KANSAS CITY, MO. – After joining Smithfield Foods 20 years ago as an accountant, nobody could have predicted Andrea Tucker's career path, which included transitioning to the operations side of the global pork processing company and becoming its first plant manager in 2019, leading the team at the Wilson, NC bacon facility.

Three years later, Tucker was promoted to plant manager of the largest pork processing operation in the world, Smithfield’s Tar Heel, NC plant. Along the way, the outgoing and people-first leader earned the respect of her coworkers up and down the company’s hierarchy and was recognized as an outstanding female leader in the manufacturing sector by being awarded the STEP Ahead Award in 2019 from the Manufacturing Institute.

This past month, Tucker was named MEAT+POULTRY’s 2023 Operations Executive of the Year, making her the twelfth recipient of the annual award and the first woman to receive the honor.

Each year, MEAT+POULTRY presents the award to a proven industry executive in recognition of a career dedicated to pursuing operational excellence and providing leadership while delivering innovative solutions. Previous award recipients have included Smithfield’s Henry Morris, George’s Inc.’s Robert Garlington, Dietz & Watson’s John Schoenfellinger and most recently, Tyson Foods’ Gregg Uecker.

Tucker’s intriguing background and non-traditional career path are chronicled in the cover story of MEAT+POULTRY’s July issue, written by Managing Editor Erica Shaffer. During a recent tour of the mammoth Tar Heel plant alongside Tucker, it was obvious that she was a respected leader for all the right reasons. Tucker warned that the tour might be delayed at some points because “people will want to stop me and hug me.”

“Tucker models servant leadership,” said Shaffer. “She likes to take charge and provide guidance so people can do their jobs. She also believes transparency is essential to establishing effective communication, promoting a culture of trust and building relationships, which are skills that have only grown in importance for managers today.”

Tucker takes pride in her accomplishments at all levels of her career.

“It’s been so rewarding; my career has been extremely rewarding,” she said. “Not only do I get to do something I truly love, but I also get to be around so many people and influence them and help them understand that they can make a difference just like I made a difference — give back to people.”

Read the July cover story, Uplifting Leadership.