ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, U.S. — John Stewart, manager of government affairs for the American Feed Industry Association, will transition to the newly created role of director of membership and stakeholder engagement in early May.

In this new position, Stewart will be responsible for prospecting, attaining, retaining and servicing AFIA member companies. He will work with second-year AFIA board of directors to provide proactive leadership in the focus, design and implementation of the association’s membership program for all segments of membership; develop and continuously improve a system of involving members in the association; and retain members through recognition of the value they bring to the AFIA.

“John Stewart’s knowledge of how AFIA operates, the issues facing the animal food industry and the engagement opportunities in the legislative and regulatory process make him a great fit for this role,” said Sarah Novak, vice-president of membership and public relations at the AFIA. “We are very excited for him to talk with current and potential members about getting more involved with AFIA.”

Stewart will continue to provide overall leadership on state affairs for the association and coordination of all legislative and regulatory staff involved.

Prior to joining the AFIA, Stewart served as a staff assistant to Representative David Rouzer, North Carolina. He also has worked with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and Elanco Animal Health. Stewart has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education, with minors in animal science, agribusiness management and agricultural leadership, from North Carolina State University. He can be reached at jstewart@afia.org or 703.558.3566.