The National Protein and Food Distributors Association is naming Wendy Kavanagh as their new president and CEO. 

Kavanagh grew up in the agricultural industry, where she was an active 4-H member. She graduated from the University of Georgia with her bachelor’s degree in English. 

Kavanagh comes to NPFDA with more than 30 years of experience as a nonprofit manager. She previously owned and operated Tessera Association Management, an association management company. Kavanagh has worked for the International Association for Financial Planning, Phi Mu Fraternity and the Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers. Most recently, Kavanagh served as the president of the Georgia Society of Association Executives. She earned her Certified Association Executive designation in June 2002.

“It was a team approach to find and hire Wendy,” said Chan Windham, vice president of sales at House of Raeford Farms and vice chair for NPFDA. “We had buy-in from key members, and everyone agreed she was the top choice for this position.”

 “I’m energized to work collaboratively with the Board, staff, and members to continue building on NPFDA’s foundation,” Kavanagh said. “Our goal is to maximize our members’ success and to empower our members to advance their business while having a strong voice in the representation of the industry.” 

The search for NFPDA’s new leadership came as the existing President and CEO, Cece Corbin, announced her intent to partially retire in early 2025.  NPFDA saw significant growth in many areas during Corbin’s tenure. Membership, event attendance and trade show participation all experienced an upturn. A popular industry breakfast during the NPFDA Annual Convention was successfully reinstated and featured prominent speakers from within and outside the protein industry. Increased revenue allowed NPFDA to provide members additional services and benefits, including an expanded NPFDA Spring Exchange and a networking-focused NPFDA Fall Meeting. In addition, the unprecedented success of fundraising campaigns allowed the NPFDA Scholarship Foundation to provide larger and more numerous scholarships to NPFDA family students. 

Corbin, a certified meeting professional, has been NPFDA’s CEO since 2018.

Source: Jessica Wesson; National Protein and Food Distributors Association