ARLINGTON, VA – The members of the American Butter Institute elected a new leadership slate at their 2025 Board of Directors meeting last Friday in Phoenix, Arizona. Cheslie Stehouwer, the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Continental Dairy Facilities in Coopersville, Michigan, begins a two-year term this fall. Stehouwer succeeds past president Catherine Fox, the Vice President of Enterprise Marketing at Land O’ Lakes.
The other ABI officers elected at ABI’s fall meeting include First Vice President Molly Costaris, Director of Commodity Sale at the Michigan Milk Producers Association in Novi, Michigan; and Second Vice President Michael Burdeny, the Chief Commercial Officer at California Dairies Inc. in Dublin, California.
The Board of Directors thanked Fox for her service in focusing the association’s resources on improving domestic butter marketing efforts, along with seeking ways to streamline USDA’s butter grading services. At their meeting, the Board of Directors also discussed butter marketing trends as prices have whipsawed from high to low in the past year, reviewed the regulation of labeling of imitation butter products, and received an update on the latest trends in butter consumption.
During the meeting, ABI Executive Director Christopher Galen said that he will be stepping down from his position managing the association after three years, effective at the end of 2025. Galen had earlier announced plans to retire from the National Milk Producers Federation at the end of the year. Galen has been part of the ABI staff since 1997, when the NMPF assumed management oversight of ABI.
Galen is being succeeded by David West, who has served as Chief Administrative Officer of the National Milk Producers Federation since 2023.
The American Butter Institute:
- Promotes and protects the interests and welfare of the butter industry;
- Acts as a clearinghouse for the exchange of ideas beneficial to the butter industry and the consuming public;
- Keeps its members informed of legislative and regulatory proposals; and
- Acts as the voice for all actions affecting the industry and other relevant research and other industry developments and public relation on other interactions with government agencies.
