IARN — Dairy Management, Inc. – the dairy checkoff program that drives trust and sales of dairy products on behalf of America’s 31,000 dairy farm families and importers – has transitioned to new leadership.
Back in September, former DMI CEO Tom Gallagher announced the conclusion of his 30-year tenure to devote more time to teaching and other opportunities. DMI’s board of directors then named DMI President, Barbara O’Brien, as the company’s next Chief Executive Officer. O’Brien has now transitioned into her new executive role, and recently told reporters that her experience with DMI will help her as CEO.
“The board’s unanimous support of me for this role was such an important vote of confidence,” O’Brien said. “And to some extent, I’d say it was a vote for strategic continuity. They liked the idea of an internal candidate, someone who understood the complexities of the business, where we were going strategically. But I want to say that continuity doesn’t mean complacency. We need to continue to examine what we do and change where we need to change.”
Gallagher, who helped support the company through the transition process, says O’Brien was the right pick to be his successor.
“First of all, we have a person in Barb O’Brien who is very capable,” Gallagher said. “I’ve worked with her 21 years, she’s ready to take over, it will be seamless. Second thing is we have a long-term plan that we worked through with the industry, with the dairy farmers, it has wide support. It’s well on the way to being implemented, so there’s a road map.”
O’Brien talked about upcoming challenges facing the industry, the first of which is finding more business opportunities overseas.
“The environment is complex,” O’Brien said. “We are increasingly reliant on the global marketplace for new volume, so we need to bring new solutions and make hard choices within the programs to make sure we are efficiently and effectively investing the farmers’ dollars. So, you’re going to see that in the coming months.”
O’Brien also previously served as CEO of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.
Story courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.
Photo courtesy of Dairy Management Inc.
