The Crop Insurance Navigator program works to enhance the understanding and use of federal crop insurance by producers historically underserved by the crop insurance sector by:
- Leveraging the land-grant system agricultural economist to create relationships and outreach on crop insurance products and services.
- Building awareness and/or understanding of the network of Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs) while connecting the AIPs with targeted producer groups and academic institutions.
- Connecting with outreach educators—including 1862 farm management committees, 1890 Small Farm Programs (2501 programs), and USDA Liaisons—to enhance the level of crop insurance outreach to historically underserved farmers and ranchers.
- Educating and promoting the programs, products, and services of crop insurance stakeholders—RMA, National Crop Insurance Services, and AIPs.
- Collecting customer service data and stakeholder feedback while also analyzing crop insurance metrics to improve sector performance measures.
For more info, visit the USDA-RMA website.
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number RMA22CPT0012755. This pilot project is funded by the USDA Risk Management Agency and currently focuses on the Southern region of the U.S.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed [in this publication] on this website are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In addition, any reference to specific brands or types of products or services does not constitute or imply an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for those products or services.
Contact Number: 888-731-0888
RMA Project Navigator Staff
SeRena M. Hill
Project Manager
smhill@uada.eduService Area: AR, KY, TN, Northern AL, NC, VA
Currently working towards a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University or Arkansas, Hill holds an M.P.A in Public Administration and a B.A. in Political Science. As the RMA Project Manager, Hill hopes to strengthen outreach and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers and to enhance understanding and use of federal crop insurance by producers historically underserved by crop insurance sector.
Eric C. Sims
Navigator Project Specialist
esims@uada.eduSims holds an MBA from Webster University and a B.S. in Finance from the University of Arkansas. He brings over 20 years’ experience working in talent acquisition and project implementation for Fortune 500 companies.
Lagrand Elliott
Navigator Project Specialist
lelliott@uada.eduService Area: MS, LA, AL, FL Panhandle
LaGrand Elliott is a farmer and Vice President/COO of Foot Print Farms, an urban farm located in Jackson, Mississippi. Elliott serves as a state contact on Heirs Property for underserved farmers and ranchers throughout Mississippi and has served as a policy analyst for the Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research Center located at Alcorn State University.
Tiana Scurry
Navigator Project Specialist
tscurry@uada.eduService Area: GA, FL, SC
Originally from Georgia, Scurry holds a B.S. in Agriculture Economics from Fort Valley State University.
Dr. Ron Rainey
Principal Investigator| Center Director
rrainey@uada.eduAn Extension Economist, Rainey focuses on enhancing farm and ranch value-added entrepreneurship, risk management and marketing throughout the agricultural sector. He has generated public and private sector impacts across the food value chain including targeted efforts with farmers/ranchers, food distribution firms, and retailers. Over his almost 30-year career, his programs, expertise, and leadership have been recognized at the state, regional, and national levels.
David Stephens
Navigator Project Specialist
dstephens@uada.eduService Area: OK & TX
Stephens is an established professional with over 30 years’ experience in Oil & Gas, Healthcare Admin. Services, and Technical and Business Consulting Services. Most recently, he’s provided 12 years of agriculture technical assistance to small socially disadvantaged farmers, rural landowners, rural business owners and towns.
Chimere Hampton
Navigator Project Specialist
champton@uada.eduService Area: TN & KY
Hampton holds a B.S. in Finance with an emphasis in Real Estate from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and an M.P.A. in Public Administration from Texas Southern University. With 10 years of work experience for the U of A System, she hopes to bring a passion for outreach through assisting and guiding farmers and ranchers, toward diversified enterprises and facilitating the use of crop insurance.