About Us

Charlie Arnot

CEO

Charlie started this whole thing back in 2004. A member of NAMA and PRSA, Charlie is recognized as an industry leader on food and agriculture issues and is a thought-provoking writer and speaker. His incredible leadership skills and knack for forming genuine connections mean he’s met practically everyone there is to know in food and agriculture. Chances are, you’re already connected.

Winner of an Associated Press award for Best Radio News Reporting, Charlie began his career in journalism and worked in film and video production prior to working in public relations and corporate communications. Today, he provides innovative strategic insight and helps leading companies and associations find new solutions to persistent challenges regarding issues management, communications and public affairs.

Growing up in rural Nebraska, his family always had horses, cattle, chickens and a couple of pigs every now and then. His first paying job (besides putting up hay) was working in a restaurant, and he loves to cook. Try his pulled pork sometime—it’s the best.

Randa Niederhauser

Business Manager

Randa does everything not PR. She manages accounting, HR, IT and facilities, and she’s got a knack for staying calm under pressure.

Previously, Randa worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City in financial planning and budget and cost analysis. The dynamics of agriculture fit very well with Randa’s interest in economics. The concepts of opportunity cost, supply and demand and markets have always interested her.

A recovering soccer mom and hopeless Francophile, she is active in her church’s music program and The Mission Project, an organization that enables capable adults with developmental or cognitive disabilities to live independently and safely in community with minimal support.

Jennie Nguyen

Digital Account Manager

Jennie works with clients to create social media strategies that collaborate with marketing, public relations and advertising campaigns. To do so, she researches top influencers, competitors and trends in the food and agriculture industries. She loves engaging with communities and consumers no matter the medium, and it suits her perfectly in her role as social media account manager.

Born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, she moved to Kansas City to pursue her undergraduate degree from Rockhurst University, where she graduated with a BSBA with concentrations in international business and marketing, as well as a minor in Spanish.

She spent the first three years of her career at The Roasterie Air-Roasted Coffee in Kansas City, where she started in customer service and moved into managing their various social media and community engagement efforts.

She is a huge Harry Potter nerd, so if you’re ever going to a Harry Potter-themed trivia night, she’s your muggle (i.e., non-magical person).

Sydney Smith

Project Manager

Sydney puts her acute attention to detail to use by working closely with our project leads to ensure that the needs of Look East clients are met, each and every time.

Growing up in rural Northwest Missouri, Sydney had the full “farm life” experience – mixing bottles for calves, slinging hay, mucking horse stalls, and leading FFA activities. She graduated from Northwest Missouri State University (#OABAAB) with her B.S. in Agricultural Business and a focus in agricultural communications and advocacy. She has professional experience in internal and external communications, community outreach programs, advertising, event coordination, and employee engagement. With a strong passion for serving future generations of agriculturists, she enjoys supporting and attending Agriculture Future of America activities.

Nowadays you can find Sydney chasing her toddler around the farm of an evening, baking sweet treats, or tending to her flowers and vegetable garden – all of which have been proven to be valuable lessons in patience and perseverance.

Melanie Fitzpatrick

Vice President of Operations

Melanie brings decades of experience and leadership in agriculture to Look East as a former client. Fitzpatrick helped The Center of Food Integrity launch the animal ag committee when she served as U.S. Utilization Director for the United Soybean Board. Fitzpatrick most recently served as senior director of marketing and communications for The Indiana Soybean Alliance, Indiana Corn Marketing Council and Indiana Corn Growers Association.

Fitzpatrick will leads and support Look East in operations, including finance and accounting, information systems, human resources and other related functions. Fitzpatrick received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and an MBA from Webster University.

Melanie and her husband live in St. Louis. When she’s not working from her remote office, spending time with her pups or riding her horse, she visits the Look East home office in Kansas City.

Susan Wallace

Account Coordinator

Susan is a writer of articles, news releases, blog posts, Best Food Facts and just about anything else with words on it. To her, writing is like working a puzzle, where she takes facts, figures and pieces of information and fits them together to create a picture.

She brings extensive journalism and writing experience to Look East, having served as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers for more than a dozen years. As an agriculture preparedness specialist, she developed a 15-county agriculture emergency response plan. She has also served as communications director for an agriculture non-profit and is a member of the local University Extension Council.

Susan grew up in a big family on a small farm in rural Missouri. Lessons learned on hot summer days in the hay field—teamwork, doing a job right the first time and sticking with a chore until it’s done—have proven valuable. Even though she lives in town, she grows a garden and visits the farm whenever she gets a chance.

Jana McGuire

Senior Account Manager

Teased for being the Look East night owl, Jana prides herself on being a good steward of her client’s time and resources, even if it’s 2 a.m. But don’t worry—she won’t call you after midnight.

Jana dons many hats to help clients reach important audiences with the right messages. Whether that’s through writing, training, video production or creative strategy, she brings a broad range of skills to the job each day.

Before Look East, Jana was a radio and television reporter and worked in public relations at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln before pursuing a freelance career as a writer, video producer and on-camera/voice-over talent. ABC and NBC news, “Extra” and “America’s Most Wanted” were among her clients. Billionaire Warren Buffett, rocker Tommy Lee and a woman who left her husband because he snored were some of her most memorable assignments.

