Tuesday, October 06, 2026
Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin executive brings more than 25 years of marketing, brand-building and food industry leadership to international role.
The International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) and Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (DFW) today announce Suzanne Fanning, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of DFW, as Chair of IDDBA’s Board of Directors.
Fanning has served on IDDBA’s board since 2017, most recently as executive vice chair. She was named chair during IDDBA’s Annual Business Meeting in Chicago and will continue in her leadership role at DFW.
“Suzanne brings an uncommon combination of strategic vision, creativity and a deep understanding of both consumers and our industry,” said Paul Ziemnisky, President and CEO of IDDBA. “She knows how to turn consumer insights into breakthrough marketing programs, build communities around food, and bring people together around shared opportunities. I’m excited to partner with Suzanne and our Board as we build on IDDBA’s momentum, create even greater value for our members and identify new opportunities for growth across dairy, deli and bakery.”
Since joining DFW in 2017, Fanning has led a multi-year transformation of the Wisconsin Cheese brand, strengthening its national presence and creating deeper connections between consumers and Wisconsin’s dairy farmers, cheesemakers and products.
“Suzanne has an extraordinary ability to see opportunity where others see a commodity,” said Chad Vincent, CEO of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. “She has helped change the way people think about Wisconsin Cheese by putting our farmers, cheesemakers and their incredible products at the center of stories consumers want to be part of. Her selection as Chair of IDDBA is a tremendous recognition of that leadership, and we’re proud to see her bring that same energy, creativity and focus on growth to the broader industry.”
Fanning and her team have delivered record-breaking results for Wisconsin Cheese, including more than $100 million in earned media value in a single year, a 4,000% increase in social media engagement and a rise from page 96 to page one in Google search results. Together with DFW’s retail and channel programs and Wisconsin’s dairy industry, those efforts have helped Wisconsin Cheese outpace sales growth of the overall cheese category by 15 times.
Fanning also founded Cheeselandia, Wisconsin Cheese’s consumer advocacy community, which Adweek named the nation’s top influencer marketing program. More recently, she led the launch of Born to Dairy, a campaign that celebrates the grit, humor and heart of Wisconsin dairy farmers and has earned national media attention while reaching millions of consumers.
“Dairy, deli and bakery have something marketers spend their careers trying to create: genuine love,” said Fanning. “These are foods people crave, celebrate, share and build traditions around. Our opportunity is to take all of that passion and turn it into growth—by staying curious about what consumers want, embracing new ideas and making sure the incredible people and products behind our industry continue to matter to the next generation. I’m incredibly honored to serve as Chair and excited about what we can accomplish together.”
Fanning brings more than 25 years of marketing and brand-building experience to the role. PRNEWS named her a PR Woman of the Year in the Changemaker category, and Forbes recognized her as one of social media’s “top movers and shakers.” Her work has appeared in Advertising Age, Fast Company, Forbes, Entrepreneur, PRWeek and the Chicago Tribune, and programs under her leadership have earned top honors from the Association of National Advertisers.
