As senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs, Dr. Peterson’s responsibilities at the National Chicken Council include food safety, poultry inspection and animal welfare issues, as well as keeping her finger on the pulse of initiatives within the Washington, D.C. regulatory agencies.

Immediately prior to joining the council, Peterson  served as vice president of government relations for the United Egg Producers where she worked with Congress and the regulatory agencies on a variety of issues including organic egg production and food safety. She has also served both as the director of legislative affairs and director of regulatory affairs at the American Meat Institute, where her responsibilities included environmental and sustainability issues, animal welfare and lobbying Congress.

A native of Kentucky, Peterson came to Washington, D.C., as a Congressional Science Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives, working on agriculture, energy and environment issues. She earned her Ph.D. in Animal Science from the University of Maryland, her Master of Science in Animal Science from Michigan State University and her Bachelor of Science from the University of Kentucky.