The American Quarter Horse Association is pleased to announce that Craig Huffhines, currently executive vice president of the American Hereford Association, has been selected to assume the executive vice president leadership role for AQHA. Huffhines will begin his new duties shortly after AQHA’s convention in March.

Following a five-month, extensive search effort, the six members of the search committee coupled with the AQHA Executive Committee are confident Huffhines, with more than 17 years’ experience leading the Hereford Association, possesses the strong leadership skills and experience to move AQHA forward.

After receiving applications from more than 40 interested individuals, Huffhines was tapped as the leading candidate for AQHA’s leadership role.

AQHA President Johnny Trotter stated, “The goal of the search committee was how to take the current, accomplished management team here at AQHA to the next level. With the help of Witt-Kieffer, we were able to locate a seasoned, experienced leader as our next executive vice president, who has already proven his ability to lead a major association in the livestock industry.”

President Trotter further noted, “I couldn’t be more pleased with how the process worked, which resulted in finding such a successful leader in Craig.”

Huffhines brings not only his years of experience in the agriculture industry, but recorded success in areas such as turning around a 30-year decline in registration and breed popularity, balancing budgets during lean industry years, developing a new branded-beef enterprise, executing a revised governance structure to meet the demands of the 21st century and reinvigorating interest among youth, also while managing the American Hereford Association staff and growing the Hereford Research and Youth foundations.

Huffhines’ enthusiasm is contagious and his knowledge and passion for the agriculture and livestock industries is quickly recognizable.

Founded in 1940, the American Quarter Horse Association is the largest equine breed organization in the world. With headquarters in Amarillo, Texas, AQHA has a membership of more than 270,000 people in 86 countries and has registered more than 5 million horses in 95 countries.

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