AFIA refreshes Board of Directors
The AFIA Board has recognized Brian Rittgers of Elanco Animal Health for his leadership as chairman this past year, welcomed a new chairman and 16 new directors to the Board and elected six new members to the organization’s Executive Committee.
“AFIA is very fortunate to have had the exceptional leadership of Brian Rittgers this past year, and we look forward to gaining the expertise Steve VanRoekel will bring to this office,” said Joel G. Newman, AFIA president and CEO.
Steven J. VanRoekel was elevated to the chairmanship of the country’s largest feed organization at the meeting on May 13.
VanRoekel, the president and CEO of Ridley Inc. of Mankato, Minnesota, succeeds Rittgers, the national sales manager of Elanco Animal Health’s Dairy Business Unit of Greenfield, Indiana. The terms of chairman and past chairman are one year.
In related business, the Board voted to accept the nomination of William C. Barr to become chairman elect of the organization.
Barr, the president of Bill Barr & Company Inc. of Overland Park, Kansas, will succeed VanRoekel in May 2011.
Left to right: Brian Rittgers, Steve VanRoekel, and Bill Barr
New additions to the Board, Executive Committee
The following individuals were elected to three-year terms on the AFIA Board and began their service with the May Board meeting:
- Martha Furst, Furst-McNess, Freeport, Ill.
- Frank Goode, Land O’Lakes Purina Feed, Shoreview, Minn.
- Lee Hall, Hallway Feeds, Lexington, Ky.
- Tracy Harris, Central Life Sciences, Red Banks, Miss.
- Tim Lease, WL Port-Land Systems, Pittsburgh, Pa.
- Diane Loiselle, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Topeka, Kan.
- Mark Lyons, Alltech Inc., Nicholasville, Ky.
- Mark McCulley, The Hanor Company, Enid, Okla.
- William Merrick, Merrick’s Animal Nutrition, Middleton, Wis.
- Chad Risley, Lucta USA Inc., Libertyville, Ill.
- Chris Schneider, Omega Protein, Inc., Houston, Texas
- James Sullivan, International Ingredient Corp., Fenton, Mo.
- Dick Wark, Animal Feed Supplement, dba New Generation Feeds, Great Falls, Mont.
- Dean Warras, Prince Agri Products, Inc., Quincy Ill.
- Mindy Whittle, Monsanto Co., St. Louis, Mo.
- M.S. “Bud” Wright, Texas Farm Products Company, Nacogdoches, Texas
The following individuals joined AFIA’s Executive Committee:
- Mike Horn, Pennfield Corporation, Lancaster, Pa.
- Palma Jordan, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, Roseland, N.J.
- Frank Goode, Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC, Shoreview, Minn.
- Dan Meagher, Novus International Inc., St. Charles, Mo.
- Ken Munsch, Cattleman’s Choice, Loomix LLC, Johnstown, Colo.
- Pat Whidden, Tennessee Farmers Cooperative, LaVergne, Tenn.
Equine committee installed
AFIA Board members discussed a range of topics during their time together. In addition, they voted to recognize and approve the formation of a new committee.
The Equine Committee will consist of 15 AFIA members who will meet to address issues pertaining to the regulation, legislation and trade of equine feed and ingredients by prioritizing issues and developing strategies to influence government stakeholders.
