KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) board of directors named Emily Detwiler as CEO.

Detwiler brings more than 15 years of experience to the job. Her experience as a marketing professional includes strategy development, branding, integrated marketing planning, partnership development, agency leadership, operating plan and budget development.

Before joining KCBS, Detwiler was director of fresh pork marketing for Smithfield Foods. She also has worked for Hostess, Borden, Plugra in addition to leading retailer such as Walmart, Sam’s Club, Ahold Delhaize, Meijer, Hy-Vee and many others. 

Detwiler is credited with developing and leading Smithfield’s experiential programs and driving awareness and engagement among NASCAR and barbecue fans for grilling. Detwiler also led the development of a grant program to deepen prize pools, and a unified National Championship program across sanctioning bodies.

“The programs that Emily developed have been key to drawing attention and investment in the sport from other leading brands,” KCBS said.

“I am truly honored to be selected as the Chief Executive Officer of the Kansas City Barbeque Society,” Detwiler said. “I look forward to leveraging my experiences in business, marketing, program development and partnership-building within the barbeque space to reignite the passion of the KCBS membership; strengthening and developing programs to grow KCBS into the future.”

Detwiler holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Marketing and Management from Drake Univ., as well as a Master’s in Business Administration from the Univ. of Missouri where she has served on the MBA Advisory Board for more than 10 years.