The National Milk Producers Federation is offering a 10–12-week summer internship in the Washington D.C. metro area. This internship offers students the unique opportunity to better understand the intersection of U.S. dairy industry policy, regulatory affairs, and trade. Interns will have the opportunity to learn from NMPF’s expert staff, covering areas including government relations, regulatory affairs, trade, communications, membership services and the National Dairy FARM Program. More information and the application can be found here. Applications close Dec. 31.
Tag: NMPF staff
Marks-Yant Joins Economics Team
NMPF economics department, co-managed with the U.S. Dairy Export Council, in October welcomed its newest staffer Katriel Marks-Yant.
Marks-Yant will serve as the team’s Director of Economic Affairs, leading domestic market analysis.
Prior to joining NMPF, Marks-Yant was an International Economist with USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. She has also worked with NMPF member cooperative Land O’Lakes in international development and government relations functions.
Marks-Yant holds a master’s degree in international economics and international development from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and studied Agricultural Economics at Purdue.
Originally from Carmel, IN, she maintains close ties with her family’s farms in the Midwest.
Kinler Joins NMPF as Senior Director of Board, State and Member Relations
Casey Kinler this week is joining NMPF as its new Senior Director of Board, State and Member Relations for NMPF. In this role, she leads efforts to build and strengthen relationships with our members, sponsors, and state affiliates. This includes supporting the planning and execution of NMPF’s annual meeting and board meetings.
Casey brings a decade of experience in member engagement. Before joining NMPF, she served as Director of Membership Experience at the American Composites Manufacturers Association, where she led initiatives in member retention, onboarding, and engagement. Previously, she held the role of Director of Membership and Marketing at the Animal Agriculture Alliance, where she managed sponsorship outreach, member recruitment and coordinated its annual event.
Casey holds a master’s degree in communications from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Communications from Auburn University.
Hain Joins NMPF as Chief Veterinary Officer
Dr. Meggan Hain has joined NMPF as its Chief Veterinary Officer for NMPF and the National Dairy FARM Program, a new position leading NMPF’s efforts to advance animal welfare standards, support dairy producers and promote science-based best practices across the industry.
With two decades of veterinary expertise in dairy health and welfare, Hain has been instrumental in developing animal welfare programs, disease response strategies and quality assurance initiatives.
Meggan comes to NMPF after serving as the Managing Veterinarian and Animal Care Specialist at Organic Valley, overseeing the animal health and welfare program for 1,800 farms nationwide. She holds both a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Ohio State University.
NMPF Staff Address Conferences, Co-op Meetings
NMPF staff actively engaged with dairy farmers and the broader industry in early 2025, informing producers and addressing wide-ranging needs.
NMPF Chief Science Officer Dr. Jamie Jonker’s continued outreach on H5N1 in dairy cattle this year has included panel discussions at the Dairy Farmers of Canada Winter Policy Conference in Ottawa and the 2025 USDA Ag Outlook Forum in Arlington, VA. Also appearing at the forum, in addition to NMPF President and CEO Gregg Doud, was Executive Vice President Jaime Castaneda, who presented in a panel on finding opportunities in changing markets.
Also speaking on H5N1 was Theresa Sweeney-Murphy, senior director of communications and outreach, who participated in Ontario Dairy Days on Feb. 12-13, where she shared with Canadian dairy farmers insights and lessons learned from the U.S. dairy industry’s experience with H5N1.
Senior Director for FARM Animal Care Beverly Hampton Phifer hosted a conversation during FarmFirst’s Annual Conference in Onalaska, WI, on Feb. 7, providing background on the FARM Program, its role within the dairy supply chain and implementation of FARM Animal Care.
Regulatory Affairs Director Miquela Hanselman shared resources to help vets better understand the FARM Program’s mission of continuous improvement at the American Association of Bovine Practitioner’s annual Recent Graduate Conference in Norman, OK, Feb.14 -15.
Chief Sustainability Officer Nicole Ayache attended the Ohio Dairy Quality Conference in Wooster, OH, Feb. 11-12, to provide information about industry-level sustainability initiatives and introduce the updates to FARM Environmental Stewardship.
Will Loux also traveled to Boise, ID, Jan. 23 to speak on the year ahead in dairy to Darigold Young Cooperators (YC) on Jan. 23. Loux also gave a market outlook to new NMPF associate member Idaho Milk Products. Loux spoke on exports in the coming year at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, CA on Feb. 11.
FARM Environmental Stewardship was another topic of discussion at Darigold’s YC meeting. Sage Saffran presented to the group on Jan. 21, highlighting the recent updates to FARM ES and how Version 3 enables on-farm decision making.
NMPF Welcomes New Staff
NMPF has started the new year with two new staff members playing crucial roles in the organization.
Ashley Childs is joining the NMPF team as its new Manager of Finance and Administration, overseeing billing and payment functions such as Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and contract billing.
