Purdue Agriculture alumni from as far away as Argentina and as close to campus as Elwood, Ind., are among the new class of 10 to receive the Distinguished Agriculture Alumni Award.

Started in 1992, the award now has honored 161 mid-career graduates of the College of Agriculture who have made significant contributions to their profession or society in general and have a record of outstanding accomplishments.

This year’s recipients are:

Glenn S. Armstrong, MS ’76, PhD ’83, vice president of corporate and business innovations, Alticor Inc., Highland Park, Ill. Armstrong joined Alticor, the parent company of the Amway Corp., in 2007 to lead the company’s Growth Through Innovation initiative designed to make fundamental changes in the way the corporation conducts business globally.

Elizabeth A. Bechdol, MS ’96, director of agribusiness strategies, Ice Miller, Indianapolis. Bechdol joined the Indianapolis law firm in 2007, and she helped create the firm’s first-ever agribusiness practice area comprised of 16 attorney and industry leaders. Before joining Ice Miller, Bechdol was deputy director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.

Gregory Curlin, BS ’90, agricultural science and business teacher, Switzerland County High School, Vevay, Ind. Curlin is the Region IV vice president of the National Association of Agricultural Educators and was the region’s Teacher of the Year in 2005. He is a member of the board of directors of the National Young Farmer Educational Association.

Richard R. Halderman, BS ’91, president and CEO of Teays River Investments, Carmel, Ind., which owns agricultural properties across the U.S. He also is president of Halderman Real Estate Services and vice president of Halderman Farm Management Services. He joined those family businesses in 1985.

Brad L. Inman, BS ’81, principal technologist, Global Water Business Group, CH2M HILL Cos. Ltd. He currently is working under contract with the Planning, Programs and Project Management Division of the Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District. As senior project manager, he manages the feasibility, project information and description reports providing the framework for the restoration and reconstruction of nonfederal flood protection levees damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Peter Kennelly, PhD ’85, head of the biochemistry department, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va. Kennelly has been a panelist for the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Department of Veterans Affairs and the American Chemical Society.

Chris Knight, MS ’77, PhD ’81, vice president for research and development, Novus International, St. Louis. Knight helped Novus expand from poultry nutrition research to include product development for swine, ruminant, aquaculture, companion animal and equine markets in the U.S., China, Brazil and Vietnam.

Mario Nievera, BS ’87, owner, Mario Nievera Design Inc., Palm Beach, Fla. By doing projects for the likes of Jimmy Buffett, former Sotheby’s chief executive Michael Ainsley and retired Citigroup CEO Sanford Weill, Nievera has earned a reputation as “landscaper to the stars.” His work has been featured in Elle Décor, Architectural Digest, Town & Country and Southern Accents, among other publications.

L. Daniel Ploper, MS ’84, PhD ’87, experiment station director and associate professor of plant pathology, Estación Experimental Agroindustrial Obispo Colombres, Tucumán, Argentina. Ploper is best known for his work on soybean diseases and methods to control them, both in Argentina and around the world.

Steve Smith, BS ’75, director of agriculture, Red Gold Inc., Elwood, Ind. Smith works closely with Red Gold’s 55 growers in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan who participate in the company’s variety development program. Smith is a member of the Purdue Dean of Agriculture Advisory Board and serves on the Indiana Department of Agriculture Advisory Board.