Dr. Temple Grandin, renowned autism activist, animal behaviorist and distinguished professor at Colorado State University (CSU), will be on-site at the Members Only Night Out event on Monday, September 23, 2024, to kick off the 13th annual Women in Agribusiness (WIA) Summit here this fall, September 24-26, at the Hyatt Regency Denver.
Hosted on the CSU Spur campus, WIA members will enjoy a private screening of the not-yet-released documentary about Dr. Grandin, entitled “An Open Door”. Additionally, attendees will receive a signed copy of Dr. Grandin’s book, “Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions”, and enjoy a Q&A session with her, alongside the film’s producer John Barnhardt, and CSU President Amy Parsons.
“The WIA Summit had the privilege of having Temple as a keynote speaker in 2018 where she shared her extraordinary story and her efforts to advance the adoption of more transparent practices in the livestock sector,” said Carrie Vita, WIA event director. “This year, we are excited to partner with CSU to bring Temple back to the WIA audience, albeit in a much smaller, intimate gathering.”
Dr. Grandin, a pioneer in improving the handling and welfare of farm animals, is credited with creating a revolutionary cattle-handling system that transformed the U.S. meat industry in the 1990s. Also a prominent author and speaker on both autism and animal behavior, Dr. Grandin has appeared on a variety of radio and television outlets, such as NPR, 60 Minutes and BBC. Articles about Dr. Grandin have appeared in Time Magazine, Discover Magazine, Forbes and USA Today. HBO made an Emmy Award winning movie about her life, and she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Grandin’s achievements are even more remarkable knowing that she exhibited all the signs of severe autism as a child. Many hours of speech therapy and intensive teaching enabled her to learn speech. In her teenage years, she found inspiration in her high school science teacher and her aunt. Living on the latter’s ranch in Arizona motivated Dr. Grandin to study and pursue a career as a scientist and livestock equipment designer. She now holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and master’s and doctorate degrees in animal science.
This exclusive Women in Agribusiness evening event is just one of the benefits of WIA Membership – which seeks to build a stronger community of women across the agri-food sector and includes attendance at year-round WIA MeetUps, discounts to the Summit, access to premium event content and more. Visit womeninag.com/membership for details.
