areas of business, finance and capital markets. Mr. Brokaw is currently a private investor through several private and public investment vehicles. Mr. Brokaw previously held senior roles at Highbridge Capital Management, Perry Capital, LLC, and Lazard Freres & Co. LLC.  Mr. Brokaw is also a member of the Board of Directors of DISH Network Corporation and CTO Realty Growth, Inc. f/k/a Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co. He also serves on several not-for profit boards including the French American Foundation, Huguenot Society of America and the Society of Mayflower Descendants. He previously served as a director to several public and private companies, including: Modern Media Acquisition Corp., North American Energy Partners Inc., Capital Business Credit LLC, Timberstar, Capital Business Credit LLC, Exclusive Resorts, LLC, and Value Place Holdings LLC. Mr. Brokaw received a B.A. degree from Yale University, a J.D./M.B.A. from the University of Virginia and is a member of the New York Bar.

Kate English

Kate English

Ms. English is a Partner at Pavese Law Firm, whose practice concentrates on agricultural, environmental and land use law with an emphasis on developing value and maintaining productivity for larger properties. She has particular experience representing companies whose key businesses are farming, conservation and development. Before entering law school, she was a field representative for Florida Citrus Mutual ,working with its grower members in nine counties in South and Southwest Florida. She is a graduate of the Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Florida. She served the American Farm Bureau Federation as the founding chair of its Water Quality and Quantity Issue Advisory Committee. She is a native of Southwest Florida where her family has farmed since the 1800’s. She continues to be involved in her family’s farming operations in Lee and Collier Counties.

Benjamin D. Fishman

Benjamin D. Fishman

Mr. Fishman has served on the Board of Directors since November 19, 2013 and as the non-employee Executive Chairman since July 1, 2019, and brings to the Board of Directors extensive knowledge and experience in the agriculture industry. On November 19, 2018, Mr. Fishman was appointed as Interim President of Alico and served in this position until July 1, 2019. Mr. Fishman is a Managing Director of Arlon Group and Continental Grain Company. From 1998 - 2000, he served as a Strategic and Financial Analyst for Continental Grain Company (“CGC”). Mr. Fishman left CGC in 2000 to co-found The Grow Network, which was sold to the McGraw- Hill Companies in 2004. He returned to CGC in 2005 and helped to establish the Arlon Group. Mr. Fishman currently also serves on the boards of The Coastal Companies, Wholesome Sweeteners, CiCi's Holdings, Inc. and is a Member of the Alumni Council of Collegiate School in New York City. Mr. Fishman received his BA, cum laude, in political theory from Princeton University.

John E. Kiernan

John E. Kiernan

John Kiernan leads Alico as our President and CEO and was previously its CFO. Before joining Alico, John worked as the CFO of Greenwich Associates, a private global research-based consulting firm serving the financial services industry. John previously worked as the Treasurer and SVP for Capital Markets & Risk Management for Global Crossing until its $3B sale to Level 3 in 2011. He was also the VP of Investor Relations for Misys plc, which maintained a public listing on the London Stock Exchange and a NASDAQ listing for one of its subsidiaries, and a Director of Corporate Development for IBM. Earlier in his career, John spent 12 years as an investment banker and specialized in IPOs and M&A for technology companies during his tenure at Bear Stearns, where he earned the title of Managing Director. John earned a BA in Finance and History summa cum laude from Saint Vincent College, earned an MBA from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law. He is a member of New York Bar and a Certified Treasury Professional.

W. Andrew Krusen, Jr.

W. Andrew Krusen, Jr.

Mr. Krusen has served on the Board of Directors since November 19, 2013 and brings to the Board of Directors extensive knowledge and experience in the areas of business leadership, finance and capital markets and real estate. Mr. Krusen is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dominion Financial Group, Inc., a merchant banking organization that provides investment capital to the natural resources, communications and manufacturing and distribution sectors.  He is also the managing member of Gulf Standard Energy, LLC, an oil and gas concern, and the managing member of Krusen-Douglas, LLC, a large landowner in the Tampa, Florida area.  Mr. Krusen also serves as a director of several privately held companies, including Beall’s Inc. and Romark Laboratories, L.C. He is currently a director and Chairman of Florida Capital Group, Inc., a Florida bank holding company, as well as Florida Capital Bank, N.A., its wholly owned subsidiary.  Mr. Krusen previously served as a director of Exactech, Inc. and Raymond James Trust Company, a subsidiary of Raymond James Financial, Inc. Mr. Krusen is a former member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, and is currently a member of the World President’s Organization and the Society of International Business Fellows. He is a past Chairman of Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry.  Mr. Krusen holds a B.A. degree in Geology from Princeton University.

Toby K. Purse

Toby K. Purse

Mr. Purse has served on the Board of Directors since April 29, 2019 and brings to the Board of Directors extensive knowledge and experience in the areas of agriculture, business leadership and finance. Mr. Purse is the Chief Farming Officer of Lipman Family Farms, the largest open-field tomato grower in North America. Mr. Purse has been with Lipman Family Farms since 2004 and has also served as Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Purse is a member of the Florida Tomato Committee, the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange and the Florida Tomato Exchange. Mr. Purse is a graduate of and received a B.A. degree and Masters degree from the University of South Florida.

Adam Putnam

Adam Putnam

Mr. Putnam is the Chief Executive Officer of Ducks Unlimited, a U.S. nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, other wildlife, and people. He served as Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture from 2011-2019 and was a US Congressman for five terms. He also was the House Republican Conference Chair from 2007-2009. Mr. Putnam attended the University of Florida, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in food and resource economics. A fifth generation Florida farmer and rancher, Mr. Putnam also serves on the advisory board for AgAmerica Lending and is a founding director of Leading Harvest, which advances agricultural sustainability practices across the supply chain.

Henry R. Slack

Henry R. Slack

Mr. Slack has served on the Board of Directors since November 19, 2013 and served as Executive Chairman from December 31, 2016 until July 1, 2019, and brings to the Board of Directors extensive experience in the areas of business, finance and capital markets. Mr. Slack is managing director of Quarterwatch LLC. He was Chairman of Terra Industries, an international nitrogen-based fertilizer company, from 2001 until 2010. Mr. Slack has served on the board of W. R. Grace & Co. since 2019. Mr. Slack is Chairman of the Advisory Board of Blakeney Limited Partners. For many years he has also served as a director of E. Oppenheimer and Son International Limited, formerly a private investment and family holding company. He was Chief Executive Officer of Minorco SA, an international mining company, from 1991 until 1999, when that company merged with Anglo American Corporation to form Anglo American plc. Mr. Slack was a member of the board of directors and the executive committee of Anglo American Corporation, an international mining finance company, from 1981 until 1999. He was on the board of directors of Salomon Brothers Inc., from 1982 to 1988, SAB Miller plc., one of the world’s largest brewers, from 1998 to 2002, and for more than 20 years on the board of Engelhard Corporation until its acquisition in 2006. Mr. Slack is a graduate (B.A. in History) of Princeton University.