The International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) is pleased to announce the 2026 Young Leaders Under 30 honorees. This award celebrates emerging talent within the industry and provides recipients with an opportunity to gain recognition at the world’s largest annual trade show dedicated to the production and processing of meat, poultry and egg products, as well as the production of animal food and pet food.

The 2026 IPPE Young Leaders Under 30 Award honorees are as follows:

• Sarah Bowden, Wayne-Sanderson Farms 
• Ashley Brodnick, Butterball LLC 
• Collin Brown, Aviagen North America
• Thomas Carpenter, Wayne-Sanderson Farms 
• Alicia Chavez Angeles, Clemens Food Group 
• Luther Coe, Allen Harim Foods LLC 
• Madison Darley, FPL Food LLC 
• Ashley Daughtry, Case Farms
• Nathan Duke, Pilgrim’s 
• Megan Hansen, Star Blends 
• Madeleine Hart, Butterball LLC 
• Carlos Hernandez, Cal-Maine Foods 
• Maliq Holmes, Wayne-Sanderson Farms 
• Cayla Kirk, Cargill
• Cristina Limon Gutierrez, Perdue Farms 
• Kylie Maples, Aviagen North America 
• Max McClure, Rose Acre Farms
• Brooke Moore, Jones Dairy Farm
• Hannah Mudge, Mountaire Farms 
• Shieriney Murphy, Pilgrim’s 
• Will Newlin, OSI Group LLC 
• Brittany Nicholes, Smithfield Foods Inc.
• Bailey Parsons, Standard Meat Company
• Pranita Patil, FPL Food LLC 
• Delphine Saint-Omer-Delepine, Hubbard
• Joel Sanchez, Wayne-Sanderson Farms 
• Nicole Sehi, Pilgrim’s 
• Matthew Simmons, Versova Management Cooperative  
• Jared Slaton, Fieldale Farms Corporation
• Kaysie Spurley, Applegate
• Mara Steineitz, Catelli Brothers Inc.
• Andrew Thomason, Cal-Maine Foods

The IPPE team extends its gratitude to all who applied for the Young Leaders Under 30 Award. “Recognizing and supporting the visionaries shaping the future of the global animal food and protein industries is essential,” said IPPE management. “It is truly inspiring to see the caliber of young professionals entering the industry and the passion they bring to its continued growth and innovation.”

The selected recipients will enjoy complimentary access to the Expo, IPPE-assigned complimentary hotel accommodations for Tuesday and Wednesday nights, access to all non-fee-based educational programs and registration for one paid educational program offered at IPPE. They will also receive a VIP tour of the trade show floor, breakfast with a keynote speaker, a plaque recognizing their status as a "Young Leader" that will be presented in the Discovery Zone Booth B51027 on the Expo floor at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 28, and complimentary registration to the 2027 IPPE.

Save the date and join us in celebrating the rising stars of the poultry, egg, meat and animal food industries. Register now here.