NATIONAL GRANGE OFFICERS
Executive Committee
Christine E. Hamp
National President
Christine E. Hamp, National Grange President
Christine E. (Chris) Hamp, a fourth-generation Granger, was raised on a dairy farm homesteaded in the 1880s by her great-grandfather in Monroe, Washington. Chris joined Tualco Junior Grange #341 at the age of 5 and then Tualco Grange #284. Today, Chris serves as Secretary at Five Mile Prairie Grange #905 in Spokane County, where she is an affiliate member. In 2023, Chris was elected President of the National Grange, having previously served as National Vice President from 2021-23, as National Lecturer from 2016-21, National Lady Assistant Steward from 2013-16, and National Pomona from 2011-13.
Earlier in her life, Chris was named the Washington State Outstanding Junior Granger in 1981, the Washington State Outstanding Young Granger in 1986, National Youth Ambassador in 1986, and President of the National Youth Officer Team in 1996. Chris also served as the Washington State Grange Lady Assistant Steward from 1990-95 and as a Washington State Grange Special Deputy from 1999-2011.
Chris served as a member of the National Grange’s Strategic Planning Task Force initiated in 1999 and led the most recent review of the National Grange mission statement as well as the development and revision of the Washington State Grange mission statement. Currently, Chris is the chair of the National Convention Advisory Work Group tasked with identifying how to make our national convention the most important Grange event of the year.
Chris retired in early 2023 as a chief officer in the fire service after more than 30 years in state and local government.
Currently, Chris is proud to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Quilts of Valor Foundation, a position she has held since 2022.
Chris earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington; a Master of Public Administration degree from The George Washington University in Washington, DC; and an associate degree of technical arts in Fire Command Administration from Edmonds Community College in Edmonds, Washington.
Chris and her husband Duane, a past President of the Washington State Grange, live outside Spokane, Washington.
Susan Noah
Exec. Committee Secretary
Susan Noah, Executive Committee Secretary
Susan Noah of Springfield, Oregon, currently serves as the Executive Committee of the National Grange. Noah was elected to the National Grange Executive Committee in November 2018 at the 152nd Annual Convention in Stowe, Vermont. She previously served as Pomona of the National Grange.
She is the immediate past President of the Oregon State Grange, serving from 2012-2022, and is now serving as a Board Member of the Oregon State Grange. Prior to that, she held various offices on the State, county, and local levels of the Grange, including the State Grange offices of Lady Assistant Steward, Lecturer, and Secretary. Noah has been a member of Mohawk-McKenzie Grange in Lane County for more than 50 years. She also serves as a Board member of the Grange Foundation.
Susan graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography in 1976. She worked in the building products industry for most of her career, starting with a Veneer brokerage owned by her in-laws, she went on to become an office manager and controller of multi-million dollar companies selling lumber and plywood products all over the United States. In 2021, she retired from Springfield Lumber Products in Riddle, Oregon, after more than 20 years with them.
She and her husband Mark, also a past President and current Legislative Chairman of Oregon State Grange, have been married for 47 years. They live in Springfield and have a beautiful Gordon Setter named Roxy.
John Benedik
National Vice President
John Benedik, National Grange Vice President
John Benedik, III, of Flemington, New Jersey, was elected National Grange Vice President in 2023.John is a 44-year Grange member in New Jersey, and currently the President of Stanton Grange #148, the President of Hunterdon Pomona Grange #3, and President of New Jersey State Grange.
John is currently a bank manager, enjoys reading John Grisham novels, and is a big New Jersey Devils fan.
Joseph Stefenoni
Exec. Committee Member
Joseph Stefenoni, Executive Committee Member
Joseph Stefenoni serves as the President and CEO of the California State Grange, where he leads the organization’s mission to foster community, education, and agricultural advocacy throughout the state. With a longstanding commitment to the Grange’s values, Stefenoni has become a key leader within the organization, shaping strategies to modernize and strengthen the Grange’s role within California’s rural and agricultural communities.
Under Stefenoni’s guidance, the California State Grange has expanded its focus on outreach, membership growth, and educational initiatives that benefit not only Grange members but also the broader public. His leadership emphasizes inclusivity and adaptation, aiming to make the Grange a relevant and impactful presence for diverse populations across California.
