Eight members declared their candidacies for the American Angus Association Board of Directors by the deadline for publication in the October Angus Journal.

Seeking a first term are Dean Bryant, Monkton, Md.; Scott Bush, Britton, S.D.; Kenny Hinkle, Nevada, Mo.; Steve Knoll, Hereford, Texas; Will McMillan, Newton, Miss.; Matt Perrier, Eureka, Kan.; Logan Sampson, Ruby Valley, Nev.; and Doug Stevenson, Reed Point, Mont.

Delegates will elect five directors; a president and chairman of the Board; and a vice president and vice chairman of the Board during the Association’s 143rd Annual Convention of Delegates, which will convene at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (CST) Monday, Nov. 16, in Louisville, Ky. Visit angusconvention.com to learn more and to register.  

Hear from Board candidates as they talk through opportunities and challenges in the breed, and read biography information provided by the candidates below.

Dean Bryant, Maryland

Dean Bryant offers the American Angus Association a lifetime of experience across every sector of the beef cattle industry. On any given day, Dean interacts with seedstock producers, commercial cow-calf producers, feedlot operators, packing plant personnel, retailers, restaurants and consumers. He brings a unique conception-to-consumption perspective that strengthens his ability to serve Angus breeders of all sizes. Dean’s career has been defined by a commitment to genetic improvement, practical innovation and advancing the Angus breed within a rapidly evolving beef industry.

In 1996, Dean joined Roseda Farm, owned by Ed and Rosemary Burchell and based in Monkton, Md. Roseda Farm has transitioned from a seedstock operation into a fully integrated farm-to-fork enterprise. Today, Roseda Farm consists of 220 head of registered Angus and recipient cows in Maryland and Virginia. They market bulls to commercial producers, purchase calves back from customers and finish them in custom feedlots. Approximately 50 head per week are harvested at Old Line Custom Meat Company, their solely owned packing plant in Baltimore, and marketed as Roseda Black Angus Beef through retailers, restaurants, institutions and a thriving on-farm store managed by Dean’s wife, Marcia.

Roseda’s breeding program is built on an economic selection index that Dean originally developed at Purdue University, similar in philosophy to today’s dollar value indexes ($Values). The program emphasizes calving ease, growth, marbling and maternal strength, supported by genomically enhanced expected progeny differences (EPDs), artificial insemination (AI), embryo transfer (ET) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). The home-grown herd sire Roseda Powerball23 F091 exemplifies this breeding philosophy.

Dean started his career in academia, first at Purdue University (1980-1990) where he managed the beef research and teaching unit, and then at the University of Maryland (1990-1996) where he managed the Wye Angus herd at the Wye Research and Education Center. While at Wye, he conducted research evaluating the effectiveness of carcass EPDs.

Raised on a small cow-calf operation in Van Buren, Ind., Dean spent 10 years in 4-H showing cattle, judging livestock, and building the foundation of the herd he and Marcia still maintain today. After graduating from Eastbrook High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Purdue University, where he also competed on the 1979 livestock judging team. Dean continued his education at Purdue, completing his master’s in animal breeding, focusing on the genetic relationship between growth and carcass traits in Angus cattle.

Family has always been central to him and Marcia, with the quality of life allowed through the “Angus style” being invaluable as they raised their family. Their children, Craig, Curtis and Tiffany, were active in Maryland 4-H as well as the Maryland and National Junior Angus Associations, with Curtis serving on the National Junior Angus Board (NJAB). All three have pursued successful careers after graduating from Purdue University, Oklahoma State University and Penn State University.

Dean served as director and president of the Maryland Angus Association, and Marcia previously served as president of the Maryland Women’s Auxiliary. The Bryant family has been named Maryland Angus Family of the Year, with both Wye Angus and Roseda Farm having earned the Maryland Angus Breeder of the Year under Dean’s management. He was also honored as Cattleman of the Year by the Virginia Angus Association.

Dean believes the Association must continue serving producers and breeders of all sizes by providing tools for breeding, managing, exhibiting, promoting and marketing registered Angus cattle and their beef products. He is committed to helping the breed maintain its prominence within the beef industry and guiding the Association through emerging DNA technologies, evolving genetic evaluation systems, and new opportunities for Angus producers nationwide. His broad experience from academia to seedstock, commercial production, feedlot management and branded beef marketing, positions him to contribute meaningful leadership to the American Angus Association.

