Don Butler Receives Prestigious Swan Family Leadership Award
Former NCA President, National Beef Industry Leader Recognized at 2014 Cattle Industry Convention
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 6, 2014) - Don Butler, director of agriculture for the state of Arizona from 2003 to 2013 and a former president of the National Cattlemen’s Association (now National Cattlemen’s Beef Association), has received the prestigious Swan Family Leadership Award for his many years of service to the beef industry. The presentation was made by NCBA and the Idaho Cattle Association at the 2014 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 6.
Butler is the owner of Coronado Cattle Company in Tucson, Ariz. He has held numerous positions during his career, and served as the chairman of the National Cattlemen’s Foundation for several years. He was appointed to the National Public Lands Advisory Council by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, serving a term as chairman. He was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the President’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, and was reappointed to that committee by President George H. Bush.
Active in foreign business affairs, Butler served as chairman of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, from which he received the Distinguished Service Award. He also served as chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s Twelfth District Advisory Council and was awarded their Citation for Distinguished Service.
The Swan Family Leadership Award is named for Bill and George Swan of Idaho and Utah, who each served in various local, state and national leadership positions before eventually being elected NCBA president. Bill Swan served as NCBA president in 1981 and his son, George, followed in his father’s footsteps as president in 1999. Both continued to serve the industry following their presidencies. Bill Swan passed away in 1997; George died in 2001.
The Swan Family Award recognizes worthy individuals who have made a difference to the beef industry through a lifetime of dedication and leadership. Recipients are judged on the length of service, breadth of service and the impact of their service and leadership to the beef industry. The last Swan Leadership Award was given to former Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe in 2010.
