Suzanne T. Mestayer was elected to the Sanderson Farms Board of Directors, effective July 20. She will fill a Class B director vacancy with a term expiring at the next annual meeting of shareholders in 2018.
Mestayer is owner and managing principal of ThirtyNorth Investments, LLC, an independent registered investment advisory firm in New Orleans, Louisiana, which provides investment management and consultation services to families, retirement plans, for-profit and non-profit organizations and trusts. She previously was founder and managing member of Advisean Partners, LLC, a private investing and business consulting company. Prior to this, she held senior management positions in the banking industry with Regions Bank and First Commerce Corporation. She has served on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, New Orleans branch, since 2014. Mestayer was also a member of the Board of Directors of McMoRan Exploration Co., a New York Stock Exchange-listed company, until its acquisition in 2013, where she served on both the audit and compensation committees.
Mestayer has been an active volunteer holding extensive leadership positions in the New Orleans community. She is currently chairperson of the Ochsner Health System, one of the largest healthcare systems in Louisiana. In this role, she has presided over a period of significant strategic growth for the private non-profit academic and multi-specialty healthcare delivery system. Her other civic leadership includes serving on the boards of the National World War II Museum, Loyola University New Orleans, Business Council of New Orleans, Greater New Orleans, Inc., New Orleans Startup Fund, United Way of Greater New Orleans and International Women's Forum. She has a bachelor's degree in accounting from Louisiana State University and holds the CIMA certification and is a CPA-inactive.
Commenting on the announcement,
Joe F. Sanderson, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Sanderson Farms, said, "We are pleased and fortunate to have
Suzanne Mestayer join our Board of Directors as an independent director. With her extensive experience and successful career in the investment and commercial banking industries, she is an excellent choice for Sanderson Farms. She brings a significant level of board expertise, having served on over twenty boards, including a public company and a wide range of civic organizations in the New Orleans community. We are confident she will make an immediate and meaningful contribution to the work of the Sanderson Farms' Board of Directors, and we look forward to her participation as we continue to execute our growth strategy."
