President and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Connie Tipton, will be retiring at the end of this year. Tipton has led the association since 2004 and has dedicated her career to being a strong voice for the dairy community.

“I have decided to retire at the end of 2016 after 35 fulfilling years representing the dairy foods industry,” Tipton said. “I have had a wonderful career working with this industry and appreciate all of the opportunities I have been given, the friends I have made and the fun I have had.”

Tipton joined the staff of the Milk Industry Foundation and the International Ice Cream Association in May of 1981, before IDFA existed. That’s where she met her late husband, Tip Tipton, CEO of the associations from 1988 to 2003, and they were married in 1983. Together, they reached many milestones and led significant changes in the industry, including the launch of the Capitol Hill Ice Cream Party in 1982 and the first International Sweetener Colloquium and Dairy Forum, also launched in the 1980s, to bring differing points of view together on policy issues.

In 1990, they formed IDFA as the umbrella organization for the Milk Industry Foundation, the International Ice Cream Association and the National Cheese Institute, and successfully pushed for passage of legislation in the 1990 Farm Bill that established the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP).

A transition committee of six executives from IDFA member companies will oversee the process for selecting the association’s next leader.