Animal Health Intelligence Summit

• Decision Innovation Solutions

Grafel is a research analyst at Decision Innovation Solutions, where he conducts economic impact and contribution analyses, commodity flow studies and data management to support strategic, data-driven decision-making for clients.

Raised on his family’s wheat, corn and cattle operation in Oberlin, Kansas, Grafel developed a deep passion for agriculture through hands-on farm work and 4-H involvement. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in mathematics from Kansas State University. As an undergraduate research assistant, he contributed to empirical research on education and labor market outcomes and improved process efficiency through automation using Stata and R.

Grafel also completed a study abroad at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and an internship with the Kansas Department of Agriculture, where he developed county-level agricultural economic contribution reports and supported statewide agricultural data initiatives. 

• Hy-Plains Feedyard, Hy-Plains Education and Research Centers

Jones grew up on a row crop operation north of Garden City, Kansas, and earned a degree in Animal Sciences from Kansas State University. His career spans both the live cattle and packing plant sectors, experience that led him to assemble an investment group to purchase Hy-Plains Feedyard in 1999, where he serves as managing member.

Recognizing opportunities to advance animal quality and industry collaboration, Jones opened the Hy-Plains Education and Research Center in 2017. The center hosts meetings on antimicrobial stewardship, water conservation, production practices and community development, connecting producers, researchers and industry leaders across the supply chain.

Jones was inducted into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame in 2022 and serves on several advisory boards, including Rabo AgriFinance and the International Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Agriculture. 

• Decision Innovation Solutions

Miller serves as chief economist with Decision Innovation Solutions, providing economic analysis and business development services. He collaborates on project development, builds client relationships and leads new service initiatives, with expertise in agricultural policy, commodity markets, economic modeling and international trade.

Raised on a dairy, hog and grain farm in Indiana, Miller expanded his family’s operation before earning a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and master’s in finance from the University of Missouri, where he also completed doctoral coursework in agricultural economics.

He served as a University of Missouri extension specialist before beginning a 28-year career with Farm Bureau, including national leadership roles with the American Farm Bureau Federation and director of research and commodity services for tIowa Farm Bureau.

Miller remains active in production agriculture, operating a 1,000-acre corn and soybean farm in southern Iowa. 

• Decision Innovation Solutions

Parkinson is president, CEO and founding member of Decision Innovation Solutions (DIS), where he leads business development, oversees operations and works closely with clients to address complex data challenges and strengthen decision-making.

Under his leadership, DIS has grown in both size and capability, serving a wide range of agricultural and industry partners. Parkinson’s expertise includes agricultural policy analysis, economic modeling, and economic impact analysis across multiple sectors. He began his career as a Research Analyst with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation before expanding DIS into a full-service analytics firm.

Raised in southeastern Idaho and northern Utah, Parkinson brings extensive hands-on agricultural experience, including work on a Utah dairy, a feed mill and a small grains farm. He holds dual bachelor’s degrees in accounting and economics from Utah State University and an international master’s in food and agribusiness from the Royal Agricultural University. 

• Kansas State University

Dr. Sanderson, DVM, MS, DACVPM (epidemiology), is the W.S. & E.C. Jones Chair in Epidemiology, professor and associate director at the Center for Outcomes Research and Epidemiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University.

His research focuses on livestock disease epidemiology, particularly in beef cattle, and the use of epidemiology and simulation modeling to improve industry decision-making. His team applies disease transmission modeling, risk analysis and game theory to design optimal biosecurity and management strategies. They analyze production data, U.S. livestock movement patterns and contact networks to model disease spread and assess the potential impact of a Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) introduction. Their long-term goal is to strengthen disease control and business continuity for challenges such as Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) and FMD.

Dr. Sanderson teaches graduate courses in epidemiology and disease modeling and mentors master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral degree trainees. 

• Kansas Department of Agriculture

Dr. Smith, DVM, serves as the Kansas animal health commissioner and state veterinarian, leading the Division of Animal Health in regulatory oversight, disease surveillance and emergency preparedness for the state’s livestock industry. 

A Kansas native, Dr. Smith earned both his bachelor’s degree in agriculture and doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Kansas State University. His career includes more than 15 years as a large animal veterinarian, over a decade managing a cow-calf/stocker ranch and service as a livestock production extension agent, experiences that ground his approach in practical, real-world solutions. 

Under his leadership, Kansas has become a national leader in planning for large-scale animal disease events, working closely with industry partners to strengthen response readiness and business continuity through tools like Secure Food Supply plans.