Scott Bush, South Dakota

Scott Bush announces his candidacy to serve on the Board of Directors for the American Angus Association. It has been a longtime goal of Scott’s to run for the Board of Directors and now with the support of the South Dakota Angus Association and encouragement from fellow breeders, he is honored to be given the opportunity to do so. The Angus breed, this association and its membership are key factors in what have built the foundation of his own family’s operation, like many other generational Angus breeders. Scott has no doubt that his long-standing knowledge and experience in the purebred and commercial livestock business combined with the shared perspectives of fellow Board members and breeders will match pace with the progression the Angus breed is known for.

Scott graduated in 1992 from South Dakota State University with a degree in animal science. During his time there, he was a member of the Meats and Livestock Judging Teams, Block and Bridle, and Little I. After returning home Scott played an active role in the community. He is an active member of the Britton United Methodist Church, where he has served as a member of the finance committee. He also served on the Full Circle Co-op Board for a total of 19 years, three of those years serving as secretary of the board. 

4-H roots ran deep in the Bush family. Scott grew up as an active member in 4-H and has enjoyed volunteering for the 4-H program. He always likes to help where he is needed, but auctioneering the livestock premium sales for the kids is his favorite. He’s been known to even sing a line or two if he can match the animal’s name to a song.

 In 1994 he married his wife, Jo. They have two children, Brittany and Tyler. Brittany lives in Britton where she owns and operates Backyard Playschool. Tyler, as the sixth generation, has been back home at the family operation for five years.

Scott resides on his family’s 142-year-old generational operation in Britton, S.D., where he works alongside his father, Jim, and son, Tyler. Scott’s great-great grandfather homesteaded here in 1883. In 1926, Scott’s great-grandfather purchased an Angus steer that became Grand Champion Steer at the South Dakota State Fair. Shortly after that they bought that steer’s dam with a heifer calf at her side. To this day, that is the only female ever to be purchased. It is also that female that every cow in the herd can be traced back to. Over the next 100 years, three more generations of this family have returned to add their own expertise to a cow herd of about 175 cows. Interestingly enough, that generation thing has occurred about every 30 years. The Bushes host their annual bull sale the last Saturday in February every year. Their 53rd Annual Production Sale in 2027 will mark more than 100 years in the Angus breed.

Over the years Scott’s interests expanded to many levels of the Angus industry. Scott has served as a past president and director of the South Dakota Angus Association. He has led the organization of a South Dakota Angus Tour as well as hosted past tours at Bush Angus. For several years Scott has enjoyed representing South Dakota as a voting delegate and a chairman of delegates at the National Angus Convention. He has also attended the Beef Leaders Institute. Scott and his wife also served as co-advisors for the South Dakota Junior Angus Association for several years.

Judging cattle shows is also one of Scott’s passions. He has judged coast to coast in the United States, Canada and Brazil. 

Angus shows were part of Scott’s life growing up and continued as a tradition as he raised his own kids. The National Junior Angus Show took top priority as the family’s summer trip as they rarely missed one. Scott believes that the NJAA plays a tremendous role in shaping today’s youth into successful adults who will continue to influence the Angus industry.

The only life he has ever known is the Angus breed. It has been his family’s past, its present and will be its future. This is what makes him so incredibly confident about the future of the breed and this organization. 

Kenny Hinkle, Missouri

Kenny Hinkle hails from Nevada, Mo., and is the owner of Hinkle’s Prime Cut Angus (HPCA). HPCA is a first-generation Angus farm that has been built from the ground up. The operation was started to make a living and a life for the Hinkle family, and has been run as a family since its inception.
Kenny, along with his wife, Janyce, daughter Courtney, her husband Blake, son Trevor, and his wife Emily, all help in the operation. They are also blessed to have six grandsons and one granddaughter. While Kenny, Trevor and Blake run the daily operations of HPCA, it takes everyone to make this operation run as smoothly and efficiently as it does. Janyce and Kenny have been truly blessed to see HPCA grow to what it is today, and to do it as a family.

The first marketing efforts of HPCA started with the consignment of six Angus bulls in 1998 to Oklahoma Beef Inc. The first HPCA production sale was hosted in 2003. Currently, HPCA markets nearly 300 bulls and 120 females annually. They feel blessed to have a loyal customer base and reciprocate the loyalty. “Our customers’ success is our success. Our success is because of our customers’ success,” Hinkle states.

