Foster Farms announced this week that it has appointed Jayson Penn as chief executive officer. Penn joins Foster Farms having most recently served as president of John Soules Foods after a career across many leading poultry companies. He succeeds Donnie Smith, who was named CEO of Foster Farms in conjunction with Atlas Holdings’ acquisition in June 2022. As part of this leadership transition, Foster Farms also announced James Richards as chief financial officer.

Jayson Penn is an accomplished leader in the poultry industry. He began his career in his family’s poultry business and spent nearly a decade with Pilgrim’s, ultimately serving as CEO. Before joining Pilgrim’s, he held various sales and operations roles with Case Foods, Marshall Durbin Companies, and Sanderson Farms.

James Richards joins Foster Farms having most recently served as president and CEO of Kodi Collective, where he led a successful turnaround of the business, returning it to a market-leading position in print and marketing services. Before joining Kodi Collective, he spent 22 years with General Electric, serving across diverse industries in senior chief financial officer, chief information officer, and operations transformation leadership roles.

“Foster Farms has been a household name for nearly a century, and I’m excited to continue working to position this iconic brand for success for many years to come. We will be focused on serving our team members and supporting our customers with products they can trust. A solid foundation for smart growth has been set, and I’m ready to get started,” said Jayson Penn, incoming CEO of Foster Farms.

Atlas Partners Sam Astor, Ed Fletcher and Mike Sher commented: “We are excited to have Jayson on board to lead the transformation journey underway. Jayson and James bring immediate strength to the broader leadership team. Jayson’s deep industry experience and commitment to operational excellence provide the right combination to lead Foster Farms into the future.”