Two North Dakota State Seed Department managers were elected to leadership positions in their respective national organizations during recent annual meetings.

Steve Sebesta, deputy seed commissioner, was elected by the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies board of directors to serve as president. The election was held during the association’s meeting in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Jeff Prischmann, diagnostic laboratory manager, was elected to the executive board of the Association of Official Seed Analysts at the association’s annual meeting in Des Moines, Iowa. In addition, he holds leadership roles in several other association committees dealing with cultivar purity and genetic testing.

The North Dakota State Seed Department is the state’s designated authority for seed certification and the largest certification agency in the U.S. in terms of the number of acres in certified seed production. The administrative and laboratory services of the department are located in Johansen Hall at NDSU.

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.