IFEEDER Board Discusses Accomplishments, Plans for the Year

ARLINGTON, Va. – May 21, 2025 – The Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) held its Board of Trustees annual meeting on Tuesday to discuss its current projects and install new Board leadership and trustees.

During the meeting, the Board discussed IFEEDER’s accomplishments over its last fiscal year, including amplifying the Institute's reach and awareness, publishing the feed ingredient consumption and pet food consumption reports and recognizing IFEEDER’s first-ever Day of Giving on April 17. The Board also discussed its future plans in alignment with the Institute’s strategic plan. In the next fiscal year, IFEEDER plans to explore more opportunities to promote and advance its sustainability resources, broaden the scope of research and education projects to support the animal food industry and diversify its funding support and stakeholder partners.

As part of its business meeting, the IFEEDER Board of Trustees recognized Carlos Gonzalez, Ph.D., vice president of global regulatory affairs at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, for his leadership as Board chair for the 2024-25 IFEEDER fiscal year, which ended April 30, and installed Leigh Ann Sayen, CEO at The Peterson Company, as the new chair for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which began May 1. Steve Lerner, Ph.D., senior scientific and business advisor of Novonesis Animal and Plant Biosolutions, will serve as Board vice chair.

With the installation of three new trustees (noted with asterisks*), the IFEEDER Board of Trustees includes: John Akridge of MFA Incorporated; Nate Bingaman* of D1 Resources; Susanna Elliot of Alltech, Inc.; Rebecca Mowen* of ADM Animal Nutrition; Karl Thoene of CHS, Inc.; Lerner; Dan Rice of Western Milling; Chad Risley, Ph.D., of Planet Bioscience Pte. Ltd.; Nick Rozzi* of Hill’s Pet Nutrition; Sayen; and Juan Tricarico, Ph.D., of Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.

IFEEDER would like to thank the outgoing trustees for their service: Jamee Krug Blahauvietz of Phibro Animal Health; Scott Lovin of AgState; and Paul Phillips of Maxi-Lift Inc./Southwest Agri-Plastics.