A deep respect for the history of the Angus breed, paired with a passion for the future — Casey Jentz, recently named chief operating officer of the American Angus Association, will bring all this and more to his new role. 

“Angus is the heartbeat of the beef industry,” Jentz says. “The people before us have done a great job of leading Angus and positioning the breed as a leader in the industry. We can build on that and push forward into the future.”  

For more than 10 years, Jentz has served as an Angus regional manager in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. During that time, he worked directly with Association members helping them understand Association programs, marketing their cattle with Angus Media services and answering their questions.  

In his new role, Jentz will be responsible for direction and strategy of several departments, including member and field services, communications, performance programs, commercial programs, and events and junior activities.  

“We are thrilled to promote Casey to this new role,” says Mark McCully, chief executive officer for the Association. “Not only does he have years of experience working with Angus breeders in the field, but his knowledge of the Association and its programs will also be invaluable as COO. In particular, I love Casey’s unwavering commitment to the breed.”  

It’s the Angus family that drives Jentz.

“The Angus business is a combination of great people and great cattle where great things can happen,” he explains.  

Jentz is a fourth-generation Angus breeder who was a National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) board member from 2004 to 2006.

His daughter, Sydney, is following in his footsteps with her own excitement for the breed. This is her third year as an NJAA member, and his younger daughter, Savannah, is not far behind. 

“There are a lot of things that get me excited with possibilities for the future,” he says.

Whether that’s seeing a great Angus cow, meeting a new member or seeing the future through the eyes of a junior, Jentz says he's eager to see what the future brings.

“I am really looking forward to continuing to work with the great members of this Association in a new way,” he adds.

Prior to working for the Association, Jentz was the general manager of a farm in Wisconsin and managed a multi-state sales territory for an animal health company.  

Jentz will assume his new role  March 3 and will continue to work sales and serve breeders in his region through the transition. He and his wife, Kayla, and their two daughters will be relocating to St. Joseph, Mo., in the coming months. A position for a new regional manager in Jentz’s territory has been posted on www.angus.org/careers.