Prairie Farms Dairy Inc., Edwardsville, Ill., said Ed Mullins has decided to step down as CEO/executive vice president to assume a new role as senior executive officer. With a tenure of more than 40 years at Prairie Farms, Mullins will continue to be actively involved in the company's day-to-day operations.

Currently serving as senior vice president of sales, Matt McClelland was promoted to replace Mullins as CEO. McClelland joined Prairie Farms in 1991 and has held numerous leadership positions in sales and operations, the company said.

"On behalf of the board, I want to thank Ed for his extraordinary commitment to Prairie Farms during the past four decades and thank Matt for accepting the CEO position," said Tony Graves, Prairie Farms' board president. "Ed and Matt have a combined 70 years of service to Prairie Farms, and we are proud of their exceptional leadership. As they assume their new roles, the board has great confidence in their expertise to lead our cooperative into the next phase of growth."

Prairie Farms said the planned transition will become effective on Jan. 1, 2022.