LA FARGE, WIS. — Jeff Frank has been named chief executive officer of Organic Valley, effective Jan. 23. Frank will succeed Bob Kirchoff, who is retiring from the cooperative on Jan. 31.

Frank will join Organic Valley following a 25-year career at Hormel Foods, where he held various senior roles in product and brand management. In 2009, he took on the role of vice president of marketing at MegaMex Foods and was later promoted to president and CEO of MegaMex Foods.

He received bachelor's degrees in business administration and Spanish from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, a master’s degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas and an executive certificate from UCLA's Anderson School of Management. He also has completed the Executive Education program at Harvard Business School.

“We are happy to welcome Jeff as our next CEO to guide organic food and farming into the future,” said Steve Pierson, president of the Organic Valley board of directors and a dairy farmer from Oregon. “He shares our values and vision of nourishing people, animals and the earth through ethically sourced organic food from small family farms. He has the skills and experience to navigate the complex challenges facing small organic family farms.”

Founded in 1988, Organic Valley is owned by more than 1,700 organic family farms.