The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) announced new members of the organization’s Executive Council as well as new directors for the group’s five Industry Segment Boards. Patricia D. Stroup, senior vice president and chief procurement officer of Nestlé S.A., and CEO of Nestrade S.A., was selected to chair the IDFA Executive Council. Mike Durkin, president and CEO of Leprino Foods Co. was selected to be vice chair of the IDFA Executive Council.

IDFA’s Executive Council is composed of executives from across the dairy foods industry and focuses on the business and operations of the association. The five Industry Segment Boards represent fluid milk, ice cream, cheese, yogurt and cultured products, and dairy-derived ingredients, and are composed of experts and executives who drive policy and strategy alongside the association’s leadership. Together, the Executive Council and Industry Segment Boards make up IDFA’s governance structure and ensure that IDFA represents and engages all segments of the growing dairy industry in the United States. 

“These executives were nominated and selected based on their demonstrated leadership, business expertise and dedication to the future success of IDFA and the dairy industry in the United States,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of IDFA. “Their knowledge, experience and input will guide our regulatory, legislative, communications, membership and people-related services so that IDFA continues working in the best interest of our members to elevate and guide the industry to becoming the world’s leading supplier of affordable, sustainable dairy nutrition.”

“I’m grateful to the Nomination and Governance Committee for their thoughtful consideration and selection of these new Board members as we work together to cultivate a new generation of leadership for our industry and position dairy for continued success, said Dykes. “Their recommendation to add members of IDFA’s NextGen Leadership Program to our Boards exemplifies our organization’s continued commitment to leadership development.”

IDFA represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports more than 3.3 million jobs that generate $41.6 billion in direct wages and $753 billion in overall economic impact. IDFA’s diverse membership ranges from multinational organizations to single-plant companies, from dairy companies and cooperatives to food retailers and suppliers, all on the cutting edge of innovation and sustainable business practices. Together, they represent 90 percent of the milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and cultured products, and dairy ingredients produced and marketed in the United States and sold throughout the world. IDFA’s strategic focus, developed in collaboration with members of the IDFA Boards, focuses on five key areas: nutrition, health, and wellness; technology and innovation; sustainability; competitiveness; and people. 

IDFA Executive Council Members 

Officers (terms ending January 2025)

Chair: Patricia D. Stroup, Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer, Nestle S.A./CEO, Nestrade S.A. 

Vice Chair: Mike Durkin, President & CEO, Leprino Foods Company 

Secretary: Terry Brockman, Chief Business Officer, Saputo Dairy Division USA 

Treasurer: David Nelsen, Group Vice President of Manufacturing, Albertsons Companies 

Immediate Past Chair: David Ahlem, CEO & President, Hilmar Cheese Company, Inc.

IDFA Fluid Milk Board (terms ending January 2024)

Chair: Miriam Erickson Brown, Chair & CEO, Anderson Erickson Dairy Company

Vice Chair: Jay Bryant, CEO, Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association, Inc.

IDFA Ice Cream Board (terms ending January 2024)

Chair: Ricky Dickson, CEO & President, Blue Bell Creameries, L.P.

Vice Chair: Andy Jacobs, CEO, Turkey Hill Dairy, Inc.

IDFA Cheese Board (terms ending January 2024)

Chair: Doug Wilke, CEO, Valley Queen Cheese

Vice Chair: Kurt Epprecht, Owner/Vice President, Cheese Quality and Dairy Policy, Great Lakes Cheese Co., Inc.

IDFA Yogurt and Cultured Products Board (terms ending January 2024)

Chair: Trevor Farrell, Senior Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer, Americas, Schreiber Foods, Inc.

Vice Chair: Courtney Bidney, Director, Global Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, General Mills

IDFA Ingredients Board (terms ending January 2025)

Chair: Daragh Maccabee, CEO, Idaho Milk Products

Vice Chair: Gustavo Acosta, Director Global Purchasing, Dairy, Abbott

IDFA Executive Council Directors (terms ending January 2026) 

Joe Diglio, President & CEO, Michigan Milk Producers Association 

Tim Doelman, CEO, fairlife, LLC 

Jeff Gentine, President & CEO, Masters Gallery Food’s Inc. 

Tim Leviny, SVP, Dairy Foods GDI & International, Land O’Lakes Inc. 

Matt McClelland, CEO/Executive VP, Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. 

Scott McGinty, Chief Executive Officer, Aurora Organic Dairy 

Brian Phelan, CEO, Glanbia Nutritionals, Glanbia plc 

Greg Schlafer, CEO, Foremost Farms USA

IDFA Executive Council Directors (terms ending January 2025)

Rich D. Draper, Chief Executive Officer, The Ice Cream Club, Inc.

Robin Dubuc, Vice President, Manufacturing Operations & Network Optimization, The Kroger Company

Louie P. Gentine, Chief Executive Officer, Sargento Foods Inc

Mike Wells, President and Chief Executive Officer, Wells Enterprises, Inc

IDFA Executive Council Directors (terms ending January 2024) 

Peter Cotter, President & CEO, Lactalis Heritage Dairy

Dennis Rodenbaugh, President & CEO, Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. 

Gold Business Partner Representatives on Executive Council (term ending January 2026)

Seth Teply, President & CEO, US and Canada, Tetra Pak, Inc.