Beginning at the age of 9, Jana played alongside Mom, Dad and her sisters in the family band for 21 years – and she still plays today. They were a bit like the Partridge Family – only, instead of a spacious bus they traveled in a white station wagon with wooden side panels.

Donna Moenning

Senior Account Manager

Donna is known for her insight on consumer confidence in food and agriculture, and her strategic and creative initiatives in communicating values to build trust.  From project management to video production, Donna has the ability to bring refreshing new ideas to the table that cut through the clutter to achieve the desired communication goals.

She joined our team in 2013 with three decades of leadership experience in public relations and issues/crisis management including seven years with the former National Live Stock and Meat Board, and nine years with the Midwest Dairy Association. Donna’s journey also includes a number of years behind the microphone as a broadcast journalist. She believes all effective communication begins with understanding your audience, which is why she value’s Look East’s consumer trust research.

Donna lives on a crop and livestock farm with her husband and three children in southeast Minnesota.  Her life experiences include (but are far from limited to) competing in a combine demolition derby, working with Julia Child and Baseball Hall of Famer, Nolan Ryan, and speaking to food system stakeholders in more than 35 states and Canada.

Vicki Landtiser

Administrative and Projects Assistant

Vicki is responsible for the day-to-day administrative support to our president and management teams, as well as the scheduling, logistics and execution of speaking engagements, events and meetings.  She is also known to do pretty much anything else that is handed to her.

With more than eight years of event management and over ten years of office management, Vicki is a pro at the logistics of handling speaker requests, planning events and helping the team get “stuff” done – whatever that may be.

If you drop by her house, you might find her practicing for the next solo she will be performing at church, cooking, absorbed in a good book or spoiling her cocker spaniel, Bella.

She will greet you with a smile and her philosophy at both work and home is that it is better to be kind than right.

Amy te Plate-Church

Director of Account Services

Not only does Amy enjoy working with people, but she’s a joy to work with. Her positive energy, enthusiasm and knack for bringing others together to collaborate toward a common cause.

On a day to day basis, she works with agribusinesses and farm groups to create and carry out trust-building communication strategies. Each organization she works with has different and changing needs, which makes for a challenge she really enjoys.

Amy is well-regarded as a speaker, writer, public relations pro, educator and facilitator. Before joining us, she spent 20 years with a dairy and livestock cooperative, where she led public relations, marketing and business development projects.

Amy loves to cook, and when she has time, she likes to pick a new recipe and completely concentrate on the ingredients and process. Her family then votes if it’s a “keeper” or not.

Andres Ospino

Digital Strategist

Andres has a significant advantage in understanding how our clients think – he graduated from the University of South Florida with a major in psychology.

He puts these skills to work as Look East’s digital strategist creating effective, tailored campaigns. He has worked with clients from many different sectors of agriculture and specializes in the areas of search engine optimization, paid search marketing (pay-per-click), conversion architecture and social media. He enjoys strategizing with Look East clients to reach their target audience and create customized digital marketing plans that positively impact their business goals.

The only thing Andres loves more than a good cup of coffee is his family.

Mendy Rose

Project Manager

Mendy collaborates with our account and client teams, leveraging her keen management and organizational skills to make sure every project at Look East is delivered on time and on budget. She is known for her enthusiasm and dedication to driving client success.

She has extensive experience in public relations, marketing and customer service, managing projects in the entertainment, restaurant and grocery industries.  If you ever want to know what it takes to open a motor speedway or a music theater, she has some stories to tell.

Mendy grew up visiting her aunt and uncle’s farm in rural Missouri on summer weekends where she learned about everything from raising cattle and pigs to planting, tending and harvesting Grandma’s vegetable garden. She and her family get together regularly to reminisce about the great memories shared and to make new ones.

Roxi Beck

Vice President

Roxi focuses on consumers nearly 100% of the time. That means digging into research on consumer perspectives, building programs that put research findings into action to connect with consumers, and ultimately working directly with consumers by giving them unique, interactive, hands-on experiences to engage fully and transparently with those in the food industry.

A strategic PR pro and truly passionate person, Roxi joined us back in 2007 because she wanted the opportunity to apply strategy in new ways, help solve challenges for folks in the food industry, and work with a team that laughed in the face of “business as usual.”

Roxi believes that having genuine motives, a straightforward approach and solid communication skills can move mountains (this applies to clients, adversaries, kids, life partners…pretty much anyone).

Terry Fleck

Vice President

Terry leads and directs our association management division. If you need help with a not-for-profit, he’s your guy. He enjoys association work because it’s about people, principle and improving the common good. He enjoys serving others while building trust and making a difference that lasts over time.

Terry brings to Look East a wealth of experience from local, state, national and international levels in public relations, sales, international development/diplomacy, association leadership and policy. He worked international market development positions in Washington, D.C., and Vienna, Austria, before spending nearly 16 years working with the Indiana Pork Industry.

He’s been awarded a Meritorious Service Award from the Indiana Pork Industry, as well as Sagamore of the Wabash—the state of Indiana’s highest award for service to its citizens.