After serving for more than 13 years, Mike Brown has retired from his role as president of the National Chicken Council (NCC), NCC chairman Randy Day announced yesterday.

“We thank Mike for his work in building a strong foundation at NCC and for his years of work to promote the chicken industry in Washington, DC,” said Day, who is the retired former CEO of Perdue Farms. “We are now turning our attention to conducting a nationwide search to choose the right person to lead this organization and this great industry into the next decade and beyond.”

Day also announced that the NCC Executive Committee has appointed Gary Jay Kushner to serve as interim President. Kushner, who recently retired from the partnership of the law firm Hogan Lovells US LLP, served as NCC’s outside general counsel for more than 40 years. Prior to that, Kushner served as in-house legal counsel to several food industry trade associations, including as general counsel to what was then the American Meat Institute. “Gary knows inside and out the chicken industry and the issues that will shape our future,” said Day. “He is a proven leader with a steady hand and the right person to guide NCC as we select our next president.”

“NCC has a fantastic team that is laser-focused on our mission of advocating on behalf of America’s chicken producers. I look forward to getting to work together once more while the organization puts in place its leadership for the future,” said Kushner.