Erin Fitzgerald has been named the new CEO of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance, according to a recent news release. Fitzgerald formerly served as senior vice president of global sustainability for the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, a part of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), the release said. The Center is a forum for the dairy community to address the needs and expectations of consumers.
“The USFRA Board of Directors is pleased to hire Erin Fitzgerald as our new CEO,” said Chip Bowling, USFRA Vice Chair and Chair of the CEO Search Committee, in the release. “With an outstanding number of qualified candidates for the CEO position, Erin was the obvious choice to lead our organization through the next chapter of its history, and it was a unanimous decision by the board.”
In her former position, Fitzgerald “enhanced dairy’s contributions to a more sustainable food system by advancing the intersection of nutrition, health, hunger, food waste and impact,” the release said.
“American farmers and ranchers have an incredible legacy and will define the sustainable food systems of the future - I am grateful for the privilege to continue to work for the farmers across the United States who are committed to stewardship and inspire a sustainable future,” Fitzgerald said in the news release. “By creating a shared dialogue, from our farms to our consumers, we have a tremendous opportunity to advance the food systems of our future.”
The USFRA has been in operation for eight years. Since its launch in October 2010, the organization states it has held more than 30 Food Dialogues, conducted research into consumer perceptions of agriculture, and produced the award-winning film FARMLAND.
Fitzgerald will begin full time employment with USFRA on July 16, 2018.
