Kathy Pickus

Katherine Pickus is the Vice President of Sustainability and Global Impact at Tyson Foods where she is responsible for designing and implementing a long-term ESG strategy and shaping the direction of the company’s sustainability initiatives across each business unit – Poultry, Prepared Foods, Fresh Meats and International.

Kathy joined Tyson Foods in 2021 following nearly 15 years at Abbott, where she was the Divisional Vice President of Global Citizenship and Policy/Sustainability. Working together with business leaders, she led efforts to apply Abbott expertise and resources to help people build better lives and stronger communities while creating value for both the business and society. She also served as Vice President of the Abbott Fund, the company’s foundation, where she was responsible for developing strategic philanthropic partnerships with NGOs and shaping the long-range strategy for Abbott Fund’s office and programs in Tanzania. 
Her diverse experience also includes serving at the White House as Special Assistant for National Security Affairs in the Office of the Vice President of the United States, with a specific focus on U.S. relations in sub-Saharan Africa. Kathy’s career includes time with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, where she worked to advance democratic institution-building programs worldwide. As a result of her work, she was selected by the United Nations to be an election monitor in the Republic of South Africa.

Throughout her career, Kathy has been involved with many organizations that help to advance environmental and social issues around the globe. Kathy recently was selected to be a Presidential Leadership Scholar, class of 2023 and served as a member of the Executive Council on Development at the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington, D.C. She is also a member of the US – Afghan Women’s Council and Women in Global Development Committee of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. In 2012, she was selected by the first-ever Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues at the Department of State to travel as part of a special delegation to Burma.