College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Alumni & Friends

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) has nearly 60,000 alumni living around the world. The CANR Alumni Board helps connect this large and diverse alumni community to meaningful ways to engage with the college after graduation.

The mission of the CANR Alumni Board is to build relationships that serve the college, alumni, students and friends of MSU. The board consists of volunteer members representing each of the college departments, MSU Extension, young alumni and at-large members. These members meet quarterly in East Lansing.

Alumni Board members have a variety of responsibilities, including promoting college events and philanthropic opportunities. They also serve as liaisons between the college, academic departments, alumni, and the agriculture and natural resources industries, among other duties. The work of the Alumni Board helps to keep the CANR community vibrant and connected.

Members of the Alumni Board recently helped select recipients of the 2026 ANR Awards and played a leading role in promoting CANR’s fundraising efforts on Give Green Day. The Board also manages the awarding of student club grants and CANR Alumni Association Student Scholarships.

CANR is releasing a series of spotlights on Alumni Board members. These stories highlight each member's motivation for joining the board and share their experiences in this role.

Stephen J. Taglione serves on the Executive Board as an at-large member. He earned his bachelor’s degree in public affairs management in 1977 (then offered through the Department of Agriculture Economics). He then went on to earn an MBA from the University of Cincinnati. He currently serves as a principal associate broker at Alliance Corporate Real Estate Solutions, LLC, a Michigan-based firm specializing in land acquisition for residential development.

Taglione brings 45 years of experience as a homebuilder, banker and real estate broker, with multiple builder and real estate licenses in Michigan and Florida, the prestigious Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation and long-standing leadership with the Home Builders Association of Southeastern Michigan.

How did your experience at CANR set you up for success in your career after graduation?

My CANR experience properly prepared me for my first job as assistant to the Meridian Township superintendent. My student advisor helped me obtain an internship at the township during my senior year, which led to me being hired upon graduation.  Although my major has been discontinued CANR the subject matter (applied economics) taught through the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics to undergraduates is highly useful and applicable in many ways over many industries. My experience at the Meridian Township, while very positive, led me to pivot to an MBA at business school.  Again, my undergraduate curriculum was very applicable at business school and I’ve applied the economic lessons learned at MSU many times over the course of my business career.

What inspired you to become a CANR Alumni Board member?

As I near the end of my business career, I wanted to give back to CANR for the solid education that benefited me over my 45-year career.    

What advice do you have for current students of CANR. 

Have passion for your pursuits. You are not “your major” you are a thinking person who can apply logic and work towards solutions to problems. You may “solve problems” in a particular field or your career may take an unexpected turn requiring you to think through the obstacles at hand to breakthrough to a solution and create value for yourself and for the enterprise. 

How would you encourage other CANR alumni to get involved and connect with the college. 

Alumni usually share ties with their major, making it simple to begin supporting CANR by actively supporting students from your field of study.  CANR currently has several capital improvements it wishes to make, if life has favored you, you might want to consider supporting the college that contributed to your success. 

What kind of impact do you hope to have as a member of the CANR Alumni Board. 

Well, it’s still early. I’ve only been on the Board about 6 months and I’m still learning, but I hope I can help the Alumni Board engage with students to help them understand the outstanding education they are receiving at CANR at MSU and how far their education and their passion can take them. 

More information about the CANR Alumni Board and ways you can get involved with Alumni Association can be found here.