Steward of the animals, land, and environment

Kevin Igli '81 finds great satisfaction in serving as chief environmental, health and safety officer (a senior vice-president-level position) for Tyson Foods in Springdale, Arkansas. That is because the company’s core values so directly reflect his own. 

The stated values include seeking to pursue truth and integrity; creating value; being honorable to God and people; and serving as stewards of the animals, land, and environment entrusted to them.

"I am very happy in my career here," says Kevin, who was a biology major. "God has certainly led me to this place and I can see the plan He’s had for me since my time at Malone!"

 Kevin, who has nearly 30 years of experience in environmental management, was named to the position in 2003. His responsibilities include leading Tyson’s team of more than 70 environmental, health and safety ("EHS") professionals, ensuring compliance with all federal, state, and local EHS regulations, and overseeing the company’s environmental risk management, health and safety and sustainability programs. 

"All of us who earn our livelihoods off the land take very seriously our responsibility to protect the areas in which we live and work," said Tyson Foods' chairman and CEO, John Tyson, when the company hired Kevin. "Our core values state that we serve as stewards of the animals, land, and environment entrusted to us. We are delighted that someone of Mr. Igli’s caliber has agreed to join our team and are confident that with his leadership our environmental record will continue to reflect our core values."  When Kevin enrolled at Malone, he wanted to major in biology because he had always loved the outdoors and learning everything he could about nature. He was influenced by a number of professors, but especially Arnold Fritz and Dale Thomson. 

"Professor Fritz had a passionate interest in the environment," Kevin says. "He was always challenging students to consider the world around them in a holistic sense – economics, science, world factors – and he integrated that into all of our classroom discussions."   As department chair, Dr. Thomson was encouraging and instructive with students when it came to career choices and the rigors of studying science.  If you were willing to work hard, you were going to learn and benefit from the difficulty of the Malone science curriculum.

 Kevin met his wife, Nancy (Eichenberger) '82 at Malone, and he is still in close contact with many of his classmates, including Stan '81 and Betsy (Palmer) '83 Hinshaw, Bill and Kathy (Cheyney) Graening '82, David '78 and Shari (Ardis) Palmer, Craig '80 and Linda (May) '81 Henry, among others. 

Kevin's internships during his college days certainly led him down the career path of environmental stewardship – a field that has boomed since the 1970s. Until his last internship and subsequent job offer, he had planned on becoming a foot surgeon and had already been accepted into medical school at the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine. 

Before joining Tyson Foods, Kevin worked at many locations throughout the United States, most recently as vice president for environmental affairs for Willamette Industries, Inc., a forest products  company based in Portland, Oregon. 

At Tyson, Kevin also works on projects with other executives responsible for research regarding products and product packaging – and delivering products in the most sustainable manner; developing renewable fuels through animal fats, and more. 

He’s proud of his company's commitment to stewardship, which, he says, views its priorities as a balance of  people, planet, and profit. 

"At Tyson, we really recognize the importance of being responsible corporate citizens," Kevin says. "That’s reflected in our values of who we are, what we do, and how we do it. Stewardship is embodied within sustainability – operating with integrity and trust in all we do because it's the right thing for society, it’s the right thing for the environment, and it’s the right thing for our shareholders."

To learn more about Kevin and his work, view our website at www.malone.edu/8926