Chicken Council President Retires; Interim President Named

June 18, 2024

Gary Jay Kushner will replace Mike Brown until National Chicken Council finds its new permanent president.

Gary Jay Kushner, interim president, National Chicken Council

Mike Brown, president of the National Chicken Council (NCC), has retired after more than 13 years at the helm of the organization, according to a release from the NCC.

Randy Day, NCC chairman and retired former CEO of Perdue Farms, expressed his thanks for Brown’s work to build a strong foundation for the council and promote the chicken industry in Washington, D.C. He said the council will conduct a nationwide search for its next president.

In the meantime, the NCC has appointed Gary Jay Kushner as interim president. Kushner is retired from partnership in law firm Hogan Lovells US LLP, and he has been NCC’s outside general counsel for more than 40 years. He previously served as in-house legal counsel to several food industry trade associations, including the Meat Institute (at the time, the American Meat Institute).

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.