(In response to Colleen’s Comment, Week of March 26, 2007)
"After all these years you haven’t lost your edge! I bow to your talent. Great message and extremely well done. Thanks for sharing. I have always been one of your biggest fans and appreciate all you've done for our favorite industry."
-Mark K. Lambert, Communications Director
Illinois Corn Growers Association | Illinois Corn Marketing Board

"Thank you for serving as emcee for the McLean County 4-H Fair Royalty contest. You did a great job, and we really appreciate you taking the time from your busy schedule to help make the evening memorable for everyone. Thanks
again for all that you do for the 4-H program and for Agriculture."
-Sincerely, Brian Basting

"Colleen, thank you so much for making yesterday's class an overwhelming success. You always do such a great job relating to people and are particularly adept at relating to students. There are 4 or 5 of the students in Communication
and they were obviously very impressed just to have you there."
-Ron Warfield, Visiting Professor, University of Illinois

"Colleen Callahan is a pro, no doubt about it. With her decades of experience in TV and radio journalism, she knows what she's talking about when it comes to delivering a message that will resonate with an audience. She teaches media skills and communication strategies with a sense of humor, with a style that is easy to follow and a message that sinks in.
I would highly and wholeheartedly recommend her for any business or organization that wants to help its leaders deliver
an effective message to its audience... either through media relations or through an overall communications strategy."
-Cheri Bustos, Senior Director
Corporate Communications/Physician Relations |  Trinity Regional Health System

"Thanks so much for addressing the Watseka Kiwanis Club at yesterday’s Farm City Day. On behalf of our members and guests, we appreciate your time, talent and willingness to share. As well, we truly appreciate the Martins and WGFA for sponsoring your visit. As with other service organizations, Watseka Kiwanis is grateful for the generosity of its members. We are proud to know that you have aligned yourself with WGFA to bring our local listeners timely and relevant information as it relates to local, national and worldwide agricultural issues. Again, many thanks."
-Kelly Berry, Iroquois Federal Financial Services

"Thanks again for a super key-note speech. You were marvelous and so comfortable doing it."
-Jim Davis, Attendee
Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs

"I wanted to email you & thank you for your presentation. As I looked around the room as you were speaking, I could
tell everyone else was as interested in your presentation as I was! I came home & shared a few of your points with my husband, who addresses groups several times a year. I especially appreciated the handout! It not only reinforces your comments, but helps us all remember them! It's so great being involved with a group of highly competent women!
Thanks for your involvement last evening."
-Bev Riggins, Midwest Concierge Service

"Just wanted to say thanks again for speaking at our symposium. I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews from attendees. Everyone said it was like you were speaking right to them – especially me. You’re an inspiration to all of us striving for success in the Ag industry. Thanks again for everything."
-Megan Cooper, University of Missouri

"Thanks for the training last week. I appreciated getting together, learning and growing!"
-Bill Northey, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture

"We are so happy to learn you were chosen for the Illinois Farm Bureau Eagle Award! We know how deserving you
are of it."
-Fulton County Farm Bureau

"Congratulations on your 2005 Friend of Agriculture Award! What an honor! We are so proud of you! We listen to you
each morning on WGFA, love hearing you and your thoughts!"
-Wes and Fredna Glover, Listeners from Milford, IL

"What a pleasure to meet you last week in Kansas City! You are a true inspiration to us and we value your insight.
Thank you for your kindness and your contributions to the ag industry."
-Lindsay Hill, Buckeye Ag Radio Network

"Colleen, your introduction of Kirby Barrick tonight was nothing short of awesome… and he deserved every word of recognition that you gave him... Thanks."
-Robert A. Easter, Ph.D., Professor and Dean
College of Agricultural | Consumer and Environmental Sciences University of Illinois

"I really enjoyed your PowerPoint presentation at the Trees Forever Program at the Quad Cities! It was extremely well-done and provided excellent "food for thought" about self-improvement and value of life -- thanks for sharing so many interesting things about your life!"
-Bob Frazee, Natural Resources Educator
University of Illinois Extension |  East Peoria Extension Center

"Colleen, It was great to see you at the NAMA meeting today and I really enjoyed your presentation. As a fellow "woman
in ag" and swine herdsman, I appreciate the example you set and the doors you open. You are the epitome of poise and professionalism and I always enjoy having an opportunity to hear you speak. Thanks again."
-Julie Toohill, Communications Manager
Illinois Soybean Association

"I wanted to thank you for speaking at our Ag Day Breakfast. I continue to get comments from those in attendance on how much they enjoyed your presentation. Again, thanks so much for your help."
-Nat Siez, Business Development Representative
The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce

"Thanks so much for doing a great job at the Trees Forever Buffer Celebration. Everyone enjoyed the "E's of Life."
We appreciate all you do to promote agriculture."
-Shannon Ramsay, Trees Forever

"Dear Colleen,
Just wanted to share with you the several comments I received about your visit to Knoxville. One gal said "I wish she would have talked 3 hours!" I don't think they had heard a program of such quality until you. Thank you very much, it was great to see you!"
-Janet Eiker, Knoxville Women's Club

(E's of Life)
"Everyone truly enjoyed your presentation. Some of our farmers were particularly impressed with how your life’s experiences in the livestock business closely paralleled their own experiences. Perhaps we can have you back again
since we intend to continue this tradition and we are continuing to add to our list of farm businesses."
-Mark Horwedel, Peoples Bank and Trust, Pana, IL

(E's of Life)
"We so enjoyed having you come to Delaware to take part in the 4th Annual Women in Agriculture conference. Your keynote address was well received by our audience. Your personal anecdotes and experiences allowed others to find a way to relate to each of your E's. I especially enjoyed your Education E. You shed light on a very serious topic - the overbearing gender inequality in Afghanistan, illustrating that education is not to be taken for granted and that it is truly hungered for. Each year, the goal for the conference is to offer women in agriculture an opportunity to learn in an informal setting, among other women. You started the day by engaging the women and challenging them."
-Laurie Wolinski, Kent County Extension Associate
University of Delaware, Dover, DE

(Back from Iraq - One Year Later)
"On behalf of the farm families, agribusiness representatives, and staff of University of Illinois Extension, Ford Iroquois Unit, we would like to express our appreciation for being our motivational speaker at the Ag Day 2005 program. Approximately 150-175 were in attendance last week to enjoy your presentation and glean new insight into the positive accomplishments of our men and women in uniform stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We were glad that you spent most of the day with us.
It allowed many participants the opportunity to speak with you before and after your session was over. You comments and unique travel experiences left many with tears in their eyes and a new perspective of how truly blessed our nation really is.
I enjoyed reading your "Colleen's Comments" booklet that same evening. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to speak to producers and agribusiness representatives in the Ford-Iroquois Unit. We appreciate your support and interest in 4-H Youth Development and agricultural programming in this area and look forward to our continued partnership in the future."
-Karen Moore, Extension Unit Leader & Ed Karr, Ag Program Coordinator
University of Illinois Extension | Ford-Iroquois Unit, Onarga, IL

"Thank you so much for your participation in the 2005 Soybean Leadership College. Your insight to "listening" will be valuable for our attendees for years to come. I also appreciate your "talk show" skills. I know there is not another person who could have brought more to the program."
-Sue Derscheid, American Soybean Association

"I wanted to thank you again for speaking to ACES club the other night. I think your speech had a big impact on some of
the students. Some of us have no idea what is ahead of us and what challenges and opportunities life may present and
I think you emphasized that last night. It was also nice to have someone speak about a profession that might not be directly related to most of the career goals shared by the students last night. On a more personal note, I want to congratulate you for all of your accomplishments. I can remember growing up listening to your voice on the radio. Whether it was in the tractor, the grain truck, or the radio in the kitchen at lunch, Dad was always sure to be listening. I finally got a chance to put
a face to the voice when I entered into 4-H and you were doing the county fair tour. At that point I thought you were famous. Now that I've gotten to know a little more about you and your background, I realize that you are just an ordinary person that has done many extraordinary things. I wish you the best with your business and hope that you will continue inspiring people."
-Ryan Voorhees, University of Illinois College of ACES
(Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences)

"I want you to know how much I enjoyed (and learned from) your presentation to the Chicago Farmers on Mon, Nov. 8. Thank you very much. I continue to be impressed with the work that American servicemen perform that is above and
beyond their primary mission of winning the battle. It illuminates the basic goodness and kindness of Americans. It is
really sad that the media chooses to report only the the American battle causalities and the number of Iraqi women and children killed or injured by Coalition forces attempting to do their job and stabilize Iraq. Your reports on the research and outreach efforts directed to Iraqi and Afghanistan farmers to help them increase their productive capacity and efficiency
was very interesting to me."
-William F. Whiteside, PhD., Retired U of I Extension Educator

"We very much enjoyed [Colleen's] presentation and appreciated hearing another side of the story related to our country's involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. I received many positive comments about [her] presentation, both from guests and Rotarians. [Colleen's] ability to speak to such a timely issue proved very interesting to our audience and was well related
to the purpose of our annual gathering."
-Rodney Morris, Rural-Urban Rotary

