From Barn to Boardroom: Oklahoma Pork Council executive director shares her journey to excellence

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Media Contact: Sophia Fahleson | Digital Communications Specialist | 405-744-7063 | sophia.fahleson@okstate.edu

Nestled among the sweeping plains outside of Hudson, Colorado, lies a centennial farm, its roots planted in the spirit of entrepreneurship. This cherished farm holds a special place in the heart of Oklahoma Pork Council executive director, Kylee Deniz.

 As a small child, Deniz spent her summers amid the flat, irrigated farm ground of her family’s production alfalfa farm, where the rhythmic task of bailing hay became a valued part of her childhood.

“While things can be hard, my parents thrived in the farming space and in business ownership,” Deniz said.

Her parents, Kevin and Heather Willard, inspired her to explore various new opportunities, Deniz said. With the spirit of embracing a new adventure, Deniz asked for her first show pig.

As an 1-year-old, Deniz exhibited her first swine project at the 1998 Weld County Fair in Greeley, Colorado.

“After showing my first pig, I was hooked,” Deniz said. “It led me to start exploring livestock judging through 4-H and FFA.”

With the skills and knowledge to compete in a high-level livestock judging atmosphere, Deniz enrolled at Black Hawk College East in Kewanee, Illinois, as a first-generation college student.

“When Kylee was a senior in high school, we were made aware of her ability to judge livestock,” said Brian Arnold, former BHE judging coach and current United Animal Health senior product manager. “We knew she had a swine background and were excited about that.”

When Deniz visited the BHE campus, Arnold was impressed by her professionalism and resolve, he said. As a freshman, she came well prepared and mature, he added.

“Kylee’s attention to detail and determination was unmatched,” Arnold said. “She was a good teammate. She was positive and encouraging, showed up and worked hard every day, and never took a day off.”

After the 2007 National Western Stock Show during her freshman year, however, Deniz lost her voice.

“I thought it was just a combination of the ‘Denver crud’ and being on the road,” Deniz said. “I thought the hoarseness would eventually go away, but it never did.”

During her spring break, she returned home to have vocal reconstruction surgery.

“At the time, it was devastating,” she said. “Your voice is one of the most pivotal things you must have to be successful in livestock judging. I could do the placings piece but could not articulate the oral reasons.”

For several weeks, Deniz was unable to complete a set of oral reasons, Arnold said.

“She was frustrated, but she used that opportunity to grow and learn, rather than sitting on the sidelines and being disappointed,” Arnold said. “How she handled the situation speaks volumes to her determination and ‘can do’ attitude.”

Following months of recovery, Deniz regained full ability of her voice during her sophomore year at BHE and was named one of the top 10 All-American livestock judging award recipients at the 2008 National Collegiate Livestock Judging Contest.

After finishing her studies at BHE, Deniz continued her education and livestock judging career at Oklahoma State University.

Under the leadership and mentorship of Mark Johnson, animal and food sciences professor, Deniz was again named an All-American in 2010 for her excellence in academics and in livestock judging.

After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural communications, she continued her studies.

“I wasn’t going to get my master’s degree,” she said. “I was kind of burnt out, but an opportunity knocked.”

Deniz became a graduate assistant at the OSU Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center for Mandy Gross, who was the center’s communications manager.

“It was one of the best decisions I made,” Deniz said. “Graduate school gave me the chance to slow down a bit. I got to turn into an adult and find adult maturity.”

In 2012, Deniz completed her Master of Science degree in agricultural communications.

After graduation, Deniz took a position in Des Moines, Iowa, with Lessing-Flynn, an agricultural advertising agency, as a project manager.

“My move to Iowa was not by coincidence,” Deniz said. “I interned at Vermeer Corporation the previous summer and had a chance to work with Lessing-Flynn during my internship.”

Within her first year at Lessing-Flynn, she received a promotion to account manager.

“I had a great boss who saw something in me that I did not see in myself,” Deniz said.

Executives of Lessing-Flynn were looking to expand their public relations clientele beyond grain production, Deniz added.

“Lessing-Flynn brought on the National Pork Board,” Deniz said. “We were looking for an agricultural account that specialized in animals, so it was fun to work on that for a couple of years.”

In 2015, Deniz joined the NPB staff as the producer outreach and marketing manager. In 2018, her husband, Mike, received a job opportunity, allowing the family to move back to Oklahoma, Kylee Deniz said.

 After the move, Kylee Deniz worked remotely for the NPB as senior director of consumer marketing, focusing her work on how consumers view pork and the producers who raise it, until a new opportunity called.

“My faith would be at the top of my list of the five most important things,” Kylee Deniz said. “I believe there is a bigger plan, and I got a call.”

Brett Kaysen, NPB senior vice president of producer and state engagement, was on the other end of that phone call.

“Kylee was still working alongside me and others when I called her and said, ‘I hate to lose you at the NPB, but I think you need to look at this Oklahoma Pork job,’” Kaysen said.

In 2021, Kylee Deniz accepted the executive director position at the Oklahoma Pork Council and has brought a different enthusiasm to the Oklahoma pork industry during the past three years, Kaysen said.

“She has enjoyed every aspect so far of her career and the opportunities that have come her way,” Mike Deniz said. “Trusting the Lord and believing in her faith has helped guide her through her career path thus far.”

Kylee Deniz raised the bar at the Oklahoma Pork Council, commonly known as Oklahoma Pork, and has changed the culture and direction of the organization to meet modern day production needs, Kaysen said.

As the leader of Oklahoma Pork, Kylee Deniz works directly with the Oklahoma Pork Council Board of Directors, the NPB and the National Pork Producers Council to protect and promote the Oklahoma pork industry.

The pork industry is rapidly changing, she said, and her day-to-day never looks the same. At the end of the day, Kylee Deniz’s goal is to remove every barrier to where her team members and Oklahoma Pork board members can do their jobs well and have the resources they need, she added.

“The word agriculture has the word ‘culture’ embedded within it,” Kaysen said. “Culture is a part of who we are, what we do and our calling. Kylee was called to do the work that she’s done in her career.”

Today, the Denizes reside in Yukon, Oklahoma, with their two sons: Drake, 4, and Denton, 1. Kylee Deniz works with a team of women at Oklahoma Pork in a culture based on trust, character and consistency and maintains those qualities around her family and friends, she said.

“Kylee wants to create a fun environment for her co-workers, Oklahoma Pork board members or anyone she is around,” Mike Deniz said.

At home, the couple spends their free time with their boys in church and working around their ranch, Mike Deniz added.

“Our family is a team,” Kylee Deniz said. “My husband and I like to say our house is divided. We are both OSU Cowboy fans, but he spends his day in the beef industry, and I spend mine in pork. We like to say the best thing to eat is a steak wrapped in bacon.”

Kylee Deniz said she hopes one day her sons will follow in their agricultural footsteps, but the decision will be up to them when they are old enough.

“4-H and FFA have provided a wonderful platform for Kylee and me,” Mike Deniz said. “It is something we enjoyed doing as kids. Here we are years later, and we are still as passionate, if not more passionate, about the industry whether it be cattle or hogs.”

Drake and Denton currently have a small cow herd of six head, Kylee Deniz said.

“Our kids are young,” Mike Deniz said, “but I think we would be robbing our kids of a great opportunity if they did not show livestock.”

The livestock industry provides a wonderful platform for young people, he added.

“In my life and career, there has always been a consistent theme of pigs and pork,” Kylee Deniz said. “An animal can be such a consistent theme in someone’s life. For me, my first pig created this really cool vehicle for where I am today.”

Story by: Allison Wheeler | Cowboy Journal