ABout our 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

Nancy Labbe

The Nature Conservancy

Chair 

Tom McDonald

Texas Cattle Feeders Association

Chair-elect

Mike Williams

California Cattlemen's Association

Immediate past chair

Producer Sector

Gene Lollis

Florida Cattlemen's Association

Tom McDonald

Five Rivers Cattle Feeding

Charlie Besher

The National Grazing Lands Coalition

Clayton Huseman

Kansas Livestock Association

Packer & Processor Sector

Paula Alexander

Tyson Foods

Brooke Davis

Lopez Foods

PJ Newcomb

Golden State Foods

Ashley Lembke, PhD

American Foods Group

Retail & Food Service Sector

Belinda Richardson

McDonald's Corporation

Mark Seyfert

Taco Bell/YUM! Brands

Bryan Valladares

Darden

Julia Shuck

Costco Wholesale Corporation

Allied Industry Sector

Myriah Johnson, PhD

Farm Credit Services of America

Tim Hardman

Fulton Market Group

Jessica Gilreath, PhD

Elanco Animal Health

Lance Zimmerman

Rabobank North America

Civil Society Sector

Nancy Labbe

The Nature Conservancy

Hugh Aljoe

Noble Research Institute

Rob Manes

The Nature Conservancy

Jeff Goodwin, PhD

Texas A&M Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management

Ex-officio

Scott Anderson, PhD

CRI Feeders of Guymon

Secretary & treasurer

Staff

Samantha Werth, PhD

Executive Director

[email protected]

Rebecca Bolton

Associate Director

[email protected]

WORKING GROUPS, COMMITTEES AND TASK FORCES

Outreach Working Group

Co-Chairs: Jennie Hodgen, PhD, (Merck Animal Health), Lora Wright (Where Food Comes From) and Cheyenne McEndaffer (McEndaffer Beef Genetics)

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: Wes Ishmael (American Hereford Association), Cece Blythe (Alltech) and  Gene Lollis (Florida Cattlemen's Association), 

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: Myriah Johnson, PhD, (Farm Credit Services America), Charlie Besher (National Grazing Lands Coalition) and Kristi Block (Meat Institute)

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: Rob Manes (The Nature Conservancy) and Leann Saunders, Where Food Comes From

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: Jeff Goodwin, PhD, (Texas A&M Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management) and Hugh Aljoe (Noble Research Institute)

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) and Josh White (National Cattlemen's Beef Association)

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: Emily Stackhouse, PhD, (Alltech), Lara Moody (IFEEDER) and Joshua Merrill (Corteva Agriscience)

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.