SHIC selects Lisa Becton as new associate director

Nov 20, 2023

The Swine Health Information Center Board of Directors has selected Lisa Becton, DVM, MS, DACVPM as the organisation’s next associate director, according to a press release from the organisation. Becton will begin her tenure with SHIC in January 2024. Most recently, Becton served as the National Pork Board’s director of swine health.

“I see this as a great opportunity to continue to serve pork producers in a little different role than in the past,” she said. “I really have enjoyed working with SHIC over the years in my position with Pork Board and am excited to accept this new opportunity to be a part of SHIC helping producers identify and manage emerging swine diseases.”

Becton succeeds Megan Niederwerder, DVM, PhD, who will become SHIC’s executive director in January 2024, following the December 31, 2023, retirement of founding executive director Paul Sundberg, DVM, PhD, DACVPM.

“Lisa is an outstanding addition to the SHIC team who brings a wealth of knowledge from directing producer-led swine health initiatives during her tenure at the National Pork Board,” Niederwerder said. “Her vast experience will enable her to hit the ground running as the new associate director and immediately start advancing mission-focused objectives to help lead SHIC into the future. The addition of Lisa underscores SHIC’s continued commitment to serve producer needs through mitigating emerging disease threats and maximizing the value of SHIC’s prevention, preparedness, and response activities.”

Becton received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Lenoir-Rhyne College and went on to earn her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from North Carolina State University. She received a master’s degree in food safety from Michigan State University as well as a public health certificate in field epidemiology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Becton also completed the swine executive veterinary program, swine health management at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventative Medicine. Earlier this year, Becton received the American Association of Swine Veterinarian’s Technical Services/Allied Industry Veterinarian of the Year honor.

“SHIC is extremely pleased to have someone of Lisa’s caliber joining our team. Her depth of knowledge of swine health research past and present is nothing short of astounding,” said Russ Nugent, chair of the SHIC Board of Directors.

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Video: Season 7, Episode 1: Managing Risk and Seeing Opportunities in U.S. Pork Production

Today’s episode features three guests discussing the similarities and differences between pork production in the United States and Brazil, along with strategies for managing risk in today’s industry while recognizing and acting on opportunities. First, Dr. Anne Caroline de Lara, executive manager of live pig production at Seara Alimentos, a JBS company in Brazil, is joined by Dr. Matthew Turner, head of operations for JBS Live Pork. Together, they discuss how labor, climate and ventilation challenges vary between Brazil and the United States, while underscoring their shared commitment to raising healthy pigs. They also point to lessons producers in both countries can take from one another’s systems and on-farm experiences. Then, Brady Reicks, risk manager at Reicks View Farms, shares his perspective on risk management, drawing from his background in markets and his transition into farming. He discusses how protecting margins varies by operation and offers practical approaches producers can use to make marketing and business decisions with greater confidence rather than hesitation.

Both conversations were recorded at recent industry events focused on swine livability, including the International Conference on Pig Livability and Iowa Swine Day.