FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Peggy Armstrong
(202) 220-3508
parmstrong@idfa.org
After 35 Years of Service to the Dairy Industry, Connie Tipton Announces Retirement
(Phoenix – January 25, 2016) The International Dairy Foods Association’s (IDFA) board of directors has formed a transition committee that will be tasked with finding a successor to Connie Tipton, current president and CEO of IDFA, who announced today that she will retire at the end of this year after 35 years of service to the dairy industry. The committee of six executives from IDFA member companies will oversee the search process, which will include consideration of both internal and external candidates. Tipton announced her plans to retire at the annual Dairy Forum being held this week at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix.
“As the main voice of IDFA and dairy foods companies in Washington, D.C., Connie has earned the respect and admiration of all who have worked with her throughout her tenure,” said Jeff Kaneb, executive vice president of HP Hood LLC and chairman of the transition committee. “She will leave some mighty big shoes to fill, and we’ll certainly miss her valuable insight, expertise, guidance and dedication.
“We also value the contributions of the IDFA staff and want to make sure we continue strong leadership of the association and the staff,” Kaneb continued. “In order to identify the very best person to lead the organization for the future, we will consider both internal and external candidates. We thank Connie for giving us a full year to make sure we have time for a thoughtful and orderly transition.”
In addition to Kaneb, the members of the transition committee are Ed Mullins, executive vice president and CEO, Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc.; Mike Reidy, senior vice president – corporate affairs, Leprino Foods Company and chairman of IDFA; Patricia Stroup, vice president and chief procurement officer, Nestle USA, Inc.; Gregg Tanner, CEO of Dean Foods Company; and Mike Wells, president and CEO of Wells Enterprises, Inc.
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The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation's dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 550 companies within a $125-billion a year industry. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI) and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA). IDFA's nearly 200 dairy processing members run nearly 600 plant operations, and range from large multi-national organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent more than 85 percent of the milk, cultured products, cheese, ice cream and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States. Visit IDFA at www.idfa.org.