WASHINGTON — The Meat Institute confirmed new hires for its legislative affairs and marketing departments on Feb. 4.

Chris Chaffee will join the Meat Institute as director of legislative affairs and work with the vice president of legislative affairs, Nathan Fretz. Along with advocating for the industry with members of congress and federal officials, Chaffee will also manage the Meat Institute’s Political Action Committee, MeatPAC.  

“Chris Chaffee has extensive experience in advocacy, as well as serving in various roles across state and federal government,” said Julie Anna Potts, president and chief executive officer for the Meat Institute. “He will be an excellent representative of the industry with lawmakers and with the Trump administration as we look to roll back burdensome regulations and address other concerns.”

Before this role, Chafee worked to promote American agriculture as director of industry relations with the US Farming and Ranching Foundation. Before that position, Chafee served as an associate director of the White House Office of Public Liaison in the Trump administration, where he worked on the food and agricultural community and coordinated policy communications across multiple federal agencies.

Additionally, Chaffee served at the state government level, including for Iowa’s economic development agency and the governor of New Jersey.

Chaffee graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in finance and international business.

The Meat Institute’s other recent hire was Brian Peteritas, who was named marketing manager, in which role he will look over email marketing and social media efforts, including campaigns for events.

“The Meat Institute is always looking for ways to share educational events and networking opportunities with our membership and beyond,” Potts said. “Brian’s expertise in digital marketing will help us to better promote the programming our generous sponsors provide for our members’ continuous improvement.”

Before this position, Peteritas worked for nine years with associations, including the American Frozen Food Institute and the National Apartment Association. He earned his B.A. in Communications from Penn State University and holds a Digital Marketing Professional certificate from the Digital Marketing Institute and the American Marketing Association.