The International Dairy Foods Assn. (IDFA) board of directors announced Jan. 25 that it has formed a transition committee that will be tasked with finding a successor to Connie Tipton, current president and chief executive officer of IDFA, who announced that she will retire at the end of this year after 35 years of service to the dairy industry.

The committee of six executives from IDFA member companies will oversee the search process, which will include consideration of both internal and external candidates. Tipton announced her plans to retire at the annual Dairy Forum being held this week in Phoenix, Ariz.

“As the main voice of IDFA and dairy foods companies in Washington, D.C., Connie has earned the respect and admiration of all who have worked with her throughout her tenure,” said Jeff Kaneb, executive vice president of HP Hood LLC and chairman of the transition committee. “She will leave some mighty big shoes to fill, and we'll certainly miss her valuable insight, expertise, guidance and dedication.

“We also value the contributions of the IDFA staff and want to make sure we continue strong leadership of the association and the staff,” Kaneb continued. “In order to identify the very best person to lead the organization for the future, we will consider both internal and external candidates. We thank Connie for giving us a full year to make sure we have time for a thoughtful and orderly transition.”

In addition to Kaneb, members of the transition committee are Ed Mullins of Prairie Farms Dairy Inc.; IDFA chairman Mike Reidy with Leprino Foods Co.; Patricia Stroup of Nestle USA Inc.; Gregg Tanner with Dean Foods Co., and Mike Wells of Wells Enterprises Inc.