Organic Valley Makes History with First Female CEO, Shawna Nelson

Organic Valley, the nation’s largest organic, farmer-owned cooperative, has named Shawna Nelson as its next CEO, effective March 28. Nelson, a Wisconsin native with nearly two decades of experience within the co-op, has grown from intern to executive, demonstrating a deep commitment to Organic Valley’s farmers-first mission.

Nelson, who grew up in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region, started with Organic Valley in 2005 and has since held key roles in marketing, sales analysis, recruitment, employee relations, field operations, and dairy pool management. Her broad experience within the co-op has given her a well-rounded understanding of both farm-level challenges and cooperative strategy.

She steps into the role as Jeff Frank departs to become CEO of Monogram Foods. During his tenure, Organic Valley increased pay prices for organic family farms, strengthened its financial position by cutting debt in half, and secured the #1 branded market share in organic dairy...