Organic Valley cultivates change, leadership with first female CEO
Organic farmer-owned cooperative Organic Valley has selected Shawna Nelson as the cooperative’s fourth CEO, effective today. Nelson has extensive experience at the organic farming coop, having started as an intern and worked in the organization for 20 years. During her tenure, she served in roles in marketing, sales analysis, recruitment, employee relations, field operations and dairy pool management.
Nelson succeeds Jeff Frank, who leaves to assume the CEO role at Monogram Foods. He had served as CEO at Organic Valley since 2023, and during his tenure had helped it achieve the #1 branded market share for the organic dairy category, according to the company.
What they are saying
Organic Valley farmer and board president Dave Hardy acknowledged Frank’s contributions to the co-op and expressed optimism about what the co-op will accomplish with Nelson’s guidance.
"Jeff’s achievements were remarkable, and we are enthusiastic about the opportunities ahead," Hardy said in a release. "The board chose Shawna because of her demonstrated strong leadership, understanding of the farmer membership and connection to the employees. She has shown dedication to the mission and to organic food, and with her vision will lead our farmer-owned cooperative forward."
"I am deeply honored to build on the momentum developed through Jeff’s leadership and step into the role of CEO," Nelson said. "The dedication and passion of our employees, board, and farmer member-owners inspire me every day. I look forward to working in collaboration across the cooperative to build on our successes and continue to serve our mission now and for generations to come."
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Linda Becker | Editor-in-Chief
Linda Becker is editor-in-chief of Automatic Merchandiser and VendingMarketWatch.com. She has more than 20 years of experience in B2B publishing, writing, editing and producing content for magazines, websites, webinars, podcasts, newsletters and eBooks, primarily for manufacturing and process engineering audiences. Since joining Automatic Merchandiser and VendingMarketWatch.com, Linda has developed a new appreciation for the convenience services industry and the essential role it plays. She is dedicated to serving readers by covering the latest news in the vending, office coffee service and micro market industry. She can be reached at 262-203-9924 or [email protected].
