SHIC Announces New Board Appointments and Officer Elections

The Swine Health Information Center welcomed two new board members during their meeting June 23-24, 2025. Alayne Johnson of Shady Grove Farms, Churubusco, Indiana, and Sarah Pillen, co-CEO of Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics, Columbus, Nebraska, began their terms. Founding board member Mark Schwartz of Schwartz Farms, Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, and Gene Noem of Ames, Iowa, concluded their tenures and were honored for their service.

The SHIC Board of directors also held an election of officers. Paul Ruen, DVM, Fairmont, Minnesota, was chosen to lead the SHIC Board as its chair. Joseph Dykhuis of Dykhuis Farms, Hamilton, Michigan, will assume the role of vice chair, and Kent Bang will continue his service as treasurer. Other board members include veterinarians Seth Krantz, Jay Miller, Jeremy Pittman, and Pete Thomas. Organization staff includes Megan Niederwerder, DVM, PhD, executive director, Lisa Becton, DVM, MS, DACVPM, associate director, and Rhea Schirm, grant and contract administrator.

New Voices on the Board: Forward-Looking Perspectives

The addition of Alayne Johnson and Sarah Pillen brings fresh insights and experience from diverse segments of the pork production industry to the SHIC Board of Directors.

Johnson, with her background as a director on the National Pork Board, brings a deep understanding of the industry’s broader strategic priorities. “My interaction with SHIC began as I served as a director on the National Pork Board. It was then that I learned the history of the organization and the importance of the work that they have done for our industry,” Johnson said. She emphasized SHIC’s critical role, “The research SHIC pursues on behalf of producers allows the industry to have a direct impact on both monitoring emerging diseases across the globe as well as looking for solutions that will reduce the impact on our US producers.”

Johnson lauded SHIC’s established reputation and leadership. “SHIC has built a reputable brand that is recognized amongst those working in the pork industry as well as veterinarians,” she said. “SHIC has tremendous leadership who are passionate about the research mission and dedicated to deploying producer dollars in a meaningful way.” Johnson’s tenure on the Pork Board included chairing the Strategic Planning Task Force, equipping her with comprehensive industry knowledge.

Sarah Pillen, an attorney, brings the perspective of a co-CEO from a prominent family farming operation, underscoring the direct impact of SHIC’s work on producers. “SHIC is a well-respected organization within the pork industry. It has served as a critical resource for our team and enables us to stay updated on emerging diseases and how to best respond to any potential emerging diseases,” Pillen said. She highlighted the practical nature of SHIC’s research, “SHIC’s research projects are focused on providing real tools for the industry to help navigate the viruses we face today, as well as the potential viruses we could face in the future.”

Pillen underscored SHIC’s unique value proposition. “SHIC is unilaterally focused on emerging diseases. It’s a critical focus for our industry given the potential implications on supply and demand both domestically and internationally.” She attributes SHIC’s effectiveness to its strong ties with leading academic institutions, “SHIC has garnered the respect of leading research institutions. As a result, the deliverables from these leading institutions help guide producers’ decisions and enable our industry to be more pro-active against future threats.”

Vision and Enduring Impact of Outgoing Directors

The departure of Mark Schwartz marks the end of an era, as he served as a founding board member since SHIC’s inception in 2015. Schwartz provided a clear articulation of SHIC’s purpose, “The Swine Health Information Center was created in 2015 through the efforts of industry leaders, with funding from the Pork Checkoff, first to direct research and analyze data, monitor emerging diseases around the world and enhance preparedness, with the unwavering mission to protect and enhance the health of the US swine herd, and secondly, to communicate the results of the research, monitoring and analyses to stakeholders.”

Schwartz identified SHIC’s core strengths as its nimbleness and having a very specific focus and mission. He said, “Nimbleness allows SHIC to adjust research priorities to emerging threats as they arise. Having a very specific focus allows us to remain focused on emerging disease threats, whether these are occurring within the US or internationally.”

He recounted the tangible outputs SHIC has provided, including domestic and global disease monitoring reports, viral and bacterial disease matrices, timely webinars on emerging disease, and research reports from over 40 areas of investigation. Schwartz believes SHIC has profoundly influenced the industry, making it more able to respond to an emerging disease than it was 10 years ago.

Reflecting on SHIC’s evolution during his tenure, Schwartz said, “While the mission of SHIC has remained unwavering, the footprint of SHIC has increased through partnering with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, allowing us to leverage the investment of the producers we serve.” Among the many achievements, he expressed particular pride in SHIC directed and funded work in response to emerging situations. These include the work in Vietnam with ASF and with CFIA in Canada, and the response to highly pathogenic avian influenza. His personal contribution, he said, was to, “…always keep in mind that we have been tasked with making decisions and directing the resources of the stakeholders, to protect and enhance the health of the US swine herd.” Schwartz will continue to follow key initiatives like the highly pathogenic avian influenza and wean-to-harvest biosecurity projects, offering a final reflection.

Schwartz served as board chair and was honored for his role with the presentation of a plaque during the recent SHIC Board of Directors meeting.

Noem, a pork producer and retired swine industry professional, has experience in many facets of pork production including working for large operations to contract feeding in his own buildings. A former director and president of the National Pork Board, Gene represented the organization on the SHIC Board of Directors during his tenure.

Sustaining the Mission

As SHIC transitions its board composition and leadership, the consistent theme from both incoming and outgoing members is a steadfast commitment to the organization’s mission. The combined experience and perspectives of the board are poised to strengthen SHIC’s strategic initiatives in disease preparedness, global monitoring, and targeted research, ultimately enhancing the resilience and profitability of the US swine industry.

The Swine Health Information Center, launched in 2015 with Pork Checkoff funding, protects and enhances the health of the US swine herd by minimizing the impact of emerging disease threats through preparedness, coordinated communications, global disease monitoring, analysis of swine health data, and targeted research investments. As a conduit of information and research, SHIC encourages sharing of its publications and research. Forward, reprint, and quote SHIC material freely. For more information, visit http://www.swinehealth.org or contact Dr. Megan Niederwerder at [email protected] or Dr. Lisa Becton at [email protected].