Stefenoni was elected to the National Grange Executive Committee in 2024, placing him at the forefront of national efforts to promote the Grange’s values of community service, agricultural development, and rural advocacy on a larger scale. As a member of the Executive Committee, Stefenoni brings a fresh perspective and a wealth of experience from his work in California, contributing to the strategic planning and growth of the Grange across the country.
With a background that combines a deep-rooted passion for agriculture with a commitment to community building, Stefenoni is dedicated to creating a Grange that resonates with the next generation of leaders, rural advocates, and citizens. His work reflects a vision of a vibrant, interconnected network of Granges that serve as hubs of education, fellowship, and support for rural and urban communities.
Stefenoni received a B.S. in Agricultural Economics with a minor in environmental economics, politics, & policy from Oklahoma State University and an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Oklahoma State University in 2018.
He was raised in Sebastopol, CA, on his family’s 1890s farm and joined Sebastopol Grange #306 in 2006. He has been active in Grange work at the community, county, state, and National levels. Previously, he worked as Director of Membership & Leadership Development for the National Grange from 2015 to 2017 and again from 2018 to 2021. He lives in Petaluma, California, with his wife, Hannah.
Lynette Schaeffer
Exec. Committee Chair
Lynette Schaeffer, Executive Committee Chair
Lynette Schaeffer was elected to the National Grange Executive Committee at the 151st National Grange Session in 2017, and has served as the Chair since 2021.
Lynette is a 50+ year Grange member and has served as the President of the Illinois State Grange since 2013.
She originally joined Floraville Community Grange in 1971, after having been a Floraville Community Junior Granger from 1960-1971. After marrying Don, she joined Shiloh Valley Grange in 1975. She has held many different offices and directorships on the State Grange level, including State Junior Director, Pomona, Historian, Secretary, and President.
In 2020, Lynette retired from the USDA_OCIO-CTS doing computer support for USDA offices in nine counties in southern Illinois.
Outside of the Grange, Lynette plays in a bell group at O’Fallon United Church of Christ. She also serves on the O’Fallon Township Zoning Commission.
Don and Lynette have two children and five grandchildren. They were honored as a legacy family in 2017, recognizing five generations of Schaeffers and Zerbans who have bene Grangers. They are active in farming by raising cattle, corn, soybeans, and alfalfa.
Buddy Overstreet
Exec. Committee Member
Buddy Overstreet, Executive Committee Member
Buddy Overstreet was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi then moved to Texas when he was 5 years old. After graduating from Somerset High School, he worked as a diesel mechanic and was enlisted in the United States Coast Guard Reserves. He attended the University of Texas in San Antonio where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Accounting. In 1993 Buddy obtained his CPA (Certified Public Accountant) license. He worked at various accounting firms in the San Antonio area and retired from USAA after 26 years. He also retired form the Coast Guard Reserves after 30 years of service. He currently has a CPA practice.
Buddy is also extremely involved in his local church, Oak Island United Methodist Church. He currently serves on the Worship Team and is the church’s Finance Chairman.
Buddy joined the Grange when he and his wife, Karen started dating in 1979. He currently holds the office of President of the Alamo Subordinate Grange, Steward of the Bexar County Pomona Grange, Assistant Steward of the Texas State Grange and is a member of the National Grange Executive Committee. In 1995, him and his wife were Texas State Grange Young Couple.
Buddy and Karen currently live on a 190-acre farm where they raise coastal hay and lease some of the land out for grazing and hunting. They have been married for 37 years and have three children, Carl, Leah, and Karryn.
In Buddy’s spare time, he enjoys hunting, woodworking, gardening, and fishing.
National Grange Officers
Tom Gwin
National Lecturer
Tom Gwin, National Lecturer
Tom Gwin was elected Lecturer of the National Grange in 2023 at the 157th Annual National Grange Convention. Gwin is a member of Humptulips Grange #730, where he is Secretary; Grays Harbor/Pacific Pomona Grange #28, where he serves as Lecturer and Family Living Director; and has been State Grange President since 2015. He is a 48-year Grange member.
Tom is a retired manager of the Washington State Fair. He previously served in the Washington State Fair Association board for 8 years. He is a 35-year 4-H leader, Junior Grange Leader & Camp Director. He enjoys gardening flowers and produce.
He enjoys spending time with his brother Jerry and his family – Aaron, Jake, and Kennedy, and his mother Davona.
