NIAA Announces New Board Members & Annual Award Winners

The National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) re-elected and welcomed new board members at the 2021 Annual Conference held virtually April 21-23. Additionally, the 2020 and 2021 President, Chairman, Meritorious Service and Animal Agriculture Advocate Awards were presented.

Kelly Loganbill, Midan Marketing, was elected to serve on the board of directors. The re-elected board members are Lanny Pace, DVM, Mississippi State University; Karen Jordan, DVM, Dairy Farmers of America; and Michael Short, DVM, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Retiring board members are Todd Low, MBA, Hawaii Department of Agriculture; David Meeker, Ph.D., National Renderers Association; and Nevil Speer, Ph.D., Where Food Comes From.

“We are excited to welcome Kelly Loganbill to our Board as well as our returning board members, Lanny, Karen and Michael. Each of these individuals has a tremendous depth of knowledge about the challenging topics we address at NIAA,” said Kevin Maher, VetMeasure, Inc. and NIAA Chairman of the Board. “We thank our retiring board members for their dedication to service and the great leadership they provided.”

Each year, NIAA distributes four prestigious awards: the Chairman’s Award, the President’s Award, the Meritorious Service Award and the Animal Agriculture Advocate Award. These awards recognize individuals for their service, leadership and dedication to animal agriculture. This year, during the 2021 Annual Conference, NIAA recognized the 2020 and 2021 award recipients.

The NIAA Chairman’s Award is chosen by the Chairman of the Board and is received by an individual that has dedicated their time advancing animal agriculture. The 2020 and 2021 recipients went to Ambassador Gregg Doud and Leonard Bull, Ph.D.

The NIAA President’s Award is chosen by the Executive Director and is awarded to an NIAA committee or council chair or co-chair for their leadership and dedication to the organization. The 2020 and 2021 award recipients were Chelsea Good, J.D., Livestock Marketing Association, and Nevil Speer, Ph.D., Where Food Comes From.

Each year NIAA recognizes an individual who has made extensive contributions and has given exemplary service to the animal agriculture industry and NIAA by presenting them with the Meritorious Service Award. The 2020 and 2021 recipients were David Meeker, Ph.D., National Renderers Association, and Tony Forshey, Ph.D., Ohio Department of Agriculture

Individuals who effectively help bridge the gap with consumers by delivering strong, positive messages about animal agriculture are honored with the Animal Agriculture Advocate Award. The 2021 recipient was presented to Leah Dorman, DVM, Phibro Animal Health.

“It was an honor to recognize these individuals’ hard work and dedication. We appreciate their continuous leadership and service, not only to NIAA, but to the animal agriculture industry,” said Kevin Maher. “Congratulations to each of the recipients.”

As a member-driven, non-profit, NIAA convenes animal agriculture experts and allies in collaborative settings to explore, discuss, learn and develop knowledge that fosters interdisciplinary cooperation for the improvement and continuous progress of animal agriculture

For a full list of past award recipients, visit our website. To learn more about NIAA visit, www.animalagriculture.org.