Cal-Maine Foods Appoints Keira Lombardo as Chief Strategy Officer

Cal-Maine Foods has appointed Keira Lombardo as Chief Strategy Officer, effective immediately. Lombardo brings over 20 years of experience in food and agriculture, previously serving as CEO of Dairy MAX and a senior executive at Smithfield Foods. The new role underscores Cal-Maine's commitment to operational excellence, innovation, and stakeholder engagement. Lombardo will work to align the company's internal vision with external priorities and help drive long-term value across the business.

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. has appointed Keira Lombardo as its first-ever Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), effective immediately. Lombardo brings over two decades of experience in food and agriculture, having previously served as CEO of Dairy MAX and a senior executive at Smithfield Foods. Her appointment underscores Cal-Maine's commitment to operational excellence, innovation, and stakeholder engagement [1].

Lombardo's responsibilities at Cal-Maine Foods will include partnering on enterprise strategy, stakeholder engagement, corporate affairs, public relations, and digital integration. She will work to align the company's internal vision with external priorities, ensuring that purpose, performance, and culture reinforce one another [1].

Prior to joining Cal-Maine Foods, Lombardo served as the CEO of Dairy MAX, a large-scale dairy organization representing approximately 700 farm families across eight states. Under her leadership, Dairy MAX implemented an ROI-focused operating model, aligned its structure, talent, and strategic focus, and elevated dairy as a smart, affordable choice rooted in wellness, trust, and sustainability [1].

Before joining Dairy MAX, Lombardo was a senior executive at Smithfield Foods, where she played a key role in repositioning the company from a commodity protein producer to a branded, purpose-driven CPG business—leading functions across corporate affairs, people and culture, and stakeholder strategy [1].

Sherman Miller, president and CEO of Cal-Maine Foods, stated, "Keira brings a rare combination of strategic discipline, stakeholder fluency, and food system insight to Cal-Maine Foods. Her leadership will support our ability to continue to execute our long-term strategy and leverage our disciplined capital allocation into meaningful stakeholder returns—partnering with the team to unlock new growth opportunities, navigate complexity, and strengthen our performance in a dynamic environment" [1].

Lombardo stated, "Cal-Maine Foods leads with scale and operational strength—and continues to evolve through innovation, discipline, and strategic focus. I look forward to collaborating with the leadership team to build on that momentum and help drive long-term value across the business" [1].

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. is primarily engaged in the production, packaging, marketing, and distribution of fresh shell eggs, including conventional, cage-free, organic, brown, free-range, pasture-raised, and nutritionally enhanced eggs, as well as a variety of egg products and prepared foods. The company, which is headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi, is the largest producer and distributor of fresh shell eggs in the nation and sells most of its shell eggs throughout the majority of the United States [1].

References:
[1] https://www.morningstar.com/news/business-wire/20250811875809/cal-maine-foods-inc-appoints-keira-lombardo-as-companys-first-chief-strategy-officer
[2] https://www.marketscreener.com/news/cal-maine-foods-inc-appoints-keira-lombardo-as-chief-strategy-officer-effective-august-11-2025-ce7c5ed2de8ff626
[3] https://www.marketbeat.com/instant-alerts/filing-bank-of-new-york-mellon-corp-takes-position-in-smithfield-foods-inc-nasdaqsfd-2025-08-03/
[4] https://www.just-food.com/news/cal-maine-chief-strategy-officer/