American Egg Board Reorganizes Around Three Priorities Following Unanimous Vote in Support of Assessment Increase

Organization Will Focus on Growing Demand Globally and Supporting Farmers in Bold New Ways

CHICAGO (March 11, 2026) – The American Egg Board (AEB) has restructured its organization to further accelerate global demand growth, continue to support farmers through research and on-farm resource creation and maximize return on farmer investment. These organizational changes follow a unanimous October vote to petition United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for a producer referendum that would double egg farmers’ assessments over the next eight years.

This strategic staff realignment focuses AEB’s anticipated expanded resources on three priorities: boldly building egg consumption across retail, foodservice and export markets through marketing, innovation and food chain partnerships; strengthening producer engagement and on-farm support by executing research in animal health, sustainability and nutrition; and positioning AEB staff expertise as hands-on extensions of farmer teams.

“The message was clear from our Board in October—don’t wait. Take big swings. Lead this industry forward, fast,” said AEB president and CEO Emily Metz. “Well, message received. We’re not waiting—we’re positioning this organization to start making the bold moves we need to make to grow U.S. egg demand in a major way and support our farmers for the future.”

Under the updated structure, AEB is organized into three strategic areas: Demand, Farmer Support, and Enterprise. The demand team integrates marketing, business development, innovation and insights to expand egg consumption across retail, foodservice and export channels. The farmer support team concentrates on producer engagement, public affairs and industry initiatives that reinforce trust and advance key priorities. The enterprise team provides research, communications and operational leadership to ensure disciplined execution and measurable impact across the entire organization.

As part of the realignment, Mike Koenigs has been named Chief of Strategy and Operations and Nate Hedtke has been promoted to lead all demand functions as the Executive Vice President of Demand Creation. AEB also created a centralized strategic communications function led by Elizabeth Hurst as vice president of executive and strategic communications. Hurst joins AEB from Dairy MAX, where she led corporate communications across an eight-state region and directed national crisis communications initiatives.

Before its October Board meeting, AEB developed the business case for pursuing an assessment increase. The Board unanimously approved both the business case and the decision to execute a referendum with USDA, which will call for a producer vote on a staged, eight-year assessment increase. AEB will be working with USDA to execute the referendum at the Board’s direction.

“There is such momentum behind eggs right now and AEB is a rocket ship that’s taking off with the brightest stars in our sights,” said Metz. “I’m grateful for the trust that our Board and the industry has placed in its Checkoff organization and we’re not going to let them down. It’s blast off time!”

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About the American Egg Board
Home of the Incredible Egg, the American Egg Board (AEB) is the national marketing organization of America’s egg farmers. Its mission is to increase demand for eggs and egg products through research, education and promotion. The AEB is located in Chicago, Ill. For more, visit IncredibleEgg.org.