Angus Names Allen Moczygemba CEO
Texas native to lead the nation’s largest beef breed organization.
Allen Moczygemba, a native of San Antonio, Texas, is the new CEO of the American Angus Association, effective Dec. 1, 2015.
Moczygemba will serve as the chief executive for the American Angus Association and for each of the Association’s subsidiaries: Angus Productions Inc. (API), Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB), Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI) and the Angus Foundation. He will also be responsible for implementing the Association’s long-term strategic objectives and leading a team of more than 200 employees. The Association Board of Directors announced the decision Friday, Oct. 30.
“This is a great day for the American Angus Association and the Angus breed,” said Steve Olson, 2015 Association president. “Allen not only brings a fresh, strategic vision to our organization, but also a detail-oriented, hands-on approach to leadership that will ensure our resources are focused on continuing to grow demand for Angus genetics and the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand.”
Moczygemba possesses nearly three decades of experience in the cattle business, managing business units, overseeing brands and building strategic relationships across the beef industry.
He most recently served as vice president of marketing for Advanced Animal Diagnostics, a technology company developing on-farm animal-health diagnostic platforms.
While serving as beef segment marketing director for Zoetis Animal Health and Pfizer Animal Health, he developed partnerships with organizations such as the American Quarter Horse Association, CattleFax, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
Allen Moczygemba addressed the delegates and others present at the Association’s annual meeting in Overland Park, Kan.
He managed Progressive Beef, a program of standard operating procedures for the fed-cattle sector that includes an independent third-party audit. The program’s standards align closely with major retailers, such as Performance Food Group.
Moczygemba also was senior vice president for Farm Journal Database Strategies and vice president for Farm Journal Livestock Group, where he was publisher of Beef Today and Dairy Today magazines.
“AAA enjoys a long and successful history in developing innovative ways to advance the Angus breed,” Moczygemba said. “I am excited about helping to write the next chapter for the breed and blazing new trails of opportunity for our members.”
Moczygemba received his degree in 1987 in agriculture communications from Southwest Texas State University. He and his wife, Venetta, have two sons, Lane and Ross.
Q&A with Allen Moczygemba
- Q: First, how do you pronounce your name?
- A: “I get that a lot. It’s ‘Mitch-eh-gemba.’”
- Q: Tell us about your background.
- A: “I’m a fourth-generation Texan who grew up on a commercial cow-calf operation in south Texas. I graduated from Southwest Texas State University with a degree in agricultural communications in 1987 and have spent nearly three decades in agribusiness and the cattle business, working in different sectors to oversee teams and lead brands, manage business units and build strategic relationships across the beef industry. My wife, Venetta, and I have two grown sons, Lane and Ross. Our boys live in Texas and are both in the final year of receiving their MBAs.”
- Q: Why are you interested in serving as the CEO of the American Angus Association?
- A: “For starters, it’s the American Angus Association — the most successful cattle breed association in the world.
- “Second, I feel that my collaborative leadership style and management skills will be a good fit for the Association.
- “And, finally, my business background allows me to bring a different perspective to American Angus, which I believe will be beneficial as the Association begins work on updating the Long-Range Strategic Plan and creating new opportunities for growth in the years ahead. I’ve had the opportunity to work for market leaders such as Farm Journal Media and Pfizer Animal Health/Zoetis, which I believe has prepared me well for my new role with the American Angus Association.”
- Q: How do you plan to grow demand for registered-Angus seedstock?
- A: “While there’s been a tremendous amount of growth in demand for Angus cattle in the past decade, we must continue to grow relevance for everyone — from seedstock to commercial users. A high priority will be to develop a more comprehensive focus that creates more value through the chain, especially at the commercial level. We need to continue exploring how to reach commercial ranchers and providing meaningful programs and services for commercial cattlemen that are technologically based. We need to create a data stream from the packer back to the feeder and ultimately to the ranch to ensure that we have all of the information that producers need to make informed decisions about genetics, breeding decisions, etc.”
- Q: What do you think is the Association’s greatest strength?
- A: “Without a doubt it’s the members and staff and their relentless commitment to improvement of not only the Angus breed, but also the beef industry as a whole.”
- Q: What surprises you most about AAA?
- A: “I wouldn’t say I’m surprised by it, but I marvel at the breadth of influence that Angus has across the entire cattle industry. What the American Angus Association does impacts all the various sectors of the cattle business. And while that’s good for Angus and all of our members, it also carries with it a large measure of responsibility, because our decisions and actions will ultimately have more influence on the U.S. cattle industry than any other organization.
- Q: What should people expect from your style of leadership?
- A: “My leadership style is built upon collaboration, building consensus and ultimately creating a culture of empowerment that is energized by a shared vision. It’s also very important to me that all views or perspectives have a seat at the table and not be excluded from having input.”
- Q: You came from outside the Association. Why is that an advantage?
- A: “I have a diverse background, and that allows me to bring a different — and I think broader perspective — to American Angus. In turn, that allows me to see new opportunities. I’ve worked for some great organizations that have provided me a myriad of experience. I feel like all of those experiences have prepared me specifically for my new role at the Association.”
- Q: What do you want people to know about you?
- A: “First, I’m honored and humbled to be selected to lead such an outstanding organization. I really do understand and appreciate the legacy and heritage of the American Angus Association — and everything it’s meant to the beef industry. It’s important that we continue to build on this legacy, and make economic conditions even better for our members as we move forward.
- “Second, folks will see that I’m fair in both how I manage and in my decision-making process. I know that everyone is not going to agree with every decision that I make; however, I’m confident that people will see that I consider all viewpoints equally and fairly.”
