Ethan Lane moves into vice president of government affairs role.

Krissa Welshans, Livestock Editor

September 18, 2019

3 Min Read
Woodall takes helm at NCBA

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Assn. (NCBA) announced two significant leadership changes this week.

The NCBA executive committee confirmed Colin Woodall to serve as the association’s new chief executive officer. Woodall, who was named this morning after an exhaustive national search, managed NCBA’s efforts in Washington, D.C., for more than a decade. Since joining NCBA in 2004, Woodall has been instrumental in ensuring that the interests of NCBA members and the beef community are well represented in the nation’s capital, the announcement said.

“Colin has served NCBA members for 15 years, and in that time, he has done a great deal for beef producers everywhere. Much of his work and many of the victories registered by NCBA in Washington, D.C., is the result of his ability to build coalitions and bring people together across political divides,” NCBA president Jennifer Houston said.

Houston expressed confidence that the same talents that made Woodall a success in the nation’s capital will translate to Woodall’s responsibility to lead NCBA’s work as a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program.

“In his new role as NCBA CEO, there is no doubt that Colin will be an outstanding advocate for the beef checkoff and the essential work being done to build consumer demand,” Houston said. “Colin’s passion for the beef community has made him one of the most effective advocates in American agriculture, and I’m excited that he will now be applying that same passion to the work NCBA is conducting on behalf of the beef checkoff.”

Originally from Big Spring, Texas, Woodall graduated from Texas A&M University. Following graduation, he worked both as a grain elevator manager and sales manager for Cargill at several locations in western Kansas and the Oklahoma panhandle before moving to Washington, D.C., to work on Capitol Hill.

“I am very thankful for the opportunity to lead NCBA and to serve the beef community as the next CEO of the association. American beef producers are the best people I know and although our industry faces many challenges, I am confident we can overcome them,” Woodall said.

Ethan Lane was also named to serve NCBA in the role of vice president, government affairs. In his new role, Lane will guide NCBA’s policy efforts in Washington, D.C., where he has extensive experience advocating on behalf of cattle producers. Lane has been serving as executive director of the Public Lands Council (PLC) and NCBA Federal Lands. In that role, Lane has been a driving force in many of NCBA’s most important policy wins. His leadership skills and extensive political experience make him an effective choice to lead NCBA’s Washington, D.C., office and the association’s ongoing policy efforts.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to lead NCBA’s office in Washington, D.C., and I’m fully committed to representing the policy priorities of NCBA members across the nation” Lane said. “By standing together, cattle producers have shown they can push back the burdensome impacts of government over-regulation and protect the interests of NCBA members for future generations.”

Lane has 18 years of experience in natural resource and land use issues. Prior to his tenure with PLC and NCBA, he owned and operated a consulting firm specializing in natural resource issues.

Lane released a statement following the announcement saying, “While this news may sound sudden or unexpected to some, please rest assured that it comes on the heels of a great deal of discussion, care and planning. As a result, we expect absolutely no disruption to operations at the Public Lands Council during this transition."

Lane said PLC staff will remain in place during this transition while he and PLC leadership work to identify a new executive director for PLC.

“For my part, I am not even planning to change offices during this transition. In other words, I’m taking on new responsibilities, but I’m not going anywhere. I will have the same phone number, same email address and same availability. Our industry’s substantive progress on issues will continue unhindered by this change,” Lane said.

About the Author(s)

Krissa Welshans

Livestock Editor

Krissa Welshans grew up on a crop farm and cow-calf operation in Marlette, Michigan. Welshans earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Michigan State University and master’s degree in public policy from New England College. She and her husband Brock run a show cattle operation in Henrietta, Texas, where they reside with their son, Wynn.

Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Feedstuffs is the news source for animal agriculture

You May Also Like