"Colleen gave a wonderful presentation for our County Annual Meeting. Our members were fascinated hearing of her experiences traveling to the Middle East with Secretary Veneman. Colleen speaks to a group as if she's sitting across the table from each audience member. The presentation flew by without anyone looking at their watches!"
-Elaine Stone, Manager, Fulton County Farm Bureau

"Colleen Callahan brings years of experience to communicating issues and information important to agriculture and everyone who depends upon it. She is a very articulate and knowledgeable spokesperson that has contributed significantly to the agricultural industry."
-Philip Nelson, President, Illinois Farm Bureau

"Colleen's topic and presentation at our industry annual meeting were interesting and timely. She took her once in a lifetime experience of traveling to the Middle East and made us feel like we had traveled with her. She did an excellent
job of weaving a `human touch' into her presentation with stories about the soldiers she met there. Many of our attendees complimented Colleen directly; however, many more told our staff how much they appreciated it."
-Laurie Langstraat, National Crop Insurance Services

"It's a natural for [Colleen], and an area in which [she] can contribute much. These worrisome, often-contentious times for agriculture remind me of a rural proverb, 'When the manger is empty, the horses bite each other.' I know that you are able
to help people focus, connect with each other, express views, listen, learn, brainstorm and solve problems together. And
I think the effort can be a real source of pleasure for you along the way, as well as a great contribution to those with whom you work."
-Dr. Jim Evans, Former Head, AgriculturalCommunications, University of Illinois

"Colleen Callahan has done fantastic promotional work for the Marshall-Putnam Fair in Henry, Illinois. She brought us together with news media and major companies to develop a promotional marketing campaign for the most televised
truck and tractor pull in the world, the 'America's Pull.' Colleen has become invaluable to us."
-Jerry Read, Event Manager, "America's Pull"

"The success of our recent Awards Luncheon was a direct result of Colleen serving as the emcee. She has the inherent ability to relate and with everyone in the audience. A consummate professional, she was thoughtful, organized, articulate and brought a sense of humor to the program that everyone appreciated. Colleen's knowledge of all facets of is particularly impressive. Everyone who participated in our banquet was heartened to learn of each of the award winner's accomplishments, and that's a credit to Colleen's ability to effectively and enthusiastically communicate that information."
-Sarah Schilling Ross, Director of Alumni Relations
College of Agricultural Consumer and Environmental Sciences | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

"Colleen did a tremendous job at our Agriculture Appreciation Banquet. Her combination of humor with a message really
hit home. She was easily able to hold the attention of the entire audience with her interesting program. We had several positive remarks from those in attendance."
-Mike Fuller, Agriculture Appreciation Committee, Mexico, MO

"Colleen has a very common sense, down-to-earth approach, and gave a very outstanding, moving, and motivational talk. She did an excellent job getting 72 people heading in the same direction and united in our thoughts."
-Merle LeSage, Northwest Municipal Mayoral Group

"Colleen assisted us with media training and provided a wealth of experience and well-rounded advice for our clients.
Her recommendations and hands-on exercises had meaning and were very well-received."
-Mike Orso, Assistant Director
Contact & Public Relations | Osborn & Barr Communications

"Colleen Callahan is a great business partner. During our ten years with the 'Fields of the Future' project, Colleen
devoted a tremendous amount of time and energy connecting WMBD Radio and Illinois Central College to our
agricultural community. She was a strong advocate of education and the learning process. She enabled our students
to meet with business people. She provided opportunities for business people to meet their customers and also to promote their support of education for their future employees. Through her continued support, our industry knows this community college has an agriculture/horticulture program with a future."
-Don Jenkins, Professor, Illinois Central College

"Colleen did a great job moderating our grower discussion panel. She was easy to work and was very professional
during the event. Colleen knows our business and was an excellent representative for our company and brands."
-Linda Arnold-Whaley, Monsanto

"I am so happy you were able to be our emcee for the programs. You did a wonderful job - you were perfect! I appreciate your time and expertise. Participants really did get emotional, and you handled everything exceptionally well."
-Lori Bell, Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center

"Thank you for your excellent job as a moderator at our winter Forum. The topic of Agricultural Terrorism - How Concerned Should We Be? was extremely timely and well received by our audience. I also received good feedback on your moderator skills. You were a great choice for our group."
-John Hassell, Executive Director of the Conservation Technology Information Center

"Thank you for the outstanding presentation during the media training session at the National Association of Farm Broadcasters Convention... You are the best! For me, the media training session was the highlight of the entire convention."
-Rita Frazer, WSMI Radio