Anna Leigh Peek

Communications specialist at USPOULTRY

Agricultural Communications alumni

ABOUT ANNA LEIGH

After growing up on a row crop farm in Elkmont, Alabama, Anna Leigh Peek arrived at Auburn with a passion for agriculture, and though she left four years later with no less passion, a few things about her had changed. First, she had changed majors–from poultry science to agricultural communications. Second, she had gained not only knowledge but also valuable experience in the poultry industry through her involvement in the Poultry Science Club. Finally, she had built a professional network that would rival that of someone twice her age. Each of these changes was a choice, carefully considered and made by a young woman with wisdom far beyond her years and a heart set on speaking up for agriculture.

current position

Anna Leigh is a communications specialist with the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association (USPOULTRY) in Atlanta. In this position she manages member newsletters and the organization’s social media content and strategy, writes and distributes press releases, fields media inquiries and takes lots of photos. She also manages social media efforts for the USPOULTRY Foundation and the annual International Production and Processing Expo, or IPPE.

Having scored her first post-graduation gig at Monsanto’s world headquarters in St. Louis thanks in large part to a professional connection she made as a junior in high school, Anna Leigh credits her latest career move to a well-timed dinner conversation with a friend and connections she made with senior USPOULTRY staffers while she was an undergrad at Auburn.

AUBURN MEMORIES

“The College of Agriculture in general and their willingness to allow students to go to industry events greatly helped me. I attended the International Production and Processing Expo with the Poultry Science Club all four years I was at Auburn, which helped me learn about the work I currently do. There were a couple of other conferences the college allowed me to go to that broadened my network and also understanding of the poultry industry. The opportunities I had to work on the research farm and in the processing plant with the Poultry Science Club also were extremely valuable to talk about when interviewing, because not many communications professionals in the poultry industry have experience actually working with birds or processing.”