Steve Murphy, who has served as chief executive officer for the National Pork Board since 2001, has announced he is resigning from the position.

According to National Pork Board President Lynn Harrison, the board accepted the resignation, but asked Murphy to stay until a replacement can be found. He says that process may take up to a year.

"Over the last six years, Steve has built an organization that is the envy of agricultural commodity and other trade organizations," Harrison says. "We admire the work he has done and thank him for helping us become a board that is now fully prepared to take charge of its destiny. He has melded pork producer leadership with a talented and dedicated staff to create an organization that is issues-driven and results oriented."

Harrison says finding a successor that can see future opportunities for the board is important and there are big challenges ahead to fill Murphy's shoes.

"I think we, as a team and as an industry, have been very successful," Murphy says. "But it also takes a lot of energy and it can take a lot out of people. I think that is why it makes sense now for the board to take stock of where it wants to go next, and then to determine how it wants to get there. I am happy to stay on until the board can do that assessment, but it's time for new leadership."