Board of Directors
Brandon Melnikoff ‘24
Founding Member & Board Chair
George Graybill ‘25
Founding Member
Annie Valicek ‘24
Founding Member
Jayci Mekelburg ‘24
Founding Member
Kyli Kraft ‘25
Founding Member
Emmie Bertoni ‘25
Founding Member
Christina Winters
Ag Development Association Representative
Caleb Frick
Stakeholder
Plug Phiel
Stakeholder
Jeff Mitchell
Stakeholder
Dr. Kevin Pond
PECANS Faculty Representative
Addie Brown
Fall Gather Executive Committee Chair
Ella Bidauretta
Fall Gather Executive Committee Vice Chair
Why It Matters
Fall Gather is our way of saying thank you. Thank you to the producers, the advocates, the educators, and the neighbors who keep agriculture strong. Thank you to the community for supporting the next generation of ag leaders. And thank you to the university for fostering an environment where students can dream big and bring ideas like this to life.
The People Behind It
Fall Gather exists because of the vision and dedication of a core group of leaders who believe in the future of agriculture and the importance of celebrating it.
The founding members — Kyli Kraft, Brandon Melnikoff, Jayci Mekelburg, Annie Valicek, Emmie Bertoni, George Graybill, Hayden Holwick — were all students at West Texas A&M University with deep agricultural roots. They saw an opportunity to connect their campus, the community, and the producers who make agriculture thrive. Their drive, creativity, and commitment laid the groundwork for this event.
Supporting the Executive Committee—the dedicated group of students whose goal is to organize Fall Gather each year—is our Board of Directors, a group of respected leaders and advocates from across the Texas Panhandle. These individuals bring decades of experience in farming, ranching, agribusiness, and community leadership. Their guidance ensures that Fall Gather stays true to its mission of celebrating agriculture while fostering connection between generations.
One of the most important members of the Board of Directors is the faculty representative, who serves as the de facto advisor. They guide the Executive Committee by offering professional insight and connecting them with resources within WTAMU and the broader agricultural network. Their support has been instrumental in turning the vision for Fall Gather into reality.
How It All Started
Fall Gather was born from a simple idea: bring people together to celebrate agriculture — not just as an industry, but as a way of life.
As college students, we’ve seen firsthand how agriculture threads its way through every part of our lives here in the Texas Panhandle. We wanted to create an event that bridges the gap between the university, the community, and the producers who feed the world. What started as a conversation between friends has become a full-scale celebration of food, fellowship, and the culture of agriculture.