Annually, HPCA develops and performance tests nearly 300 bulls and 150 heifers, manages 250 cows, and runs donor cow and recip herds. Every female is AI bred. HPCA collects and transfers more than 600 embryos annually with the help of ET cooperator herds. The Hinkle family hosts two production sales annually. As a family they manage all the details that go with all of that — recordkeeping, data submission, freeze branding, calving and feeding. HPCA has never had any “outside” hired help, so when they say this is a family operation, it really is. Kenny’s pride runs deep for what they can accomplish as a family.

The focus of HPCA is to raise seedstock that makes their commercial buyers profitable. Through a “measured excellence” approach, collecting and measuring all data points available, the family strives to produce bulls and females that excel for growth, longevity and carcass traits — while not forgetting the maternal capability of the cows that produce feeder and fat cattle for their customers. Specific attention to hair shed and feet has set HPCA apart, especially for their customers in fescue country. Using the tools and services provided by the American Angus Association has allowed HPCA to be successful in achieving the goals of the family’s operation.

HPCA is proud to have raised many breed-leaders, including HPCA Veracious, HPCA McClintock, HPCA Vision and HPCA Robust.

Hinkle is a past board member for the Missouri Angus Association. He has volunteered on countless community projects, committees and boards. He also served for six years on the KABA/Select Sires board. 

Kenny looks forward to serving the American Angus Association membership with the real-world, no-nonsense approach HPCA is run with. There is no job he has not done on the farm, and he will bring that work ethic and humility to serving fellow Angus breeders.

Steve Knoll, Texas

Steve Knoll is honored and humbled to have received unanimous support from the Texas Angus board of directors as as candidate for the American Angus Association Board of Directors. 

Steve is a first-generation Angus breeder and has been raising Angus cattle for about 30 years. His seedstock operation, 2 Bar Angus, is 100% of his family’s livelihood and has been a very fulfilling way of life. His first and foremost job is to be a good husband and father. The Angus business has been very good to his family. 

Steve was raised on a small farm and ranch in the eastern Texas panhandle after his parents decided Oklahoma City and city life weren’t for them. Both of his parents worked on and off the farm doing whatever it took to support the family. Steve and his brother were in charge of wheat harvest. While he drove the grain truck, Steve drove and repaired the combine at the age of 13.

He went to a small country school with about 100 kids in 12 grades, continued his education at Clarendon college and received a bachelor’s degree from West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) in 1986 in general ag. 

After college Steve went to work as assistant mill manager at Cactus Feeders, a 63,000-head feedyard in Cactus, Texas. At this time, Cactus Feeders started a joint venture with Swift Meat Packers. Cattle were sold on the grid vs. live weight. His education as to the importance of carcass merit started here. 

After marrying his wife, Laura, of 36 years in 1990, they moved to Hereford, Texas, where Steve went to work for Cargill. Steve and Laura bought some land and began farming and running stocker cattle. They started their cow-calf operation with registered Salers a few years later, but quickly learned that they make better recips than seedstock. In 1997 Steve became a full-time farmer and rancher alongside Laura’s dad. He had the land, and Steve had the muscles. They purchased their first registered Angus in 1997 and began their journey as 2 Bar Angus with embryo transfer and AI. In 2005 Laura’s dad retired and let them lease his land, and handed them the bills and decision-making. Laura quit her job as a pharmacist, and together they worked to build their herd. 

Steve and Laura have been members of Texas Angus for 27 years. He served on the Texas Angus board for six years from 2003-2009 and has participated in every Texas Angus-sponsored sale for 25 years. Steve served on the county FSA committee for six years and a private school board for two years. He’s been a voting delegate for Texas since 2014 and has attended each Angus Convention since 2014. Steve and Laura have hosted several Certified Angus Beef events at their ranch and were honored to receive the CAB Committed to Excellence seedstock award in 2018. 

They hosted their first female production sale in conjunction with Goode Angus in 2006 and their first bull production sale in 2016. 

Steve and Laura have four children, two of whom help on the ranch along with their other side jobs, including swathing, baling, video production and cattle pictures, and a third child who helps part-time. 

The American Angus Association, their customers, friends, family and God have been the backbone of their operation.

Steve would be honored for you to consider him as a choice for the American Angus Association Board of Directors. 

