ARLINGTON, Va. — Constance Cullman was slated May 2 as the American Feed Industry Association’s (AFIA) next president and CEO by the organization’s board of directors, effective July 29. Cullman will succeed Joel G. Newman upon his retirement. She will also serve as president of AFIA’s Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER).

Constance Cullman “not only has a track record of success, but she has the vision, integrity and passion for leading the US animal food industry into its next chapter,” commented Board Chair Bruce Crutcher.

Cullman has led the Farm Foundation as president and CEO for the past three years. Prior to that, she held several leading positions with agricultural companies, including serving as US government affairs leader for Dow AgroSciences , senior director of regulatory, technical and international affairs at the Corn Refiners Association, associate administrator for the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, and vice president of agricultural ecology at the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.

“As the US animal food industry looks to create market opportunities in the global trade environment and better communicate with consumers about the industry’s sustainability efforts, we believe Cullman’s experience and foresight will serve our members well by opening new doors for dialogue about the issues impacting US animal food manufacturers’ license to operate,” said AFIA Board Chair Bruce Crutcher. “On behalf of the Board and AFIA’s members, I would like to welcome Constance Cullman to the animal food industry and thank Joel Newman for his 15 years of dedicated service to our industry.”

Cullman earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in agricultural economics from Ohio State. Her roots are in Marysville, Ohio, where her family operated a cow/calf farm.

Read more about personnel changes throughout the industry.