At the February board meeting, leaders of the Oklahoma Pork Council voted to move longtime pork industry advocate Cathy Vaughan of Laverne into an ex-officio position on the board of directors. This transition opened a West District board seat for the next six months, allowing a new producer to be added onto Oklahoma Pork's leadership team.

With that change, please join the Oklahoma Pork Council as we happily welcome Jaye Schuelke-Daily to her appointed role representing Smithfield Foods on our board of directors throughout the spring and summer of this year. Jaye, who serves as a veterinary assistant out of Smithfield's Oklahoma office, has worked in pork production for almost five years. As an Iowa State graduate, she first came to Oklahoma for an internship opportunity with Smithfield Foods in 2020 before accepting a full-time position upon graduation. Since that time, she has gained a variety of experiences all working to produce quality pork alongside her Smithfield colleagues in Oklahoma and Colorado.

When asked what she would like to share with our state's pork producers as she embraces this new opportunity, Jaye said, "I may have fewer years under my belt than many in the pork industry, but I am eager to dive into this role at a deeper level. I want to make connections with other producers and provide a friendly face on behalf of Smithfield that people can contact about projects and issues."

When she is not working with pigs, you can find Jaye ranching with her family and enjoying the outdoors. On behalf of Jaye's fellow board members and our Oklahoma Pork staff, we look forward to working with her this year.