About Leadership
The USRSB is comprised of the following five constituencies: producers, allied industry, packers/processing, retail/foodservice and civil society.
The board of directors, made up of an equal number of board seats from each constituency, directs the activities of the USRSB. The board of directors guides the work of the USRSB through working groups, committees and task forces. It is through these working groups that the USRSB’s work is accomplished.
These working groups examine issues and seek solutions to advance, support and communicate continuous improvement in beef sustainability.
To learn more about the efforts of the working groups or if you are interested in signing up as a volunteer, please contact the USRSB administrator for additional details on how to become more engaged.
Board of Directors
Chad Ellis
Partnership of Rangeland Trusts
2023/2024 Chair
Mike Williams
California Cattlemen's Association
CHAIR-ELECT
Debbie Lyons-Blythe
Kansas Livestock Association
Immediate past Chair
Producer sector:
Mike Williams
California Cattlemen's Association
Clayton Huseman
Kansas Livestock Association
Gene Lollis
Florida Cattlemen's Association
Tom McDonald
Five Rivers Cattle Feeding
Packer & processor sector:
Wayne Morgan, PhD
Golden State Foods
Brooke Davis
Lopez Foods
Paula Alexander
Tyson Foods
Robert Cannell, PhD
National Beef
Retail & food service sector:
Kendra Levine
McDonald's Corporation
Bruce Daley
Sysco
Belinda Richardson
McDonald's Corporation
Jessica Willingham
Sysco
Allied industry sector:
Tim Hardman
Fulton Market Group
Jamee Krug
Elanco Animal Health
Lance Zimmerman
Rabobank
Jessica Gilreath
Elanco Animal Health
Civil society sector:
Nancy Labbe
The Nature Conservancy
Hugh Aljoe
Noble Research Institute
Rob Manes
The Nature Conservancy
Chad Ellis
Partnership of Rangeland Trusts
Ex-officio:
Scott Anderson, PhD
CRI Feeders of Guymon
Secretary & treasurer
Staff
WORKING GROUPS, COMMITTEES AND TASK FORCES
Outreach Working Group
Co-Chairs: Josh White (National Cattlemen's Beef Association), Paula Alexander (Tyson Foods) and Jennie Hodgen (Merck Animal Health)
Scope of Work: Increase awareness, uptake and implementation of the U.S. Beef Industry Sustainability Framework across all sectors of the beef value chain by encouraging the incorporation of USRSB indicators, metrics and sustainability assessment guide material into existing programs. Develop, maintain and promote self-assessment tools, education and outreach programs, resources and initiatives, where needed, to support and encourage progress towards achieving the USRSB High-Priority Indicator Goals & Sector Targets.
Communications Working Group
Co-Chairs: Jaclyn Roberts (Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association), Kendall Treadwell (Treadwell Land and Cattle) and Cece Blythe (Alltech)
Scope of Work: Assist with the execution and implementation of the communications plan to advance the mission and vision of USRSB, including oversight of the annual report and strategically identifying and utilizing events to deliver key messages and promote progress towards achieving the USRSB High-Priority Indicator Goals & Sector Targets.
Goals and Targets Tracking Working Group
Co-Chairs: Wayne Morgan (Golden State Foods), Myriah Johnson (Farm Credit Services America) and Charlie Besher (National Grazing Lands Coalition)
Scope of Work: Engage with life cycle assessment scientists, industry experts, academia, allied industry, civil society and external advisors to establish the methodology for tracking progress towards achieving the USRSB High-Priority Indicator Goals & Sector Targets.
Recognition Program Working Group
Co-Chairs: Michelle Calvo-Lorenzo (Elanco Animal Health), Mary Soukup (Beef Marketing Group) and Rob Manes (The Nature Conservancy)
Scope of Work: While it is not within the scope of USRSB to provide certification or verification for adoption of the U.S. Beef Industry Sustainability Framework, the Recognition Program Working Group will establish and oversee a process to evaluate and reevaluate existing and/or new supply-chain programs that include or intend to include parameters that align with the Framework and promote progress towards achieving the USRSB High-Priority Indicator Goals & Sector Targets.
Research Priorities Working Group
Co-Chairs: Clayton Huseman (Kansas Livestock Association), Tom McDonald (Five Rivers Cattle Feeders) and Jeff Goodwin (Texas A&M Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management)
Scope of Work: Review and support external projects, field trials, pilot projects, research projects and resources that align with the USRSB vision and mission, including oversight of approved projects, progress reports and results. Identify gaps in research knowledge and actively look for new research opportunities to support that will promote progress towards achieving the USRSB High-Priority Indicator Goals & Sector Targets.
General Assembly Planning Working Group
Co-Chairs: Shannon Wharton (Wharton 3C Cattle), Jessica Finck (Merck Animal Health) and Craig Mello (AgriBeef)
Scope of Work: Assist in guiding the planning and execution of the annual General Assembly meeting, including site selection for the meeting, theme, sponsorship opportunities, promotional material, tour stops, keynote addresses, speakers and panels, as well as other meeting logistics.
Feed Sustainability Task Force
Co-Chairs: Lara Moody (IFEEDER), Dwane Roth (Syngenta) and Emily Stackhouse (Alltech)
Scope of Work: Increase collaboration, including networking with other protein groups, as appropriate, to identify areas of engagement around sustainable feed production and manufacturing and promote transparency by encouraging the flow of feed relevant information along the value chain.