Background

Julie DeYoung, APR, brings more than 25 years of food and agricultural public relations experience to CMA.  With corporate, trade association and public relations agency experience, Julie has expertise in the full spectrum of communications disciplines: strategic counsel, issues and crisis management, media and community relations, marketing communications, employee communication, corporate philanthropy, and media spokesperson.  A strategic partner to CMA since 2009, Julie serves as coordinator for the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply and contributes to Center for Food Integrity and CMA client projects.

Prior to moving to Kansas in 2009, Julie was Vice President of Corporate Communications for Perdue Incorporated, the third-largest poultry company in the U.S.  Previously, Julie worked for ConAgra Foods, Inc., in communications positions within the Refrigerated and Deli Food Groups as well as Corporate Communications.  Earlier, Julie gained a wide range of experience through positions with the National Turkey Federation, public relations agencies Rhea & Kaiser Marketing Communications, Fleishman-Hillard Inc., and Bader Rutter & Associates; and a publishing firm, Johnson Hill Press, where she began her career in 1983.

Julie grew up on a diversified crop and livestock farm in southern Iowa and is a graduate of Iowa State University, where she earned a bachelor of science degree in agriculture journalism with an emphasis in animal science and public relations.  She is Accredited in Public Relations by the Public Relations Society of America.

Julie lives and works on 160 acres near Lawrence, Kan., with her husband, two dogs, four cats and three horses.  She’s hard-pressed to think of a food she doesn’t like, with the exception of peanut butter and jelly; each is delicious on its own, just not together – yuck!

Meet Julie

What do you do to recharge your batteries?

I find there’s nothing like a horseback ride or weeding a garden to refocus and re-energize.  The rest of the world goes away and you must focus on what you’re doing or risk getting dumped or missing a weed that will come back to haunt you.

Who’s your role model?

My mother.  She’s 80 years old, still lives on the family farm, still gardens, rides horses and goes sledding with her great-grandchildren.  She’s even on Facebook!  Even today, I can only hope to be as mentally and physically active as she is.

When have you “been there” for your clients?

Unfortunately, it’s often been in times of crisis – a food product recall, workplace violence, or industrial or environmental accident.  Fortunately, having strong stakeholder relationships and a crisis communication plan in place makes it easier to manage such incidents.

Connect with Julie

Follow Julie on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/juliedeyoung.