WASHINGTON, DC – The National Grange is pleased to announce that President Christine E. Hamp has nominated two members to appointments for nationwide industry and governmental advisement groups on behalf.
Marilyn Blasingame will serve as the National Grange representative to the Alliance for Women’s Health and Prevention (AWHP) Advisory Council, and Matt Peterson will represent the Grange on the Accelerating Broadband Deployment on Unserved Agricultural Lands Working Group of the FCC’s Precision Agriculture Connectivity Task Force. Both positions were previously held by past National Grange President Betsy E. Huber.
Blasingame, a Prairie Grange #1832 member in Belvidere, Illinois, lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she is a public health worker specializing in infectious disease and sexual health technical assistance. “It is my passion to educate health professionals and do what I can to improve the healthcare system,” Blasingame said. She is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a master’s in public health. She will serve as the National Grange’s Liaison and capacity building specialist for the AWHP Advisory Council
“I am excited to represent the National Grange,” she said. “The AWHP is working on some incredible campaigns around women’s health, obesity, and cardiovascular health, and I feel honored to add my voice to the many passionate and dedicated members of the organization. Women’s health is such an important and often overlooked field, and I am excited to help bring more attention to improving the lives of women across America.” Blasingame hopes that working with the AWHP Advisory Council will be able to advance advocacy related to applicable health and healthcare resolutions that have been accepted on the National Grange level. She also plans to highlight important information from the Advisory Council through Grange news channels to educate Grangers on current events in women’s health advocacy.
Founded in 2022, AWHP is focused exclusively on women’s preventive health across all life stages and irrespective of any one disease area. We work in partnership with a diverse ensemble of leading women’s health-focused organizations to advocate for equitable, accessible, and affordable preventive care.
Peterson is a member of Custer Center Grange #103 and lives in Ansley, Nebraska. He is a member of a multi-generational family farm and ranch operation, serves as a customer enablement specialist for a digital agriculture company, and owns and operates Peterson Clear Creek Ag Solutions, LLC. “I am excited to be part of bringing broadband access to all of rural America,” Peterson said. “I bring the perspective of the agricultural business owner who relies heavily on dependable internet access.”
He believes that the FCC’s Precision Agriculture Connectivity Task Force is aiming to advocate for the needs of rural America – just like the Grange.
Peterson will serve on the Accelerating Broadband Deployment on Unserved Agricultural Lands Working Group. This Working Group aims to develop policy recommendations to promote the rapid, expanded deployment of broadband Internet access on unserved agricultural land, aiming to achieve reliability capabilities on 95 percent of agricultural land in the United States by 2025, including recommending specific steps for the FCC to consider, as well as indicating areas where funding should be directed.
National Grange President Christine E. Hamp nominated Blasingame and Peterson for these appointments based on their direct connections to the missions of the working groups. “I believe wholeheartedly in finding members with expertise in the field to fill positions like these,” Hamp said. “I want to use and showcase their talents and get as many of our members involved in public policy and advocacy issues on behalf of the Grange as possible.
Founded in 1867, the Grange is a fraternal, nonpartisan organization with roughly 140,000 members across the nation in over 1,400 local chapters. Open to anyone age 14 and older interested in agriculture, rural concerns, or bettering their community, the Grange never endorses candidates but works on issues made policy of the organization through a grassroots vetting process.
Grange members provide millions of hours of service and dollars in donations annually based on the needs identified in their local communities. From providing dictionaries to third-grade students often unserved or underserved by broadband internet, to hosting candidate forums to providing handmade caps for newborns, Grange members find ways to improve the lives of their neighbors both in service and through advocacy efforts.
Learn more about the Grange and our grassroots policy and priority issues, the service of our nearly 140,000 members across the nation to improve the quality of life in their communities, and where you can find a Grange local to you by visiting www.nationalgrange.org.
