Marc de Beer and Victoria Maloch have been named 2024-25 outstanding alumni for the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the U of A.

De Beer is the Outstanding Alumnus and Maloch is the Bumpers College Alumni Society Outstanding Young Alumna.

They will be honored at events on campus during the fall semester, including an awards ceremony and reception, departmental functions and interactions with students.

Marc de Beer

De Beer earned his Ph.D. in poultry science with a concentration in animal nutrition in 2006.

Since 2020, he has served as president of Aviagen North America, Inc., in Huntsville, Alabama. Aviagen broiler breeders supply stock chicks to customers in 130 countries under multiple brand names. From 2019-20, he was senior vice president of the U.S. Food Animal Business division at Elanco Animal Health in Greenfield, Indiana. He was senior director of Nutritional Health at Elanco from 2016-19.

De Beer began his career as a nutrition services manager with Aviagen in 2007. From 2088-10, he was global head of nutrition services. From 2011-16, he was with DSM Nutritional Products in Parsippany, New Jersey, first as regional marketing director (2011-12) then as vice president for Animal Nutrition & Health, and president of DSM Canada (2012-16).

At the U of A, he carried out various externally sponsored research projects related to broiler breeder production, metabolism, nutrition, rearing and welfare.

"It's a real honor being recognized as the Bumpers College Outstanding Alum," he said. "I've been so fortunate with the opportunities afforded to me by the University of Arkansas, our industry and this amazing country I now call home. I've also had the privilege of having great mentors, being part of great teams and working with great leaders, and I hope the best is yet to come."

He has served board of director appointments with the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, the Alabama Poultry and Egg Association, and iFeeder (Institute for Feed Education and Research).

De Beer earned his bachelor's degree in animal science and agronomy in 2000 and his master's in monogastric nutrition in 2002, both from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, where he was also co-owner of Paramount Products, an organic and natural food business.

In a nomination letter, Jan Henriksen, CEO of Aviagen Broiler Breeders, said, "Dr. de Beer was selected for this role (with Aviagen) not only for his experience and knowledge of the industry but also because of his business acumen, stewardship of resources to our owners and his commitment to building a great company for our employees and our communities. Dr. de Beer holds himself and those within his team to a high standard of excellence. He seeks opportunities to engage at all levels of the organization. He shows consistency and courtesy in words and actions, and models a high standard of ethics. His academic background from the University of Arkansas has prepared him to operate in our complex industry by teaching him critical competencies and skills such as conceptual thinking, problem solving and adaptability."

Victoria Maloch

Maloch earned her bachelor's degree in 2017 in agricultural business with a pre-law emphasis and minors in agricultural communications and agricultural leadership.

In January of 2025, she was named senior adviser to U.S. Senator Michael Bennet. In this role, she advises the senator on issues related to agriculture, food, rural communities and natural resources.

Previously, she was chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs in Washington, D.C. Her role covered the work of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Agricultural Marketing Service, which included more than 12,500 employees and a combined budget of nearly $9 billion. Prior to this, she was a member of then-Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's communications team, where she provided strategic communications advice on communications related to the farm bill, key USDA priorities and other special projects.

She started her professional career with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, first as a legislative assistant (2021-22), then deputy communications director (2022) and then communications director (2022-23).

Maloch was a Truman Albright Fellow and worked in the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy in 2017-18; as part of the Truman Scholar Summer Institute program, she was a legislative and public affairs intern with USDA Rural Development in the summer of 2017; she was selected to the White House Internship Program and worked as a rural affairs intern as part of the White House Domestic Policy Council in the summer of 2016; and she was a World Food Prize Wallace-Carver Fellow in USDA's Office of Communications in the summer of 2014.

A former FFA Arkansas state president (2011-12) and National FFA secretary (2014-15), she was a congressional intern with the U.S. House of Representatives in the summer of 2012 and participated in community service study abroad trips to Dangriga, Belize and Nampula, Mozambique.

Maloch, who was also a Marshall Scholar, earned master's degrees in public policy from the University of Cambridge in 2019 and in comparative social policy from the University of Oxford in 2020.

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About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.