Ivy Named American Egg Board C.E.O.

At the November American Egg Board Meeting in Charleston, SC, the Board confirmed the Executive Committees selection of Joanne C. Ivy, American Egg Boards senior vice president, to succeed Louis B. Raffel as president and C.E.O. upon his retirement at the end of the year.

Ivy was selected by the AEB Executive Committee as the best-qualified person to lead the American Egg Board (AEB), Park Ridge, IL, after interviewing several other well-qualified candidates for the position. Ivy has served on the staff of AEB with increasing responsibilities for 20 years. She was previously executive director of the North Carolina Egg Association, Cary. Ivy is well known and respected in the egg industry, both internationally and in the United States.

In 2005, Ivy received the International Egg Commissions Denis Welstead Memorial Trophy as the International Egg Person of the Year. She has served as chair of the Marketing Committee for the International Egg Commission for 12 years and currently is an officeholder and holds a seat on the Executive Committee of the organization.

Ivy will become only the second chief executive officer of the American Egg Board. Raffel has served in that capacity since the American Egg Board program began in 1976. Ivy will assume the presidential duties on Jan. 1, 2007.

About The American Egg Board
The American Egg Board (AEB) is the U.S. egg producers link to the consumer in communicating the value of the incredible egg. As the egg industrys promotion arm, AEBs foremost challenge is to convince the American public that the egg is still one of natures most nearly perfect foods. AEBs basic task is to improve the demand for shell eggs, egg products, as well as spent fowl throughout the United States.
AEB is funded from a national legislative checkoff on all egg production from companies with greater than 75,000 layers. The Board consists of 18 members and 18 alternates from all regions of the country. All are egg producers nominated by certified state and regional organizations representing egg producers. The Board is appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture. The AEB staff, a small group of dedicated professionals, carries out the programs under the Board direction.