Christopher Johnston
National Steward
Christopher Johnston, National Steward
Christopher Johnston is a third-generation Granger from Michigan, who currently serves as National Grange Steward, elected in 2023, and as President of the Michigan State Grange. He has always been passionate about the lessons and rituals of the Grange.
In Michigan, he served as State Assistant Steward for eight years and Steward for three years before being elected President. He has aslso served in many different positions in his Subordinate and Pomona Granges, and was previously National Grange Gatekeeper from 2011-2023.
Johnston currently works at the Meijer Distribution Center in Lansing, Michigan. Outside of Grane, he is also an on-call firefighter, currently serving as Captain, a 1st Lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol, and as Scoutmaster for his sons’ Boy Scout Troop.
Johnston married his wife Connie, a fourth-generation Granger, in 2002. The couple met while attending Grange youth/young adult camps. She works as an Administrative Assistant at Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan, and serves as State Grange webmaster. The Johnstons have twin sons, Marcus and Cory.
Joe Goodrich
National Treasurer
Joe Goodrich, National Treasurer
Joe Goodrich is a third-generation Grange member, joining Center Grange #290 at age 14 and having been a Junior Grange member prior to that. He is the immediate past President of Vermont State Grange, where he served from 2018-2022. He is the co-director of Membership & Leadership and Vice Chairperson of the Executive Committee in the Vermont State Grange.
Joe worked in the rail industry for nearly 40 years.
He is married to Lisa, who together have six adult children and several grandchildren. They enjoy riding motorcycles.
Barbara Foster
National Pomona
Barbara Foster, National Pomona
Barbara Foster of Pennsboro, West Virginia, was elected as National Grange Pomona at the 157th Annual National Grange Convention in 2023.Barbara is the only daughter of Earlene & Jim Foster, former West Virginia State Grange President and National Grange Chaplain. She has three brothers. She was born in Tennessee, but grew up an “Air Force military brat” living in Delaware, South Carolina, Taiwan, and Japan before Jim retired and bought a farm in West Virginia, where they have lived for 49 years.
Barbara joined the Grange in 1985, and is a member of Oxford Community Grange #526 and Central State Pomona Grange. She has held several offices at the community, Pomona, and State levels. The Fosters were Grange Family of the Year in 2003.
Barbara is retired as a full-time teacher after 32 years, and a total of 44 years in education. She taught home economics and elementary students with learning disabilities. She is the former President (20+ years) of the West Virginia Professional Educators’ Association and works with the Doddridge County Community Education Outreach.
In addition to her other involvement, Barbara is a retired member of the Pennsboro Volunteer Fire Department Ladies’ Auxiliary, and a member of the Pt. Pleasant Baptist Church, the Order of the Eastern Star, and the South Side Baptist Church, where she is the assistant treasurer. She enjoys sewing & quilting and reading, and lives with her two dogs, Max & Ellie, and three cats, Strips, Frisky, & Runt.
Debbie Campbell
National Secretary
Debbie Campbell, National Secretary
Debbie Campbell has been a Grange member for 43 years. She is a member of Oliver Grange #1069 in Newport, Pennsylvania where she holds the office of Lecturer/Program Director. She is also the Treasurer of the Perry County Pomona Grange which she has held since 1999.
She is currently the Pennsylvania State Grange Secretary which she has served since 2012. She has also held the office of Pennsylvania State Grange Pomona and Pennsylvania Junior Grange Director. Debbie also served two years on the National Junior Grange Committee under Emalee Colver, former National Junior Director.
Debbie has been married to Wayne Campbell for 48 years. They have three children – Jennifer, Ashley and Nathan and four grandchildren – Bryce, Riley, Nathan Jr. and Lyrick. Her grandson, Bryce, was the 2019-2021 National Junior Grange Ambassador.
She is a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Newport where she has been Treasurer since 2009.
Debbie retired after 35 years with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She currently works part-time as the Secretary/Treasurer of Tuscarora Township.
Walter Hartley
National Asst. Steward
Walter Hartley, National Asst. Steward
Walter Hartley was elected as the National Grange Assistant Steward in 2023. He is also the 35th President of the Rhode Island State. He had previously served as Vice President and member of the Board of Directors and Vice President of the Rhode Island State Grange Foundation.Walter was born and “Raised Right Here”. Having grown up in a multi-generational Grange family in West Greenwich where he joined his older brother and sisters at Moosup Valley Junior Grange #27 in Foster, RI. After almost being born at their Halloween party, he later joined when he turned 5 and worked his way to become the Junior President. His youngest daughter, Nettie is the immediate past National Junior Grange Ambassador as well as the Past President of their Junior Grange, alongside the same Junior (Matron & Patron) Leaders that he had.
