CHICAGO — The American Egg Board announces that Emily Metz, its president and CEO, has been named Ag Association Leader of the Year by the National Agri-Marketing Association. Metz was recognized during the organization’s recent 2026 Agri-Marketing Conference in St. Louis, Mo.
The award recognizes senior executives who demonstrate exceptional leadership within agricultural organizations and associations.
The recognition comes at a defining moment for America’s egg producers, AEB said, adding that, in recent days, AEB secured national visibility at the highest levels — with the White House and two cabinet members, including U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, appearing on Fox and Friends to amplify the message that eggs are “God’s most perfect food” and celebrate the farmers who produce them. That visibility translated into 26 billion media impressions across national, local and social media networks, putting the story of American egg producers in front of consumers nationwide.
Metz, as CEO, transformed the organization by repositioning it as a modern, data-driven checkoff grounded in analytics, consumer insight and measurable performance, the group added. Early in her tenure with AEB, she established a more disciplined, results-oriented approach to strategy and investment, strengthening how the organization delivers value to America’s egg producers. Today, AEB programs generate more than $10 in returned revenue to farmers for every dollar invested on behalf of U.S. egg producers.
Her leadership has also advanced innovation across the egg industry, including the launch of the Eggcelerator Lab, the industry’s first dedicated innovation center. This September, the Lab will bring its first patented egg cooking device to market, a milestone that signals checkoff’s growing role in driving commercial innovation for producers, AEB noted.
Metz’s commitment to the industry’s future was further affirmed when AEB’s producer community voted in October to unanimously approve a 100 percent assessment increase, doubling the investment from 10 cents to 20 cents per case during the next eight years. The unanimous vote reflects the trust producers have placed in AEB’s direction and their confidence in the returns their investment delivers, AEB said.
“Emily’s leadership has earned the trust of this industry in a way that is rare,” AEB Chairman Andrew Seger, Wabash Valley Foods, said. “The unanimous vote to double our investment is a direct reflection of what producers see every day — results, accountability and a CEO who fights for them. This recognition is well deserved.”
Metz’s leadership has also been especially critical during periods of disruption, AEB added. Through multiple waves of highly pathogenic avian influenza, she guided the U.S. egg industry with a focus on preparedness, transparency and coordinated communication, strengthening the industry’s ability to maintain consumer trust when it mattered most. By pivoting resources and repositioning staff, Metz ensured that AEB could support the industry with cutting-edge disease research and on-farm assistance at the time when farmers needed it most, the group noted.
“I’m honored to receive this award and incredibly proud of the work that AEB has done on behalf of America’s egg farmers,” Metz said. “My greatest responsibility is safeguarding the dollars that our farmers have invested into AEB and ensuring that every single one delivers a return. That drives me each and every day, and I’m so proud of our team and how they operate at the speed of business and deliver meaningful value back to our producers.”
