John Tyson

John Tyson, 55, is Chairman of Tyson, having held his current title since May 2006.  He served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 2001 until May 2006, as Chairman, President and CEO from 2000 to 2001, as Chairman from 1998 to 2000, and in other executive capacities prior to 1998.  Mr. Tyson has been a member of the Board since 1984.

After graduating from high school, Tyson enrolled at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, to study business administration.  When he received his bachelor’s degree in 1975, he returned to Springdale to take his place in the family business.

Away from the corporate offices Tyson managed to find time to serve on the board of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and was also involved with the Walden Woods Project, formed in 1990 to protect wooded areas surrounding Thoreau’s Walden Pond.  In 1994 Tyson was named Man of the Year by the Arkansas Poultry Federation.  In 2003 under his direction Tyson Foods was named by National Provisioner magazine as its first Poultry Processor of the Year.  Also in 2003 Fortune selected Tyson Foods as the most admired company in the food-production industry.

Tyson and his wife, Kimberly, live in northwestern Arkansas with their two children, John Randal and Olivia Laine.