The South Dakota Pork Producers Council (SDPPC) has hired Ava Saxe as the organization’s new Director of Membership, Outreach, and Engagement. Saxe will officially join the team during the last week of August and hit the ground running at the South Dakota State Fair. In her new role, Saxe will sup port SDPPC’s mission by strengthening relationships across the pork industry, expanding membership, and leading key outreach initiatives statewide. She will play an integral role in connecting pork producers with industry partners, managing events, leading strategic communications, and overseeing initiatives that generate unrestricted funding for the organization’s policy efforts. Saxe comes to SDPPC with a rich background in hands-on production agriculture and industry outreach. Raised on a small hobby farm where her passion for agriculture began, she spent three summers working directly in hog barns with The Maschhoffs in Illinois during her high school years. A recent graduate of Southern Illinois University, Saxe earned her bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness Economics with minors in Communications and Animal Science. Throughout her college career, she gained valuable professional experience completing internships with Midwest Dairy and John Deere. “SDPPC is thrilled to welcome Ava to our team! We look forward to the fresh perspective and energy she will bring to our organization, and I have no doubt she will make meaningful contributions to our continuous efforts of promoting and supporting our pork producers in South Dakota,” said Tina Erickson, Executive Director of South Dakota Pork Producers Council. ...read more read less