ST. LOUIS, Mo. — After an intensive search by a farmerled team, the United Soybean Board (USB) has named Polly Ruhland as the new CEO, effective Nov. 1, 2017.

Ruhland has provided executive management expertise to the agriculture community for many years.

She brings an extensive background in agricultural nonprofit management, strategic planning, communications and regulatory compliance to her position serving the directors of USB and the larger soybean community. She currently serves as CEO at Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion & Research Board.

She graduated from Colorado State University with a master’s degree in agriculture and the University of Colorado with a bachelor of arts in English and communications. She also did post-graduate work at the PhD level in agriculture and rural sociology with an emphasis on grower decision making in cooperative structures.

Ruhland has served as chair of the Commodity CEO Roundtable, a group of CEOs in research, promotion and marketing programs. She is an Eisenhower Fellow, a certified mediator and holds a professional certificate in the Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts.

John Becherer, current USB CEO, served USB for the last 23 years and positioned the checkoff for even greater successes in the future. He will work with USB to support the transition and the incoming CEO until his retirement at the end of the year.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Food Policy Action (FPA) announced its board has selected Monica Mills as the organization’s new executive director. The announcement follows a six-month nationwide search.

Mills will be responsible for managing and growing FPA and Food Policy Action Education Fund in their advocacy, political and education programs. She brings deep experience in food policy, electoral policy, communications and government affairs. When leading federal food and agriculture policy at Bread for the World as Director of Government Affairs, she was named “Top Grassroots Lobbyist” by The Hill three years in a row.

Her organizational and fundraising skills have fostered growth for numerous nonprofit, political and government organizations, including the Peace Corps as associate director and at the U.S. Department of Treasury as a senior official. Most recently, Mills graduated in May 2017 from Wesley Theological Seminary having completed her master’s degree in 

theology.

A native of South Dakota, Mills began her career in policy and politics working for Sens. Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson.

CHICAGO, Ill. — Barchart, a leading provider of financial market data and technology, announced Michael Browne has been named head of Barchart’s agricultural division, AgriCharts.

AgriCharts provides agricultural information and technology solutions to the agriculture industry. Browne will be responsible for driving innovation, sales and revenue growth, while delivering value-added services for clients throughout the agricultural supply chain.

He most recently served at Schneider Electric as the vice president of Strategic Accounts and Segments, where he drove pipeline expansion and new sales growth by identifying and capitalizing on new opportunities namely in agriculture. Prior to this, Browne served as the vice president of Commodity and Energy Trading at DTN.

Browne holds an MBA degree from St. Thomas University, master of science in information systems from Golden Gate University and a bachelor of science in aerospace engineering from the University of Minnesota.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The Meat Industry Hall of Fame is proud to announce the Members of the Class of 2017. The Class was selected from a lengthy list of distinguished nominees. A record number of votes were cast by current members of the Hall of Fame and the organization’s Board of Trustees.

Members of the incoming Class are Jeffrey Ettinger, CEO (retired), Hormel Foods; Dr. A. Dewey Bond (deceased), senior vice president, American Meat Institute; Donnie Smith, president and CEO (retired), Tyson Foods; John Jacobson (deceased), chair of the board of directors and CEO, National Beef Packing Co.; Clarence Knebel (deceased), Owner, Knebel’s Processing Plant; Ralph Stayer, chair of the board (retired), Johnsonville Sausage; and Ed Woods, owner and president, Woods Smoked Meats.