As a teenager, he joined Moosup Valley Grange #26 and served as President there as well as President of the Rhode Island State Youth Grange and State Grange Youth Ambassador. He is a member and current President of Kent County Pomona #3. Along with his wife, they successfully run the Rhode Island State Grange Corn Dog Booth at the Washington County Fair where they are affectionately known as Mr. & Mrs. Corn Dog. He is currently serving as the President of the Northeast Region.
Walter says that the office of Assistant Steward has always been his favorite, having previously served in the office in his Junior, Subordinate, Youth, Pomona, and State Granges.
Walter is a graduate of North Kingstown High School and furthered his education in the Police, Fire & EMS fields in Maine, where his daughters, Rebecca & Heather along with granddaughters Aria & Dakota still reside.
Walter’s leadership skills that he’s learned during his lifetime in the Grange have greatly helped and guided him as the Grand Knight of his Knights of Columbus Council, Past President of the City of Warwick Municipal Employee’s Union and State Municipal Vice President with AFSCME/Council 94.
He currently works for the City of Warwick, RI Police Department, assigned to the Prosecution Division as a civilian administrative clerk. He and his wife are Eucharistic Ministers at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church with their daughter serving as a senior Alter Server.
Walter lives in North Scituate, RI with his wife Danielle, their daughter Annette Grace, aka “Nettie,” and their twin cats, Jack and Jill.
David Allen
National Gatekeeper
David Allen, National Gatekeeper
David Allen was elected Gatekeeper of the National Grange in 2023 at the 157th Annual Session. A 25-year Grange member, David is currently President of Corriher Grange #627, a member of Southern Piedmont Pomona Grange, and is currently the Vice President of the North Carolina State Grange.
David is a retired Police Chief in Cleveland, NC.
David and his wife Crystal live in Mooresville with their pet mastiff, Lucy. Together, the couple own and operate Tranquility Farm on land inherited from Crystal’s grandparents. There, they grow muscadine grapes and raise bees, as well as other produce, which they sell directly to consumers. He was named a 2019 North Carolina Local Food Council Champion.
In addition to his work on the farm, David currently teaches in the Criminal Justice Program at Guilford Technical Community College. He enjoys wood working on “small things” and is a member at Unity United Methodist Church.
Welina Shufeldt
National Flora
Welina Shufeldt, National Flora
Welina Shufeldt was elected National Flora at t the 151st Annual National Grange Convention in Spokane, Washington in 2017.
She is the First Lady of Oklahoma State Grange, married to President Billy Shufeldt.
Welina was raised in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, but currently lives in South Coffeyville, where she is a member of South Coffeyville Grange #351 and Green County Pomona Grange #19. She is retired, after working as office manager for P&P Cementing LLC for more than a decade, as well as Coffeyville Child Care.
In the State Grange, she has held the office of Lady Assistant Steward for nearly 20 years. For many years, she also served as the Oklahoma State Grange Youth Director.
Welina joined the Grange in 1990, the year after she and Billy married. The couple has four children – Justin Knight, and his wife Kimberly; Joshua Shufeldt and his wife Rhonda; Bailey Miranda and her husband William; and Melody Finn and her husband Andrew. Their son, Travis Shufeldt, who would have been 33 in 2023, is deceased. They also have five grandchildren – Travis, Landon, Jayla, Leo, and Marlee.
Kay Hoffman Stiles
National Chaplain
Kay Hoffman Stiles, National Chaplain
Kay Hoffman Stiles, a second-generation Grange member, was elected to the office of National Grange Chaplain in 2023. Previously, she had been National Grange Pomona since 2018.Kay is a member of Medford Grange #188 in Maryland, holding the office of Lady Assistant Steward. She is an elected member of the Maryland State Grange Executive Committee and is the State Grange Treasurer.Kay grew up in 4-H with her main project focusing on dairy, which led her to meet her husband, Allen Stiles, the immediate past Maryland State Grange President. She has been a member of the Maryland 4-H All Stars since 1976 and has held multiple offices including Secretary, Treasurer, and Executive Committee.
