ARLINGTON, VIRGIINA, US — The American Feed Industry Association’s (AFIA) board of directors voted in a special election on Aug. 4 to accept the nomination of Mike Gauss, president of Kent Nutrition Group, Inc., to become the board chair-elect of the organization. Gauss will succeed current board chair Mike Schuster, vice president of sales at Laidig Systems, Inc., in May 2022.

“We are thrilled that Mike Gauss has committed to leading the AFIA board of directors next spring, bringing with him years of technical knowledge and industry experience that will challenge us to keep moving the industry forward in innovative ways,” said Constance Cullman, president and chief executive officer of the AFIA. “Mike understands what animal food manufacturers need in order to bring solutions to a competitive global marketplace and will help us shape our advocacy program.”

Gauss joined the Kent team in 2005 as a division engineer with Grain Processing Corp., where he held several operations and engineering roles before transitioning to Kent Nutrition Group in 2013. He was promoted to vice president of operations in 2015, where he oversaw the engineering, production and quality division, and was promoted to president in 2019.

Gauss currently serves on the AFIA board of directors and executive committee and has been an active member in the AFIA production compliance committee for many years.

Gauss holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in business administration from St. Ambrose University. He and his wife have three children and live in Muscatine, Iowa, US.