WASHINGTON – Dan Dye, president of Horizon Milling L.L.C., has been elected vice-chairman of the North American Millers’ Association. Mr. Dye was voted in during a special election of the NAMA board of directors.

Becoming vice-chairman, Mr. Dye fills a void triggered by a chain of events that began in January when Greg Shlafer, NAMA chairman, resigned when he left General Mills Inc. and the milling business for a position heading the Lamb Weston potato business of ConAgra Foods, Inc. With Mr. Shlafer’s departure, NAMA vice-chairman James M. Meyer, president of Italgrani USA, was elevated to chairman of NAMA. Mr. Dye has filled the spot vacated by Mr. Meyer.

Also during the special NAMA election, Dan Ward, president of La Crosse Milling Co., Cochrane, Wis.; and Craig Hagood, president, House-Autry Mills, Inc., Four Oaks, N.C., were elected to two open seats on the executive committee.

NAMA said Mr. Dye will serve as vice-chairman through October 2014, when it is expected he will be elected chairman.

Mr. Ward and Mr. Hagood will serve out the remaining terms of the executive committee seats that opened when Mr. Shlafer and another committee member took positions outside the milling industry.

“Horizon Milling is committed to supporting and maintaining an active role in NAMA,” Mr. Dye said. “In my new role as NAMA’s vice-chairman, I look forward to assisting with leadership and working with all NAMA members and staff to continue to provide the information and services that make membership in NAMA so valuable.”

As president of Horizon Milling, Mr. Dye heads the flour milling, mix and bakery operations of Horizon Milling in the United States. Before that, Mr. Dye for 10 years was president of Cargill AgHorizons, responsible for the overall management of Cargill’s U.S. grain handling and retail crop input business.

Additionally, Mr. Dye is the chief executive officer designate for Ardent Mills, a joint venture that would combine the flour milling assets of Cargill, CHS and ConAgra Foods, Inc.  Plans for the creation of Ardent Mills were announced March 5.

Within NAMA, Mr. Dye currently serves on the NAMA executive committee and is chairman of the NAMA nutrition/production promotion committee. He has chaired the ad hoc committee on futures markets and has served on the ad hoc production data collection committee, which was responsible for the transition of flour production data collection from the U.S. Census Bureau to NAMA.