The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) named Chelsie Keys senior vice president, government relations, succeeding a position held by Dave Carlin who announced his retirement from IDFA earlier this year. Keys comes to IDFA from the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, where she served as policy director for Chairman John Boozman of Arkansas. Keys has been with the Senate Agriculture Committee for a decade. 

“IDFA is absolutely thrilled to welcome Chelsie Keys to our Executive Team as IDFA’s senior vice president of government relations,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of IDFA. “Chelsie is one of the most respected and effective policy strategists on Capitol Hill, and her deep, decade-plus experience shaping the Farm Bill, navigating complex nutrition policy, and securing critical legislative wins on behalf of the Senate Agriculture Committee is unmatched. Adding Chelsie’s expertise immediately raises the bar for our entire organization and ensures IDFA is positioned for maximum impact as we advocate on behalf of U.S. dairy.”

Keys has been with the Senate Agriculture Committee for a decade. In her current role as policy director, she leads the policy development and strategy for Chairman Boozman’s staff, spanning a diverse jurisdiction including agriculture, nutrition, forestry, conservation, rural development, credit and derivatives. Keys has played an integral role in developing and securing key legislative successes for the Committee including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Growing Climate Solutions Act, the 2018 Farm Bill, the CARES Act and numerous rounds of ad-hoc emergency assistance for farmers and ranchers. 

“I am excited and grateful to be joining the IDFA team in this leadership role, where I will advocate before Congress and the Executive Branch on behalf of U.S. dairy producers and processors to facilitate greater innovation and growth in the dairy industry,” said Keys. “I want to thank Chairman Boozman and Chairman Roberts before him for the opportunity to serve in leadership roles on the Senate Agriculture Committee. Working for the Committee has been the honor of my life. I look forward to this new chapter with IDFA where I can combine my experiences in advocacy and policymaking, along with my roots in agriculture, for the advancement of the U.S. dairy industry.”

Keys first joined the Committee in 2015 under then Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas and was Senior Professional Staff for issues related to climate, livestock and poultry, animal health, animal welfare and food safety. From 2006 to 2015 Keys worked for the National Pork Producers Council where she held numerous roles, including director of government relations. She hails from Minnesota where she was raised on a 6th generation grain and cow-calf farm and earned a degree in applied economics from the University of Minnesota. 

In her executive position as SVP of government relations, Keys will manage IDFA’s government relations and legislative affairs team, which is responsible for driving IDFA’s advocacy strategy at the federal level and representing the interests of the U.S. dairy manufacturing and marketing industry in Washington, D.C. and with state governments. Reporting directly to the President and CEO and serving as a key member of IDFA’s executive team, Keys will develop and execute a robust government relations strategy that supports a thriving, sustainable, and globally competitive dairy sector. Keys will also serve as IDFA’s liaison to the Economic Policy Committee, working side by side with IDFA member leaders to focus on economic advocacy for the dairy industry, including analyzing and providing input on economic policies that affect dairy, such as government programs, trade, and marketplace volatility.

Carlin will retire from IDFA at the end of 2025. During his time in the SVP role, Carlin led IDFA’s legislative affairs efforts in creating the SNAP Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives Program in the 2018 Farm Bill, expanding flavored milk options in schools through the federal appropriations process, and securing millions of dollars in federal funding to support our industry’s policy priorities while ensuring the safety and quality of dairy foods for consumers around the world, culminating in 2025 with the successful implementation of the first meaningful reforms to milk pricing in nearly two decades. 

On Keys appointment to IDFA, Dykes added: “Chelsie joins IDFA at a time of great optimism for U.S. dairy, with per capita consumption by consumers increasing, investment in manufacturing growing, dairy exporters outperforming other U.S. agricultural commodities, and innovation sweeping across our sector.”