Jim Hollis DVM, MS has served as the director of South Carolina Meat-Poultry Inspection Department since February 2021. Prior to that appointment, he was assistant director from February 2018 until February 2021.

Before joining Clemson University, Dr. Hollis was the District Veterinarian for the State of Indiana for 15 years. He also spent two years with USDA Food Safety Inspection Service in Cincinnati area before that. For eleven years, he practiced private veterinary medicine in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. 

Jason started raising forage fed and finished beef around 12-14 years ago. He added pasture-raised pork to his operation in the last 5 years. His two daughters raise pastured chicken and turkeys that they process on the farm. As is the case for many, Jason had a hard time finding a place to process his livestock, so he took matters into his own hands and purchased a USDA certified and inspected plant in Hodges, SC. Working alongside his wife, Penelope, they process 10-12 beef cattle and 5 hogs each week with their numbers reaching 2500 head annually.

Jonathan holds a B.S. in agricultural mechanization and business and an M.S. in plant and environmental sciences, both from Clemson University. He delivers educational programming in row crop production in Orangeburg, Dorchester, and Berkeley Counties and is a Private Pesticide Applicator Coordinator. His primary areas of expertise are cotton, peanut, soybean, and corn production

Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam is a Professor of Cooperative Extension in the field of Animal Genomics and Biotechnology in the Department of Animal Science at University of California, Davis.  She received a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from the University of Melbourne in Australia, and both an MS in Animal Science, and a PhD in Genetics from UC Davis.

Maria Lund is President and COO of First Sun EAP a regional provider of employee assistance program services in South Carolina. Maria has over 30 years of experience working in the counseling and EAP fields. She has a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology and is a Certified and Licensed Employee Assistance Professional as well as a Licensed Professional Counselor.

Dr. Aaron Turner is an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Sciences at Clemson University. Prior to this position, he was an engineer associate in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Kentucky, where he completed his graduate work. Dr. Turner teaches courses related to the fundamentals of grain drying and storage, agricultural calculations, capstone design, and food process engineering.

Michele Payn, CSP, connects the people and science of food and farming as principal of Cause Matters Corp. She is known for being a community catalyst, a passionate advocate for global agriculture - and antagonizing people into action. Michele has worked with farmers in more than 25 countries, raised over $5 million in sponsorships for agriculture education and founded AgChat and FoodChat on Twitter.