Organic Valley has selected agricultural veteran and community advocate Shawna Nelson as the cooperative’s fourth CEO, effective March 28. She’s also the cooperative’s first female CEO.
Over almost 20 years within the co-op, she has grown from intern to CEO, contributing significantly to Organic Valley’s growth.
Born and raised in the Driftless Area, Nelson started her career at Organic Valley in 2005 as an intern. She later moved into marketing, sales analysis, recruitment, employee relations, field operations, and dairy pool management. In every position, Nelson excelled and deepened her understanding of cooperative structure and strategy.
She takes the lead as outgoing CEO Jeff Frank leaves to assume the CEO role at Monogram Foods.
Frank joined Organic Valley in January 2023. During his tenure, the co-op’s achievements included millions of dollars invested in organic family farm pay prices. Frank also worked to drive higher-than-anticipated net income performance, a 50 percent debt reduction, and the No. 1 branded market share for organic dairy.
Organic Valley board president Dave Hardy is optimistic about what the co-op will accomplish with Nelson’s guidance.
“The Board chose Shawna because of her demonstrated strong leadership, understanding of the farmer membership, and connection to the employees,” says Hardy. “She has shown dedication to the mission and to organic food, and with her vision will lead our farmer-owned cooperative forward.”
Nelson holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from UW-Stevens Point. She resides with her husband and son in La Farge, Wisconsin.
“I am deeply honored to build on the momentum developed through Jeff’s leadership and step
into the role of CEO,” she says. “I look forward to working in collaboration across the
cooperative to build on our successes and continue to serve our mission now and for generations
to come.”
