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
Debbie Lyons-Blythe
Kansas Livestock Association
2022-2023 Chair
Chad Ellis
Partnership of Rangeland Trusts
Chair-elect
Steve Wooten
Colorado Cattlemen's Association
Immediate past chair
Producer sector:
Mike Williams
California Cattlemen's Association
Tom McDonald
Texas Cattle Feeders Association
Gene Lollis
Florida Cattlemen's Association
Allied industry sector:
Bill Thoni
Food Safety Net Services
Jessica Fink, PhD
Merck Animal Health
Sara Place, PhD
Elanco Animal Health
Matthew Cleveland, PhD
ABS Global
Packer & processor sector:
Brett Basel
Golden State Foods
Nikki Richardson
JBS USA
Paula Alexander
Tyson Foods
Cameron Bruett
JBS USA
Retail & food service sector:
Kenda Levine
McDonald's Corporation
Caitlin Colegrove
Target Corporation
Kevin Sims
McDonald's Corporation
Bruce Daley
Sysco
Civil society sector:
Nancy Labbe
The Nature Conservancy
Kristie Maczko, PhD
Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable
Rob Manes
The Nature Conservancy
Ex-officio:
Scott Anderson
CRI Feeders of Guymon
Secretary & treasurer
Staff
WORKING GROUPS, COMMITTEES AND TASK FORCES
Outreach Working Group
Co-Chairs: Chad Ellis (Texas Agricultural Land Trust), Josh White (National Cattlemen's Beef Association) and Paula Alexander (Tyson Foods)
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: Jennie Hodgen (Merck Animal Health), Nicole Erceg (Certified Angus Beef) and Jaclyn Roberts (Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers 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: Steve Wooten (Colorado Cattlemen's Association), Sara Place (Colorado State University AgNext) and Myriah Johnson (Farm Credit Services America)
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), Michelle Calvo-Lorenzo (Elanco Animal Health) and Mary Soukup (Beef Marketing Group)
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.
Project and Resource Review Working Group
Co-Chairs: William Burnidge (The Nature Conservancy), Clayton Huseman (Kansas Livestock Association) and Tom McDonald (Five Rivers Cattle Feeders)
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: Damon Palmer (Corteva Agrisciences), Lara Moody (IFEEDER) and Dwane Roth (Syngenta)
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.