ARLINGTON, Va. — The American Feed Industry Association recently announced that three new staff members would be joining the team. Alison Foster, Mary Gray Holden, and Margo Nagle will take on the roles of policy engagement manager, education programs manager, and communications specialist.
“Over the past year, the AFIA has strategically assessed our members’ changing operating environment and, in response, identified new areas of excellence,” AFIA President and CEO Constance Cullman said in a statement. “These exciting new roles will elevate the AFIA’s ability to better meet the needs of our members.”
In her new role as the policy engagement manager, Alison Foster will work across multiple association functions to coordinate advocacy initiatives and support the development of the association’s federal and state policy priorities, AFIA said. She has experience in trade association government relations, communications and member relations after her time with the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives and the Education Finance Council.
Foster is originally from Florida and earned her master’s degree in philosophy and international affairs from American University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in media and communications from Florida State University, AFIA added.
As the manager of education programs, Mary Gray Holdren will be addressing a need for providing education and professional development opportunities to member employees. She will be responsible for designing and delivering professional educational content, collaborating with stakeholders, identifying emerging needs, monitoring policy changes, and developing multimedia assets and marketing support, AFIA noted.
Before earning this position with AFIA, Holdren worked her way through the ranks at Mountaire Farms in North Carolina. She is expected to finish her master of science in agricultural leadership development at North Carolina State University in 2029, which is the same institution where she earned her bachelor’s degree in agricultural science with minors in feed mill management and poultry science, AFIA added.
The third and final addition to the team, Margo Nagle, will join AFIA’s communications team as the communications specialist. In this role, she will be responsible for working with AFIA’s policy team to deepen stakeholders’ understanding of the AFIA policy positions and supporting the membership team in driving recruitment and maintaining retention, AFIA said.
Nagle recently graduated from Ohio State University with dual bachelor’s degrees in economics and communications analysis and engagement.
These new employees will strengthen AFIA’s ability to support the U.S. animal food industry and its members, and AFIA is looking forward to their contributions to the association and the industry, the association added.
