RALEIGH – The North Carolina Pork Council is preparing a group of young professionals in the pork industry to be the next generation of leaders through a new program called Pork Leadership Carolina. Twenty-three professionals from North Carolina and two from South Carolina are participating in a three-month-long program designed to prepare them for the challenges and opportunities our industry will encounter in the near future.

“Associations like the North Carolina Pork Council are only as successful as the leadership available to the association allows,” said Roy Lee Lindsey, CEO of the NCPC. “It is imperative we continue to develop members to fill leadership roles within the association, to be advocates for the industry, and help guide the future of our association.”

The 2022 class includes people from all facets of the pork industry, from farmers to allied partners.

Upon completion of the program, participants will be able to identify the threats facing agriculture and the pork industry, confidently engage with neighbors and the media about their farms, as well as foster supportive relationships with key industry stakeholders to promote and protect the pork industry in North Carolina and beyond.

The 2022 Pork Leadership Carolina class is:

  • Bailee Arnold of Middlesex
  • Matthew Carter of Seven Springs
  • Chris Conser of Mount Pleasant
  • Joshua Coombs of Clinton
  • Blake Floars of Goldsboro
  • Adam Gaines of Apex
  • Edwin Griffin of East Bend
  • Douglas Jones Jr of Greensboro
  • Bill Jordan of Clinton
  • Jack Kelly of Raleigh
  • Mario Laguardia of Murfreesboro
  • Alec Linton of Goldsboro
  • Dave Overman of Goldsboro
  • Cassandra L Peters of Windsor
  • Christina Phillips of Wallace
  • Carson Rose of Newton Grove
  • Joseph (Joey) Short of Fayetteville
  • Rodney (Rod) D. Smith Jr. of Pink Hill
  • Savannah Strickland of Mount Olive
  • Mallory Strickland of Warsaw
  • Paul Clay Utley II of Kinston
  • Cameron Watson of Newton Grove
  • Wesley Wilson of Kenansville