Grand Prairie, Texas-based Dairy Max has promoted Marty McKinzie to chief growth officer of the organization. McKinzie will be responsible for business development, industry image and relations, sustainability and organizational development.
Dairy Max has also hired Kay Johnson Smith as its chief operating officer, who will be leading key areas of the business including consumer marketing, corporate communications, issues management, health and wellness and school marketing. McKinzie and Johnson Smith will report to Mike Konkle, CEO, who has served in his role since 2007 and will continue to lead the growing organization.
McKinzie joined Dairy Max in 2008 as director of industry image and relations and currently serves as the VP of industry image and relations. He and his team oversee the communication connecting Dairy Max with the dairy farmers it serves, helping them build trust with communities through connections with farm tours, sharing checkoff program successes with youth inside and outside of schools and building relationships with business partners and health professionals.
Johnson Smith joins Dairy Max from the Animal Agriculture Alliance, where she served first as executive director, then president and CEO for nearly 28 years. In that role, she was tasked with managing the organization’s operations, providing guidance to the agriculture and food industry regarding farm animal issues and engaging stakeholders about the importance of modern animal agriculture.
“Dairy councils are an asset to farmers every day, supporting them in their efforts to provide and market dairy products to Americans,” Konkle said. “The way we see it, dairy farmers have both tough and incredible jobs – and it is our responsibility to meet their expectations and serve them well. The addition of these two roles will help us to be positioned for continued success in the coming years.”
Dairy Max is part of a nationwide effort to promote dairy, develop new dairy foods, provide educational information and increase consumption. Founded more than 40 years ago, Dairy Max serves communities in Colorado, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.
A nonprofit organization, Dairy Max is part of a nationwide effort to promote American agriculture, support dairy farming and drive impact for every dairy farmer.
For more information, visit DairyMax.org.
