Caleb Wright: Strengthening the Alumni Connection

Name: Caleb Wright

Preferred Pronouns: He/His

Hometown & Current Town: Alexandria, PA/Halifax, PA

Graduation Year: BS 2014

Major: BS Agricultural and Extension Education

Current Recent Professional Title: Chief Strategist; Co-owner and Winemaker

Name of Employer: Versant Strategies LLC; Armstrong Vineyard and Winery

Brief Description of Your Role/Profession: At Versant, it is my job to represent my clients' interests in front of the General Assembly and Executive Branch, both in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C. Those that have issues, challenges, or goals with the law or regulations, they hire us to support them and help them accomplish what they're looking to do. I do a mix of both state and federal work.

Our firm has a strong specialization in agricultural and rural affairs, but we have a wide variety of interests, including independent pharmacies, which can be super important in rural communities. Most of my clients that I work with day-to-day are rural-based. I also get to do some economic development work, including support for grant applications for various projects and clients. No two days are the same for me.

Why did you choose Penn State?

I always wanted to be a Penn Stater and only applied at one school. I grew up on a family farm. I was always fascinated by the agricultural industry. Penn State offered this close connection to that industry through the college. Penn State was also close to home so I could help on our family farm.

What inspired you to pursue your degree?

I originally thought I wanted to be a vet and I remember sitting in a math class thinking to myself that this didn't feel right. I was putting a lot of stress on myself very early in my first year thinking about wanting to go to vet school. I called my mom and I said, "I don't think this is going to work the way I had hoped. I'm going to consider changing my major."

I landed on Agricultural and Extension Education. I was a state FFA officer and had a connection to school-based agricultural education. I hadn't considered it as a career as a younger person before entering Penn State. Some very formidable experiences as a state FFA officer led me to consider education and the realization that there's incredible work that can be done in the social sciences realm.

There's a whole social science mindset that we think about within agriculture, and that's fascinating to me. Even with my job with the wine cellar, we're a business and a brand. There's marketing, engagement, and communication and all that ties into the social fabric of the customers that enter our business.

While my career has transitioned a bit and I'm not writing lesson plans anymore, I still use skills that I learned from my degree and in my first job as a classroom teacher every single day. Just like you must engage learners in a classroom, you must engage customers in your business.

What clubs, organizations, or leadership roles were you involved in?

I was an Ag Advocate and a member of Collegiate FFA and Block and Bridle. As I engaged more deeply with my major, I was a part of the Teach Ag Avengers. I did undergraduate research, too.

I also got involved in an emerging leaders program where you shadowed a dean for at least a semester. I shadowed Barb Christ, who was the interim dean of the college at the time. She and I are now members of the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail, representing our respective wineries.

What is a favorite Penn State memory?

As first-year students, we all went to the Bryce Jordan Center for Convocation with all the other first-year students on campus, which was an incredible experience. It was the first time I felt like a Penn Stater. I feel very lucky. The reason I have the professional job I have now is because I was at Penn State, and because of a networking opportunity I took advantage of.

There are a lot of memories, so it's hard to pick a favorite. But any of the experiences that tied me to those key Penn State traditions are ones I hold most dear.

How has your Penn State education influenced your career or life?

I wouldn't have the professional job that I have if it wasn't for going to Penn State. I went to a dinner at the Nittany Lion Inn. I got to meet my current boss and her family. I then got to spend more time with her the next day, where I was more myself. It resulted in a job in a very non-traditional way. I did teach briefly before transitioning to Versant Strategies, but a vast majority of my young professional career has been spent at Versant.

So much of my network that I rely on are people that I spent time with while I was in college. My boss now always reminds me that when I was still a student, the people I had class with were going to be managers and decision-makers someday, and they’re going to be people I need to lean on and utilize to move forward in my career. That's really coming true. Being a Penn Stater and working in Pennsylvania agriculture has allowed me to expand my network.

What are one or two of your proudest accomplishments in which your Penn State education played a role?

I’m proud of the experiences that I’ve had and the way my Penn State experience went. It was more than an education that helped me to grow as a person and be ready to enter a career where the soft skills I developed have played a role.

My degree in Agricultural and Extension Education really prepared me to enter a classroom. My principal solidified that in my first formal review. The summation of it was that he was happy with where I was as a first-year teacher, recognizing the preparedness provided by my Penn State degree.

Now as an Alumni Board president, I'm excited to build relationships with alumni and look for new opportunities to engage and grow our impact.

Outside of your Chief Strategist role, you are also co-owner of Armstrong Valley Vineyard and Winery. How did you get interested in viticulture and how do you balance this with your job and other responsibilities?

My interest in viticulture came from my job where there are often a lot of events with wine. The farm kid in me also loves the process of production. I enjoyed wine, but I started to love wine when I started to understand better the production of grapes and the transition into the wine cellar. For example, what makes certain varietals and vintages from certain regions taste different from the same cultivar from another region, and why? The more I dug into it from a production standpoint, the more I fell in love with it.

Wine is incredibly social and can bring people together. Breaking bread is one thing, but adding wine changes the dynamics at the table. It has this fun social component that satisfies the social scientist in me and my background.

We planted an acre of grapes at my parents' farm, which was to give me a chance to research and try things out. If it worked out, we'd celebrate it and have some good wine. If not, it would have been okay too. We have to dig deeper into viticultural practices and figure out how we can produce better grapes and better wine.

This isn't an easy job, and balancing isn't always easy. I often work in the wine cellar in the early morning, then check emails or attend meetings for Versant, and then come back to the wine cellar. In the evening, I'll often tackle more emails. I'm thankful to work in a space that's not a traditional 9-5 job. I also think my clients at Versant have benefited from the fact that I'm directing a business and its operations. Being an entrepreneur changes your perspective.

What has been the best advice you've ever received?

Begin with the end in mind. It's about business. It's about life. Really think about what the end goal is and move forward with that goal in mind. Think about life from a strategic standpoint. Move with intentionality toward your goals. It's probably one of the biggest pieces of advice I follow and reference.

You're currently president of the Ag Sciences Alumni Board. Why would you recommend alumni get involved and stay engaged with the college after graduation?

I think because the benefit of Penn State is a derivative of not only the quality of education, but its history as a land-grant institution. It's also our world-class Extension service, coupled with the incredible research that’s changing lives every day. That's all great, but as alumni, we’re a massive set of stakeholders out there in the world doing things. By coming back and engaging with the University, we can bring our world experiences to the University to make it a better and continually relevant place. We can also support the current students who will follow in our footsteps.

Someone invested in me so now it's my time to invest in the next group. I hope all alumni feel that way.

Why are you proud to be a Penn State Ag Sciences alum?

Penn State is an incredible university, one that I was drawn to naturally. I recognize that not everyone has felt that pull or felt a connection with a specific place, but I'm thankful I did. I think about the role of The Farmers High School and then the College of Agricultural Sciences, and how we're the true base of the start of Penn State. It's so cool to be part of that tradition. I always get chills down my spine when I hear the alma mater. There are so many reasons and components of my Penn State pride.