Childs brings nearly a decade of experience in the hospitality industry. She spent the past eight years at George Washington’s Mount Vernon as the Assistant Director of Food and Beverage, where she managed $8 million in annual revenue and oversaw 25 staff. She was critical in negotiating, contracting, and billing $2 million in banquets annually, reconciling these funds in the point-of-sale system, and collaborating with the accounting team to resolve discrepancies and align expenses with budgets.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Childs holds a degree in Tourism and Hospitality from Temple University, with a focus on Operations.
Pat Vincent joined NMPF as its Director of Economic Policy and Market Research late in 2024. He provides valuable economic insights and research, with a particular focus on the U.S. dairy markets, offering commentary on farm economics, consumer dairy demand, and macroeconomic conditions affecting the U.S. dairy industry.
Prior to NMPF, Pat Vincent was the Senior Global Economics Analyst from General Mills, where he oversaw global agriculture commodities.
He holds a degree in Economics and an MBA from the University of Denver. With more than a decade of experience in market analysis and economic research, Pat brings a wealth of expertise to NMPF. Accompanying him in Virginia is his cheerful dog, Roy, a young Sheltie.
Morris Represents Dairy at Congressional Briefing; Saffran Co-Hosts Thought Leaders
NMPF Executive Vice President for Trade & Global Affairs Shawna Morris represented NMPF at a House Agricultural Trade Caucus briefing for Congressional staff on July 22, underscoring the critical role of trade for U.S. dairy and agriculture. She was joined by representatives from the American Soybean Association, the North American Blueberry Council, and the National Grain and Feed Association.
The event drew over 60 congressional staff in the inaugural briefing for the caucus, which NMPF helped launch in January.
Morris emphasized the benefits of market-opening trade agreements for the U.S. dairy industry and called for more proactive congressional engagement in trade policy, highlighting the growing tariff disadvantages faced by U.S. dairy exporters as the European Union and New Zealand continue to pursue agreements advantageous to their exporters. She also touched on examples of the various trade agreement compliance and non-tariff barrier challenges the U.S. dairy industry is facing around the world.
This session marked the first in a series to be hosted on educating congressional staff on agricultural trade policy issues. And the event was one of several highlights of NMPF staff outreach in July.
Sage Saffran, NMPF’s manager for sustainability initiatives co-hosted a session at Midwest Dairy’s Sustainability Thought Leader Symposium in Rosemont, IL on July 30 with Suzanne Vold, owner of Dorrich Dairy near Glenwood, MN. The session detailed the FARM Program’s five program areas, highlighting the standardization of greenhouse gas emission measurement through the FARM Environmental Stewardship tool.
Beverly Hampton-Phifer, NMPF’s senior director of animal care, spoke with The Center for Dairy Excellence on July 12 during its monthly “Protecting Your Profits” webinar to share an overview of the FARM Program and explain how FARM serves dairy farmers.
Hampton-Phifer also discussed Animal Care Version 5 updates that launched July 1, in addition to sharing how adhering to FARM guidelines can effectively mitigate risk for dairy producers.
NMPF Provides Economics Breakdowns at Dairy Farmer Meetings
Dairy farmers received the latest economics analysis from members of the NMPF-USDEC Joint Economics Team in May, with staff providing expertise on changing market conditions.
Stephen Cain, senior director of research and economic analysis for NMPF, presented at the DairyWest Board meeting May 8 in Twin Falls, ID, in conjunction with USDEC. His presentation focused on global supply and demand, U.S. production and U.S. export opportunities moving forward.
Dr. Peter Vitaliano, vice president for economic policy and market research for NMPF, appeared at the Southeast Milk Inc., Leadership Experience (SMILE) meeting May 15 in Tampa, FL, presenting on current economic conditions and offering an outlook for dairy prices. SMILE is a hub for developing farmer leadership talent in the southeastern United States.
Trade team staff were also active in outreach in May, with Trade Policy Director Tony Rice participating in the Agricultural Transportation Coalition conference in Tacoma, WA, May 20-23 to discuss supply chain issues, including cargo pilferage, and meet with ocean carrier and port officials.
Executive Vice President for Trade Policy & Global Affairs Shawna Morris participated May 20-21 in the International Trademark Association meeting in Atlanta as part of the association’s Geographical Indications (GIs) Committee meeting. The committee develops recommendations on GIs and common names that inform governments’ policies on the issues.
Economics and trade staff collaborated at the Eucolait conference in Bordeaux, France, May 22 and 24. Executive Vice President for Policy Development & Strategy Jaime Castaneda presented at the conference, as did economics team economist Monica Ganley of USDEC. Ganley presented on Latin American exporters.
NMPF Outreach Spans Denver to New Delhi in April
NMPF staff represented U.S. dairy farmers and their cooperatives at events ranging in location from Denver to New Delhi in April, showing leadership across industry while reaching out to dairy producers in the U.S. and worldwide.
