National Chicken Council Chairman of the Board David Jackson, Chief Operating Officer of Simmons Foods, has announced the chairs for NCC’s 2026 standing committees.
Committee chairs are as follows:
Broiler Welfare: Heather Hillman-Easley, Manager, FSQA Live Operations – Arkansas, Missouri, and Virginia, George’s
Communications: Brittni Miller, Communications Manager, Amick Farms
Environmental: Lankford Ruffin, Corporate Environmental Manager, Butterball. Ruffin was selected as chairman of this joint committee by the National Turkey Federation.
Human Resource: Joint-committee chair will be chosen at the April 2026 USPOULTRY Workforce Conference.
Marketing: David Rose, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Simmons Foods
Poultry Health: Dr. Andy Bishop, Corporate Veterinarian, Wayne Sanderson Farms
Safety & Health: Rick Hellinga, Senior Director of Safety, Health & Loss Prevention, Simmons Foods. Hellinga was selected as chairman of this joint committee by NCC.
Technical & Regulatory: Kevin Atkins, Vice President of Food Safety and Regulatory Affairs, Perdue Farms
