Jon Scholl

Jon Scholl "became the President of American Farmland Trust in July 2008, after serving as Counselor to the Administrator for Agricultural Policy at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) since 2004. At the U.S. EPA, Scholl led the development of the first National Agricultural Strategy, first agricultural advisory committee and the first agency-wide cross media agriculture team. He also helped direct agency regulations on animal feeding operations, renewable fuel standards, clean air rules, and emission reporting requirements. In 2007, Scholl provided counsel to the USDA farm bill team on conservation provisions.

"Prior to his work at the U.S. EPA, Scholl was Executive Assistant to the President of the Illinois Farm Bureau, among other positions including Director of Public Policy, Director of National Legislation, and Director of Natural Resources. Over his 25 years with Illinois Farm Bureau, he worked with the Illinois Congressional delegation and coordinated several legislative initiatives at state and local levels. Scholl also worked at the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

"Jon’s leadership of AFT is fitting, given his extensive agricultural history. As the nation’s leading farmland conservation organization, AFT will benefit from Scholl’s impressive knowledge of agriculture, policy, and conservation issues, all of which are integral to its mission.

"Jon and his family operate a corn and soybean farm in McLean County, Illinois. Interested in the development of renewable energy, they have sited windmills on their farm. Jon graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1978 with a B.S. in Agricultural Science. Scholl was the recipient of the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Award of Merit in 2008. He is the former Chairman of the Illinois FFA Foundation Board of Trustees.

"Jon and his wife Joyce are the parents of two children, Jay and Jill."