The U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry & Eggs and International Poultry Welfare Alliance announced Candace Bergesch as the new director of communications for both organizations, beginning Jan. 11. The move aims to strengthen the collaboration between the organizations as well as promote individual success in addressing issues related to poultry welfare and sustainability.

“I was inspired from my very first conversations with the IPWA and US-RSPE board members,” said Bergesch. “The poultry and egg industries are crucial to the global food supply, and I am honored to join this dedicated team and contribute to their vision for poultry welfare and sustainability.”

Bergesch brings a wealth of experience as the sixth generation of a family farm in Missouri, with a proven record of success in agriculture communications. Most recently, she was employed by OBP Agency (Osborn Barr) out of St. Louis. There, she supported accounts including the United Soybean Board and CommonGround, specializing in issue and organizational communications, and consulted with poultry industry expertise for Pilgrims’ Just Bare chicken products. She gained that expertise at Novus International, Inc. as the public relations specialist in their global marketing function and from her service in the Missouri Senate as a legislative assistant staffing the agriculture and natural resources committee.

“Candace brings the experience and energy to match our dedicated volunteers that are moving quickly on initiatives that will advance sustainability and animal welfare throughout the entire poultry value chain,” said Ryan Bennett, executive director of US-RSPE and IPWA.

Both organizations look forward to Bergesch’s leadership and contributions to their efforts to connect diverse stakeholders and leaders in the poultry and egg value chains and beyond. In her new role, Bergesch will execute communications work to advance the strategic plans for each organization.

IPWA and US-RSPE have a joint structure and shared goals, which include helping to shape the global discussion for poultry welfare and increasing both knowledge and understanding of science and production systems that will result in better outcomes for poultry and the customers and other stakeholders in the sector.

“US-RSPE and IPWA have made great strides in sharing their advancements in poultry welfare and sustainability, due in large part to a very committed group of members representing all facets of the value chain,” said Bergesch. “It is my commitment to build on their hard work with impactful communications that will bring the story of poultry and egg sustainability forward in a meaningful and transparent way.”

Source: IPWA/US-RSPE