H. Russell Cross

Dr. H. Russell Cross has more than 40 years of management experience, holding many positions in government, academia and the private sector. He has served in the past as Head of the Department of Animal Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University. He has also served as Executive Vice President for Operations and Chief of Staff to President Elsa Murano. Prior to that appointment, he served as Deputy Vice Chancellor and Associate Dean for Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.

In the academic environment, Cross was Head of Texas A&M’s Department of Animal Science and the Meat and Muscle Biology Section and holder of the E.M. “Manny” Rosenthal Chair in Meat Science. Additionally, Cross was the founding director of Texas A&M’s Institute of Food Science and Engineering.

His service in government included the role of Administrator of USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service under Presidents Bush (41) and Clinton. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service comprised over 10,000 employees with a budget of $600M. At the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Neb., (largest animal research center in the world), Cross served as USDA’s Research Leader within the Meat Research Group.

Cross also pioneered the International HACCP Alliance, serving as its founder and Executive Director. The International HACCP Alliance represents 24 food associations, 40 universities and the governments of 13 countries.

Within the private sector, Cross was the CEO and Chairman of Future Beef Operations, L.L.C. Furthermore, he served as Director of Food Safety for IDEXX Laboratories. Within National Beef Packing Co, Cross served as Executive Vice President of Food Safety/Government and Industry Affairs. In addition, he was Vice President of DuPont Food Industry Solutions.

Cross is published extensively, with over 235 published works on meat quality and safety. He resides in College Station, Texas, with his wife Elaine Cross.