She was the first-ever Maryland State Jersey Queen, the Caroline County Farm Queen, and a member of the Maryland Jersey Cattle Club, where she served as President, Secretary, Treasurer, and on the Executive Committee.
Kay graduated Magna Cum Laude from Wesley College in Dover, Delaware.
Kay currently lives on a Jersey dairy farm in Westminster with her husband Allen. She has worked for the Anne Arundel County Government since 1976 as civil legal secretary for the County Attorney, office manager and OIT’s Support Division Chief. She is also the Chief Judge for hometown of Ridgely. She currently serves as consistory secretary for her church.
Kathy Gibson
National Lady Asst. Steward
Kathy Gibson, National Lady Asst. Steward
Kathy Gibson joined the Grange shortly after marrying her husband, Glenn, a third generation Grange member, in 1988. They became very involved with the state’s “youth Grange” or “MSGYLA” which means “MA State Grange Youth Leadership Association”. They represented the State of Massachusetts at National Grange as Young Couple in 1992. They competed together in the State and Regional Sign-a-Song contests several times and twice at National Grange Session. Kathy held the position of State Deaf Activities Director for 10 years while, during most of that time, she was Junior Leader for Apple Valley Junior Grange #138 where she got to watch her children, Amanda and Glenn Jr., grow up in the Grange.
After “retiring” as Deaf Activities Director and Junior Leader, she was asked to serve as State Junior Director which she did so for another 10 years. She has held several offices at the Subordinate and Pomona levels and Lady Assistant Steward for the MA State Grange. Kathy is the bookkeeper and “office manager” for her husband’s businesses, “Gibson Rentals” which rents apartments and commercial space, and “Gibson’s Trucking” which offers landscaping as well as snow plowing/sanding services. She is also a tax preparer. Her most greatest blessing is recently becoming a Grandma.
In 2021, after being diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, she has become an advocate for breast cancer awareness.
Cindy Greer
National Ceres
Cindy Greer, National Ceres
Cindy Greer was elected National Ceres in 2017 in Spokane, WA, at the 151st Annual National Grange Convention. Cindy is currently the Secretary of the Colorado State Grange, having been elected to that position in 2015. She served as the National Grange Youth Development Director from 2002-06.
She was also previously Colorado State Grange President, Lecturer, Lady Assistant Stewart, Ceres, and Flora, as well as Youth Director, Junior Director, Deaf Activities Director and Mandy Project Director. She is the Secretary/Treasurer for People Improving Communities and Kids (PICK) and has been since its beginning in 2000. PICK is a 501(c)(3) organization for the Colorado State Grange. Cindy’s maternal grandparents were Grange members, and her own Grange journey began in Mt. Allison Junior Grange, where she served as President. She joined Mt. Allison Grange #308 in 1973. She transferred to Marvel Grange in 1978 when she married Harry Greer. The Greer family also has a deep Grange legacy, with five generations having been Grange members. She and Harry represented Colorado as Young Couple in Spokane, WA, in 1981, making her election to National Office in the same city decades later fitting. The couple live near Marvel, Colorado, in a log home that they built themselves with the help of family and friends. They have two children, Russell and Daniel, and seven grandchildren.
Cindy earned a secretarial degree at Blair Business College, in Colorado Springs, CO, and worked as a secretary at Fort Lewis College and the La Plata County Extension service prior to the birth of the couple’s first child. Since that time, she has been a stay at home mom and Domestic Engineer (homemaker). She currently provides daycare for the grandchildren and focuses much of her time to volunteering in the community.
Cindy is active in the Marvel Methodist Church and serves as the Sunday School superintendent and Vacation Bible School director. She attends Bible Study Fellowship Day Women’s class in Durango and has served as a Children’s leader, Assistant Children’s Supervisor and Children’s supervisor. Cindy is an active member of the Fort Lewis Mesa Fire Department Auxiliary. She is a 4-H cake decorating leader and had done so for about 40 years; during the past year, she also took on being a 4-H sewing leader. Cindy and Harry both served as the main leader for the Pioneer 4-H Club. Cindy is currently the Marvel Junior Grange leader.
Cindy has always had an interest in the Deaf. She enjoys decorating cakes, making crafts, working with children, crocheting, knitting, embroidery, cooking, leathercraft, art, clogging, line dancing, and signing songs.