The National Pork Board has a new CEO. He’s Chris Novak from Indiana. He says it’s “like coming home for me.”

Novak has served as executive director of the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana’s corn organizations. He led the merger of two soybean organizations and helped build partnerships between Indiana’s soybean, corn and livestock commodity organizations. He also worked to secure passage of a new state corn checkoff.

“This is a challenging time for the U.S. pork industry because of the volatility in the markets, but also a time of great opportunity,” said Steve Weaver, a pork producer from Elk Grove, Calif., and president of the National Pork Board. “That is why I and my fellow National Pork Board members are so excited to have someone with Chris Novak’s experience and abilities to work with us in meeting those challenges and identifying those opportunities on behalf of all U.S. pork producers.”