A slew of new leadership appointments was announced by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) this week. With a new term beginning on July 1, the association has named 21 members to serve on its Board of Directors.
Steve Bechel, Vice President of Operations at Eau Galle Cheese, was again selected to serve as WCMA President.
“It’s a special honor to serve as the President of WCMA again during a time of so much growth,” Bechel said in a recent press release. “With more creative new programming and resources in the works than ever before, it’s an exciting time to be part of this valuable organization.”
According to the release, Doug Wilke, Chief Executive Officer of Valley Queen Cheese, will continue to serve on WCMA’s executive leadership team as First Vice President, with Mike Sipple, Vice President Milk Procurement and Regional VP Operations at Agropur, remaining in the role of Second Vice President. Kim Heiman, Director, Corporate Hygiene at Nasonville Dairy and the former WCMA President, will rejoin the executive team as Treasurer, while Chris Renard, Co-Owner of Renard’s Cheese, will continue in the role of Secretary.
Greg Alberts, Owner of Kelley Supply, and Declan Roche, Vice President Dairy Ingredients at Foremost Farms USA, will join the Board of Directors for the first time. Steve Stettler, Master Cheesemaker of Decatur Dairy and another former President of WCMA, will also return as a Board member this year.
“WCMA’s member companies and cooperatives are at the core of everything we do. Their ideas and feedback push us to strive for excellence and think outside the box to support the continued growth of the dairy processing industry,” said Executive Director John Umhoefer. “We’re grateful to those who have devoted their time to lead the organization as Directors, and we look forward to working with this year’s new and returning Board members."
Directors who have served their maximum terms include Graham Archer of Tetra Pak, Gary Gosda of Schuman Cheese – Lake Country Dairy, Linda Lee of Prairie Farms Dairy’s Cheese Division, and Tayt Wuethrich of Grassland Dairy Products.
Congratulations to all of the leaders that were named in this recent appointment!
