NFI names Lisa Wallenda Picard new president and CEO

Lisa Wallenda Picard, formerly of the trade group representing the U.S. turkey industry, has been named the National Fisheries institute’s incoming president and CEO.

Picard will begin in her new position in mid-December 2022, and will be formally introduced to NFI members at the trade group’s annual gathering, the NFI Global Seafood Market Conference, from 17 to 19 January, 2023 in Palm Springs, California, U.S.A.

“Following a robust search, Lisa emerged as the clear choice to propel NFI into the future. She is a dynamic leader with expertise in food safety and trade relations, as well as a thorough understanding of the complex policy issues affecting center of the plate proteins,” Slade Gorton President and CEO Kim Gorton said in a 1 November press release.

Gorton, NFI’s board vice chair, headed a presidential search committee formed after current NFI President John Connelly announced he planned to retire in 2023. Connelly has since been diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, or bile duct cancer, and plans to leave NFI in early 2023.

Wallenda Picard has been the National Turkey Federation’s senior vice president for policy, trade, and regulatory affairs since September 2011. Prior to that position, she served as chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. Prior to joining FSIS in 2002, Picard served as national director of public relations for Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus. She also spent several years lobbying on animal welfare and agriculture issues, according to NFI.

“On behalf of the NFI officers, we are excited to welcome Lisa to NFI. We are looking forward to a smooth transition with NFI’s board, membership, and staff,” Gorton said.

Picard received a master’s degree in legislative affairs from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Flagler College in Saint Augustine, Florida. She is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School for Executive Education. Picard is a native of Sarasota, Florida, and resides in Virginia with her family.

“Leading NFI for nearly 20 years has been tremendously rewarding for me, as I know it will be for Lisa,” Connelly said. “I want to thank the search committee for the time and energy they put into the search for NFI’s new president and CEO.”

Photo courtesy of Lisa Wallenda Picard/LinkedIn