LIVINGSTON, CALIF. — Foster Farms named Jayson Penn the company’s new chief executive officer on March 18.
Penn succeeds Donnie Smith, who was appointed CEO of Foster Farms in conjunction with Atlas Holdings’ acquisition of the poultry company in June 2022. Smith retired from his role as CEO of Tyson Foods in 2016, after working for the company for 36 years.
“Foster Farms has been a household name for nearly a century, and I’m excited to continue working to position this iconic brand for success for many years to come,” Penn said. “We will be focused on serving our team members and supporting our customers with products they can trust. A solid foundation for smart growth has been set, and I’m ready to get started.”
Most recently, Penn served as president of John Soules Food. He began his career in his family’s poultry business and spent nearly a decade with Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., ultimately serving as CEO. He also has experience from various sales and operations roles with Case Foods, Marshall Durbin Co. and Sanderson Farms.
In addition to Penn’s appointment, Foster Farms announced James Richards as the new chief financial officer.
Richards joins Foster Farms from Kodi Collective, were he served as president and CEO. He led a successful turnaround of the business, returning it to a market-leading position in print and marking services. Earlier, Richards spent more than two decades with General Electric, where he served across diverse industries in senior CFO, chief information officer and operations transformation leadership roles.
“We are excited to have Jayson on board to lead the transformation journey underway,” said Atlas Partners Sam Astor, Ed Fletcher and Mike Sher. “Jayson and James bring immediate strength to the broader leadership team. Jayson’s deep industry experience and commitment to operational excellence provide the right combination to lead Foster Farms into the future.”