WASHINGTON – The National Turkey Federation (NTF) announced on Oct. 4, that its longtime president and chief executive officer, Joel Brandenberger, will retire on June 30, 2024. The association said it will conduct a nationwide search to identify his successor.

Brandenberger’s career with the NTF spanned 33 years and he spent the last 17 in his current role. He joined the association in 1991, serving as director of public affairs before being promoted to senior vice president for legislative affairs four years later and then promoted to senior vice president for legislative affairs in 2001. In 2006 he began his tenure as the NTF’s fifth CEO. Prior to joining the NTF, he worked as a newspaper reporter and editor and went on to work in the legislative offices in the Texas Senate and US House of Representatives.

Steve Lykken, NTF chairman and president of Austin, Minn.-based Jennie-O Turkey Store, thanked Brandenberger for his dedication, and acknowledged that he successfully led the association in the face of many challenges through the years.

“On behalf of the NTF Executive Committee, board of directors and membership, I would like to thank Joel for his decades of service to the industry,” Lykken said. “He took over as CEO shortly before the Great Recession, and he led the federation through that crisis, two major outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, the COVID-19 pandemic, significant food safety and animal health regulatory changes, renewable fuels legislation that drastically altered industry input costs, trade disruptions and the emerging carbon dioxide crisis. I can’t imagine a more eventful tenure as an association CEO, and we are grateful for Joel’s leadership.”

Brandenberger said he is grateful to have worked alongside colleagues and members who were dedicated to advancing the industry.

“No trade association in the food and agriculture industry is blessed with a leadership or membership more dedicated to ensuring their association’s success,” he said. “While fierce competitors in the marketplace, NTF’s members and leaders pulled together as a united front in advocating for the industry in Washington and promoting turkey products and the industry’s image.”

“The unwavering support and hard work of the team and the members has been essential to the success we have enjoyed,” he added.

Brandenburger and his wife, Susan, plan to enjoy their retirement years at their homes in Florida and Utah.