Nebraska Farm Bureau Welcomes New Hires in  Governmental Relations and Regional Managers

LINCOLN, NEB. – Nebraska Farm Bureau’s Governmental Relations Department has hired Andrew Dunkley as director of state governmental relations. Kelly Duryea has also been hired as the North Central regional manager.

Dunkley is a York County Farm Bureau member. He grew up in northern New York and Colorado and is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Journalism and Mass Communications. He has worked as a regional field director for the Colorado Republican Committee, served as a legislative aide for the Colorado General Assembly, and was a regional director for U.S. Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado. Recently, Dunkley served as a senior external affairs manager for government affairs consulting firms Pac/West in Denver and Strategic Elements remotely. He and his wife moved to Bradshaw in April in search of a better, rural quality of life for their 3-year-old daughter Elliot, 2-year-old son Fletcher, and 6-month-old daughter Sloane.

“Andrew has reliable government and external affairs experience. He will help us continue to grow the scope of our department as we look to better serve our members in an ever-changing political and policy landscape that requires greater engagement by our organization and our membership. We are excited to work with Andrew at Nebraska Farm Bureau,” said Bruce Rieker, vice president of governmental relations.

Duryea lives on a ranch with her husband, Chad, near Merna and has three sons. She is a Custer County Farm Bureau member. She has served as a claims representative for Farm Bureau Financial Services and has worked in various capacities for Becton Dickenson in Broken Bow. She has worked at Adams Land & Cattle, LLC in Broken Bow, and was the village clerk of Merna.

“We are very happy to have Kelly represent the North Central region for Nebraska Farm Bureau. She will bring a fresh perspective to that region, and we are excited to have Kelly on our Farm Bureau team,” said Adam Peterson, senior regional manager.

As regional manager, Duryea will serve 15 counties in the North Central region, which include Blaine, Boyd, Brown, Cherry, Custer, Garfield, Holt, Hooker, Keya Paha, Logan, Loup, McPherson, Rock, Thomas, and Wheeler.