Highlights from among more than six dozen public presentations from NMPF staff before members and dairy stakeholders include Regulatory Affairs Director Miquela Hanselman discussing nutrition, labeling, HPAI, and farm bill updates at the Western Milk Seminar in Denver, CO, on April 23.
In the international arena, trade and economics team leaders Shawna Morris, Executive Vice President for Trade Policy and Global Affairs, and Will Loux, Senior Vice President for Global Economic Affairs, represented U.S. dairy positions in Toronto, representing NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council during April 24-26 meetings of the International Dairy Federation’s (IDF’s) Standing Committee on Dairy Policies and Economics.
Loux became vice-chair of the committee in October, while Morris attended as the lead U.S. representative for IDF.
And Jaime Castaneda, Executive Vice President for Policy Development & Strategy with NMPF and USDEC, was part of a USDA Foreign Ag Service India trade mission, which included policy and business meetings with officials and potential importers from India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, April 22-25. Castaneda also represented U.S. dairy in meetings in Brazil and Italy in April and early May.
NMPF Welcomes Cordova to Staff, Ganley to Joint Economics Team
NMPF gained a new employee in April, and its Joint Economics Team with the U.S. Dairy Export Council also gained a new team member from the USDEC side, adding more expertise to the team’s coordinated efforts for dairy.
Jessi-Ryah Cordova joined NMPF as its FARM Program Communications Coordinator on April 22. The 2023 graduate of California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo earned a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business. During her time at Cal Poly she worked at its Dairy Unit as a Business Assistant, milking cows and managing communication and administrative efforts.
Most recently, Cordova worked as a sales representative for Farmers Business Network connecting with farmers across the U.S. & Canada.
Ganley, Senior Director of Global Trade Analysis for the U.S. Dairy Export Council, is the newest member of the joint NMPF/USDEC economics team. Her role includes analyzing and forecasting global dairy markets to identify opportunities for U.S. dairy exporters and ways to grow demand for dairy products around the world.
Ganley has spent her entire career in dairy, food, and agriculture. Before joining USDEC earlier this year, she held roles with Leprino Foods, PepsiCo Foods, and most recently her consultancy Quarterra. She is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
NMPF Reorganizes Staff as Doud Begins Service
NMPF announced a significant staff reorganization Sept. 7 as it transitions to new leadership, with incoming President & CEO Gregg Doud beginning work with the organization as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer, a position he will hold until current President & CEO Jim Mulhern retires in January.
“I am excited to announce these changes, which will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our organizational structure,” said Mulhern. “They also recognize the significant contributions of the affected individuals to our overall success in recent years and position the organization well for even greater success in the future.”
As part of the reorganization, NMPF named three Executive Vice Presidents – Paul Bleiberg, Shawna Morris and Alan Bjerga – as part of the reorganization, recognizing responsibilities that are expanding across NMPF teams. Bleiberg will serve as Executive Vice President, Government Relations; Morris as Executive Vice President, Trade Policy & Global Affairs; and Bjerga as Executive Vice President, Communications and Industry Relations.
Other promotions include David West to Chief Administrative Officer; Stephen Cain to Senior Director, Economic Research & Analysis; Beverly Hampton Pfifer to Senior Director, FARM Animal Care; Theresa Sweeney-Murphy as Senior Director, Communications and Outreach; Miquela Hanselman to Director, Regulatory Affairs; and Tony Rice to Director, Trade Policy. Staffers receiving title changes in line with new responsibilities are Chris Galen, who will serve as Senior Vice President of Member Services and Governance, and Claudia Larson, Senior Director, Government Relations & Head of Nutrition Policy.
NMPF Announces Staff Reorganization as Doud Begins New Role
The National Milk Producers Federation announced a significant staff reorganization as it transitions to new leadership, as incoming President & CEO Gregg Doud began work with the organization this week as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer, a position he will hold until current President & CEO Jim Mulhern retires in January.
“I am excited to announce these changes, which will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our organizational structure,” said Mulhern. “They also recognize the significant contributions of the affected individuals to our overall success in recent years and position the organization well for even greater success in the future.”
NMPF named three Executive Vice Presidents – Paul Bleiberg, Shawna Morris and Alan Bjerga – as part of the reorganization, recognizing responsibilities that are expanding across NMPF teams. Bleiberg will serve as Executive Vice President, Government Relations; Morris as Executive Vice President, Trade Policy & Global Affairs; and Bjerga as Executive Vice President, Communications and Industry Relations.
Other promotions include David West to Chief Administrative Officer; Stephen Cain to Senior Director, Economic Research & Analysis; Beverly Hampton Phifer to Senior Director, FARM Animal Care; Theresa Sweeney-Murphy as Senior Director, Communications and Outreach; Miquela Hanselman to Director, Regulatory Affairs; and Tony Rice to Director, Trade Policy. Staffers receiving title changes in line with new responsibilities are Chris Galen, who will serve as Senior Vice President of Member Services and Governance, and Claudia Larson, Senior Director, Government Relations & Head of Nutrition Policy.
