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Martha Scott Poindexter Chosen as USDEC Chief Operating Officer

CONTACTS:

Mark O'Keefe, USDEC
PHONE: (703) 528-4812

ARLINGTON, VA. - The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) today announced the appointment of Martha Scott Poindexter as Chief Operating Officer. As COO, Poindexter reports to USDEC President and CEO Krysta Harden, effective July 8, 2021.  

Among other duties, Poindexter will be Harden's strategic thought partner, provide oversight of USDEC's senior leadership team and lead the organization's efforts to accelerate growth, strengthen operational performance, and foster innovation.

Harden said USDEC would benefit from Poindexter's strong global agriculture and management experience and her established reputation of managing people's strengths to promote collaboration, consistency, and synergy.

"We are pleased that Martha Scott will take on this major leadership role at USDEC," said Harden. "Martha Scott has already demonstrated leadership and success in executing strategies that have had major impacts in the private and public sector. I look forward to having Martha Scott's skill, expertise, and knowledge impact the success of our members and the dairy industry more broadly."

Poindexter brings high-level global business experience to USDEC. She spent six years at agribusiness giant Bunge as Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs. There she navigated a complicated web of U.S. policy issues, legislation, and regulation with China, the EU, Southeast Asia, and other regions to advance the company's export and commodity trading operations. Poindexter also worked with Monsanto (before its acquisition by Bayer) as Director of Government Relations.

Poindexter's government experience is just as impressive. She most recently served as Minority Staff Director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, working for Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas. She has also served as Majority and Minority Staff Director of the Senate Agriculture Committee and as Staff Director for the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Poindexter is the first female to lead both the agriculture and intelligence committees, writing numerous farm bills and other significant agriculture, nutrition, and intelligence legislation.

"I am delighted to join USDEC to leverage my global affairs experience on behalf of USDEC's member companies and the entire U.S. dairy industry," said Poindexter.

Poindexter has deep agricultural roots, growing up in the Mississippi Delta on a cotton, rice, and soybean farm. She is a graduate of Mississippi State University and currently lives in Alexandria, Va.

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The U.S. Dairy Export Council is a non-profit, independent membership organization that represents the global trade interests of U.S. dairy producers, proprietary processors and cooperatives, ingredient suppliers and export traders. Its mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and assist the U.S. industry to increase its global dairy ingredient sales and exports of U.S. dairy products. USDEC accomplishes this through programs in market development that build global demand for U.S. dairy products, resolve market access barriers and advance industry trade policy goals. USDEC is supported by staff across the United States and overseas in Mexico, South America, Asia, Middle East and Europe. The U.S. Dairy Export Council prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, disability, national origin, race, color, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, political beliefs, marital status, military status, and arrest or conviction record. www.usdec.org.