The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association announced that Forrest L. Roberts will be its next chief executive officer. Roberts, 42, will start Jan. 20.
Roberts grew up on a family-owned, diversified livestock operation in Uvalde, Texas. He worked side-by-side with his family when the operation expanded to include a retail meat market for “locally grown, corn-fed” beef and pork. Forrest went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in animal science from Texas A&M University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina.
Roberts has held several marketing and sales positions in two animal health companies. He started with Upjohn Animal Health in 1992, and he remained with the company through its two mergers to Pharmacia Animal Health and later Pfizer Animal Health. In 2004, he left Pfizer to join Elanco Animal Health where he most recently served as the marketing manager for Elanco’s Beef Business Unit.
“Forrest’s agriculture background, business experience and his passion for the industry clearly made him the candidate we wanted to lead our association into the future,” Groseta said. “Forrest is a goal-oriented and dynamic leader, who will take NCBA to the next level to better serve the cattlemen of this country. We fully expect him to meet the challenges of our industry head-on with innovative solutions that will help producers succeed in the global marketplace.”
In addition to his agriculture and beef business experience, Roberts has served in several volunteer positions in NCBA. He has been a member of NCBA’s Executive Committee, board of directors, Allied Industry Council, Long-Range Planning Committee and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation Board of Trustees.