Agriculture Industry Enthusiast Brings Passion, Drive and Ingenuity to Leading Role During Uncertain Times
he American Egg Board (AEB) announced that, effective in June, Emily Metz will assume the role of President and Chief Executive Officer, leading a strong staff and collaborating with the American egg industry to build demand for U.S. eggs and egg products both domestically and abroad. An agriculture industry veteran and passionate strategist, Metz fills the role vacated by previous CEO Anne Alonzo last month.
“Our industry has not seen this much change and uncertainty in decades, and our producers need a visionary leader to help the industry adapt to a changing marketplace,” said Steve George, Chairman of the American Egg Board. “We thank Anne for continually advancing our industry during her tenure with us, and we look forward to Emily using her creativity to capitalize on even greater opportunities to drive demand for U.S. eggs and egg products.”
Most recently, Metz was the head of Global Research and Development Communications and New Product Marketing for the world’s largest animal genetics company, the U.K.-based Genus Plc. She led strategy and communications across various subsidiaries, including ABS Global and the Pig Improvement Company (PIC). While there, Metz crafted a global consumer marketing and communications strategy for the commercial launch of several groundbreaking animal agriculture technologies.
Prior to joining Genus, Metz served as Chief of Staff at the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) where she also oversaw the industry’s animal welfare, sustainability and worker welfare program, the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program. Other roles with NMPF included her oversight of the marketing efforts of the American Butter Institute (ABI), the dairy industry’s “Peel Back the Label” campaign and Real Seal Program. Metz also chaired several committees for the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy which works with leaders from across the dairy value chain to align on pre-competitive priorities, drive progress and speak with one voice.
Previous to that, Metz served as the Vice President of Communications and Membership at the Animal Agriculture Alliance and established herself as a credible spokeswoman in maintaining a positive image of our nation’s animal agriculture industry and connecting consumers from farm to fork. She began her career at the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a speechwriter for the Office of the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety, after which she quickly rose through the ranks of agriculture trade associations and the private sector to serve in increasingly significant leadership positions throughout the broader animal agriculture industry.
“Consumers today are looking for new ways to access and enjoy protein, which provides a tremendous opportunity for us to continually evolve our industry to meet that changing marketplace,” said Metz. “We have an obligation to support America’s hard-working egg farmers through education, research and promotion, and I look forward to partnering with them across the country to keep American eggs as a protein of preference around the world.”
Metz holds a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and International Affairs from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and a Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall University in Newark, New Jersey and is licensed attorney in several jurisdictions. She has received numerous awards in public relations, communications and marketing from PR News, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other organizations.
