Veteran strategic communications professional Mace Thornton has joined Stratovation Group as partner and chief operating officer to lead integrated client services.

Thornton will establish a new Stratovation field office in St. Louis. He comes to Stratovation from senior leadership roles at the United Soybean Board (USB), where he was vice president of communications and marketing strategy, and the American Farm Bureau Federation, where he served as executive director of communications in Washington, D.C. Thornton has spent more than 30 years as a strategic communications professional in the agricultural sector.

“Adding Mace to our partnership and leadership team is a big step forward for our company, and I’m excited to have him and his expertise on board,” said Cameron Camfield, founder and chief executive officer of the Stratovation Group. “It’s also exciting to establish a field office in the back yard of the diverse food and agriculture sector located in St. Louis.”

Thornton commented, “I’m looking forward to continuing my work in agriculture but also the variety of work offered by Stratovation’s broad range of clients. I enjoy crafting comprehensive communications strategies that are informed by research, and I look forward to putting my experience into action for Stratovation’s clients.”

In addition to establishing a St. Louis presence, Camfield said Thornton’s mission at Stratovation will be to lead and direct services that create value, especially for commercial clients and advocacy organizations in the agricultural space.

“By virtue of his experience at the American Farm Bureau Federation and the United Soybean Board, Mace offers an integrated approach to policy communications, advocacy and marketing strategy,” said Camfield. “There’s much we can learn from someone who’s been in the middle of that work.”

Thornton’s will help shape initiatives such as Stratovation’s extensive, farmer-centric, multi-year research effort titled “Biologicals: Farmer Value, Perception and Potential,” A collaboration between Stratovation, the Ag Retailers Association (ARA), The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), and DC Regulatory, and Legislative Services (DCRLS), the effort is also supported by 10 major agribusinesses.

Thornton and his wife, Denise, reside in Chesterfield, Mo.