U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) presented the organization’s annual Lamplighter Award to five individuals at the International Poultry Expo, part of the 2024 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE). The award pays tribute to individuals for “sustained and exemplary service” to the poultry and egg industry. This year’s honorees are:

Mike Giles - Mike Giles is president of the Georgia Poultry Federation, the nation’s leading poultry producing state. Giles joined the Federation staff on Jan. 1, 2000, as assistant executive director. He was named president in January 2009. Prior to assuming his position with the Federation, Giles worked for the University of Georgia in the Office of External Affairs and University of Georgia Alumni Association. Before joining the University of Georgia, Giles held positions with U.S. Senator Sam Nunn and Sandoz Corporation.

Giles is a past president of the Rotary Club of Gainesville and serves on the Georgia 4-H Foundation Board of Trustees and the Georgia FFA Sponsors Board. Giles is a 1983 graduate of the University of Georgia.

Sherman Miller - Sherman Miller is president and CEO of Cal-Maine Foods. Miller joined Cal-Maine Foods in 1996, where he has devoted his professional career to Cal-Maine Foods by serving in various positions of increasing responsibility in operations and management, including serving as vice president of operations, chief operations officer and president.

Miller’s current and prior board service includes contributions to the United Egg Producers, the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and the Mississippi State University Poultry Science Advisory Board, among others. Miller has served on the USPOULTRY Board of Directors since 2012 and was chair of the USPOULTRY Board in 2015. Miller earned his B.S. in Poultry Science from Mississippi State University, where he currently serves as the Distinguished Fellow for the Department of Poultry Science.

Dr. Ken Opengart - Dr. Ken Opengart is vice president of animal welfare and international sustainability for Tyson Foods. Prior to joining Tyson Foods, Dr. Opengart worked with Keystone Foods where he held a variety of positions, with the last being vice president of global sustainability and animal welfare. Other past employers include Eli Lilly and Company / Elanco Animal Health, Wampler Foods and Seaboard Farms / ConAgra Poultry. Dr. Opengart received his master’s degree in Poultry Science from Virginia Tech, his veterinary degree from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech.

Dr. Opengart is a Diplomate of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians and was certified by the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization as a Foundation Poultry Welfare Auditor. He is a current board member for the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry & Eggs / International Poultry Welfare Alliance.

Dr. David Swayne - Dr. David E. Swayne is a veterinarian with specialization as a veterinary pathologist and poultry veterinarian. For the past 36 years, his personal research has focused on the pathobiology and control of poultry diseases, primarily avian influenza. He has published more than 354 peer-reviewed papers and 117 book chapters, given 369 invited lectures and served as editor or associate editor for 16 text and proceedings books, including Diseases of Poultry, and associate editor for five peer-reviewed journals, including Emerging Infectious Diseases and Avian Diseases. He serves in leadership roles at the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) where he has led updates to the Avian Influenza chapters in Terrestrial Animal Health Code and Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals and completed a 16-month sabbatical to study highly pathogenic avian influenza control programs.

He currently serves as a member of the Steering Committee for OFFLU, the joint World Organization for Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organization Animal Influenza Network. Previously, he served as the laboratory director of the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture in Athens, Georgia, USA, and as a tenured faculty member at The Ohio State University. He is currently a private veterinarian consulting on avian influenza control.

Barbara Jenkins – Barbara Jenkins began her career with USPOULTRY in 2000, working in various positions in the education department. She was promoted to vice president of education programs in 2011, and student programs was added to her list of job responsibilities in 2014. Through her hard work and continued education, she has grown throughout her career. She was named executive director of the USPOULTRY Foundation in 2018. In addition to maintaining her role as vice president of education and student programs for USPOULTRY, she has assumed responsibility of the USPOULTRY Foundation’s day-to-day operations.  

She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from DeVry University in 2006 and was recognized in 2016 with an Honorary American FFA Degree by the National FFA Organization, the highest honorary degree presented by the organization. Jenkins is dedicated to our industry’s growth in her relentless passion for growing USPOULTRY’s youth outreach program. She also dedicates her time to various boards and committees. She is current chair of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events Education Committee and is on the Board of Directors and the Sponsors Board of the National FFA Organization.

“The dedication and service of this year’s Lamplighter Award recipients has been invaluable in driving the poultry industry forward. We value their contributions, and we sincerely appreciate their service to the industry,” said Jarod Morrison, Farbest Foods, and outgoing USPOULTRY chair.