(Okemos, Mich.) Jolene Griffin joins the team at the United Dairy Industry of Michigan (UDIM) on June 8^th as Director of Industry Relations. Griffin was born and raised on a dairy farm in Hastings and is a proud graduate of Michigan State University.

“Jolene is coming back to help grow and build programs that benefit Michigan’s dairy farmers,” said Sharon Toth, chief executive officer, UDIM. “People in the state who know Jolene's abilities have contacted us and are very excited to have her come back. We all know how passionate Jolene is about working for dairy farmers, plus she has a background in dairy farming.”

In her new role as the Director of Industry Relations, Griffin will help manage dairy farmers’ positive image and build the producer relations program, working with producer and coop/processor audiences, and allied industry to share dairy’s story.

For the past seven years Griffin has worked on behalf of America’s dairy farmers as the Director of Farmer Activation and Consumer Confidence at Dairy Management Inc., (DMI) the national dairy checkoff. There, she helped farmers share their dairy story with consumers through tours, presentations and social media and helped the dairy industry with their crisis preparedness by updating crisis plans and practicing responses to a dairy industry crisis.

Griffin helped lead the team that created and implemented the myDairy social media program that encourages dairy farmers to use their online channels to connect with consumers.  Through her work, she has engaged more than 2,200 dairy enthusiasts online who are helping to tell dairy’s story. Throughout her career, she has written materials and facilitated workshops to help dairy farmers build their communication skills in order to tell their story to the public. Griffin worked at agriculture advertising and marketing agencies before joining DMI in 2008. She brings 11 years of dairy marketing experience to UDIM.

 “After experiencing the agriculture across the country, I’m excited to work on behalf of the dairy farmers in my home state,” said Griffin. “My passion for the industry has driven my entire life and I plan to use it to help our farmers tell their great dairy story. Michigan’s dairy industry is thriving right now and I’m excited to rejoin the industry. ”

Griffin is proud to have started her career on her family’s dairy farm in Hastings, Michigan. Today their farm, Valley Grove Dairy, is managed by her parents, Don and Diane Griffin, and her brother, Jason, who milk over 200 head of Holstein cows and raise more than 800 acres of crops for the dairy herd.

Griffin recently completed the Young Dairy Leaders Institute (YDLI), a three-phase leadership program lead by the Holstein Association that provides leadership and communication trainings for dairy industry members. As a proud graduate of Class 8, she was recently chosen to serve on the Advisory Committee and as a mentor for the next few classes.