Pork Month provides the perfect opportunity for me to share more about my excitement for my new role as CEO, the future of our industry and the opportunity we have to grow our market with consumers.
I’ve said it multiple times over the past several months: this is a transformational time for the pork industry. As I start in this new role, I’m grateful for the groundwork already laid: a strategic plan, a team of people with expertise and passion, strong programs to deliver results, and a quality product that delivers what consumers want.
With this strong foundation, I’m excited and honored to have the opportunity to lead NPB with a listening ear, laser focus and dedication to delivering for the producer and consumer.
Long-Standing Passion for Pork
My pork industry experience can be traced back to my childhood on my family’s farm. My drive to learn more about the industry and find ways to make it better started in high school as a Missouri state FFA officer and spurred me into higher education.
But a pivotal moment in my involvement in the industry came in 2008, when I was a member of the Pork Leadership Academy, the precursor program to Pork Leadership Institute. That experience connected me to my pork industry peers and showed me the powerful impact Checkoff programs can have for producers and their products. It also led to further leadership opportunities, including:
- Membership on multiple NPB committees
- Serving on the Nominating Committee
- Election to the Board of Directors (BOD), including holding the position of president from 2019-2020.
These experiences showed me the opportunities and challenges faced by the BOD and the guidance from staff that is most valuable to them when making decisions.
For the past two years, my role as Senior Vice President of Market Growth gave me the once-in-a-lifetime experience of digging deep into consumer insights to launch a new marketing approach that is making pork more relevant to today’s consumer. Our consumer-focused approach is critical to the long-term success of our producers.
Each experience has grown my love for this industry and fueled my desire to help it continue to evolve, adapt and challenge itself to get better and better.
Listening & Focus
In my first 100 days as CEO, I’m committed to being intentional and thoughtful in these first several months by listening – to producers, industry stakeholders, staff, state partners and more. Through one-on-one conversations, small group discussions and industry meetings, I want to gain insight into what is working well and where we can improve.
In addition to gathering feedback, I’m challenging myself and our NPB team to practice laser focus. The Pork Act and Order clearly defines our mandate for serving producers: promotion, research and education. The strategic plan outlines our goals and imperatives for the next three years. We’re committing to investing time and resources where we can deliver the most business impact for producers.
Intentionally taking time to listen and assess provides an opportunity to align and refine our activities with the priorities as needed. Focus is only possible with a clear direction and a defined path to reach the destination.
With this defined path, our actions will be more impactful, meaningful, and aligned across the industry.
Delivering What’s Best for the Producer
As part of my listening and assessment, I’ve often reflected on my motivation to be involved in the industry for more than 15 years, which led to leading in this capacity. What I’ve decided is this: at the end of the day, I always want what’s best for the producer. That includes:
- Positioning pork and working with the supply chain so more people eat more pork more often
- Providing resources and information to help producers make the best decisions on the farm
- Educating and informing stakeholders and decision makers to build a strong reputation for pork
At NPB, we’re constant students of the industry and market, looking forward to preparing producers and the industry for what’s next.
Let’s build together on our strong foundation to capitalize on the bright future of our industry.
