Heather grew up on a farm in McLean County, Illinois and was a 10-year member of the Downs Top Notchers 4-H club. Heather was actively involved with 4-H Federation and was a delegate to 4-H Congress. She also served as the McLean County Fair Queen and went on to represent county fairs and agriculture as the 2006 Illinois County Fair Queen.
Her experiences in 4-H led Heather to pursue a career in agriculture. She is currently the Director of Innovation with GROWMARK. In this role, she serves as the liaison to GROWMARK's venture capital fund, Cooperative Ventures. She is responsible for driving innovative projects and strategies within the GROWMARK System and accelerating innovative tools and technologies for the ag industry. Heather has a B.A. in Communications and Political Science from Illinois College and an M.S. in Strategic Management from Indiana University. She and her husband, Reid, have two sons, Abe and Hank.