Will McMillan, Mississippi

For nearly five decades, Will McMillan has been a dedicated steward of the Angus breed, combining a commitment to quality seedstock production with years of servant leadership and advocacy. A lifelong farmer and lifetime member of the American Angus Association, he has earned the respect of fellow cattle producers across Mississippi and beyond through his integrity, experience, and steadfast commitment to both the industry and the producers who depend on it.

For Will, raising Angus cattle has always been more than a business — it’s a family legacy. A lifelong resident of Newton, Miss., he has helped guide his family’s operation from row crops, timber, and commercial cattle into a respected registered Angus seedstock enterprise focused on producing practical, profitable genetics for commercial cattlemen.

In 2026, McMillan Angus will celebrate its 50th year as a member of the American Angus Association. The family’s Angus journey began when Will’s father introduced Angus bulls into the commercial herd before expanding into registered cattle with the purchase of show calves and 21 three-in-one heifer pairs from Black Bull Cattle Company. Along the way, Dave Pingrey, who served as American Angus Association president in 1980, became a trusted mentor whose guidance helped shape the operation and its commitment to the breed.

A graduate of Mississippi State University with a degree in dairy science, Will returned to the family farm after graduation in 1981 with his late wife, Jan. While continuing to build McMillan Angus, he also helped grow Progressive Solutions, LLC into one of the premier Integrated Vegetation Management companies. As president, he provides executive leadership for operations — a complementary role requiring the same principles that guide his farming and cattle enterprise — financial stewardship, strategic decision-making, long-term planning and an unwavering commitment to the people he serves.

Today, McMillan Angus markets bulls through Deer Valley Farms and by private treaty, while females are marketed through Lane Smith’s annual February bull and female sale. Throughout his career, Will has remained deeply invested in strengthening the Angus breed, not only through his breeding program, but through active leadership and service to organizations that support cattle producers and the beef industry.

Will currently serves as a director of the Mississippi Angus Association and has represented Mississippi as a delegate to the National Angus Convention for more than 10 years. McMillan Angus was recognized as the Mississippi Angus Association Progressive Breeder in 2024, and his family was honored as Mississippi Angus Family of the Year in the early 1990s.

His leadership extends throughout agriculture and his community. Will has served as president of the Newton County Cattlemen’s Association; area vice president of the Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association; and president of the Mississippi Vegetation Management Association, where he received the organization’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. 

His extensive involvement with Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation includes his current appointment to the state board of directors, chair of the Beef Advisory Committee, and longtime service on the Newton County board he previously led as president. Will also is a former member of the Mississippi Board of Animal Health and served as a Beef Checkoff Board member for more than a decade. In his community, Will serves as a deacon at First Baptist Church, where he has held numerous leadership roles within the congregation, including finance committee chairman.

Will is the father of two daughters, Amanda McGowin and Abby Thames, and a proud grandfather to five grandchildren. He enjoys any opportunity to share his love of agriculture, believing the greatest legacy he can leave is an enduring appreciation for faith, family, hard work and the values that have sustained both his family and the Angus industry for generations.

As a candidate for the American Angus Association Board of Directors, McMillan believes the Association’s greatest responsibility is serving its members while ensuring Angus remains the premier breed in the beef industry. He is committed to listening first; leading with integrity; and making thoughtful, informed decisions that reflect the needs of breeders across the country. Drawing on a lifetime of experience as an Angus breeder, farmer and business leader, Will hopes to provide practical, grassroots perspective that strengthens opportunities for Angus producers and positions the breed for continued success.

Matt Perrier, Kansas

The Kansas Angus Association has unanimously endorsed Matt Perrier as a candidate for the American Angus Association Board of Directors.

Matt is a fourth-generation Angus breeder from Eureka, Kan. He and his wife, Amy, have five children, Ava, Lyle, Hannah, Henry and Hope. Along with his parents, Tom and Carolyn, they own and operate Dalebanks Angus in the southern Flint Hills. Matt’s great-grandfather, E.L. “Bert” Barrier, started the Angus herd in 1904, and it now consists of more than 500 registered cows.

Matt graduated with a degree in animal science from Kansas State University in 1996, judged on the Meat Evaluation Team and served in various leadership roles across campus. Matt served on the NJAB, chairing the group in 1995-1996. After a stint in retail and foodservice promotions with the Pennsylvania Beef Council, Matt went to work for the American Angus Association as regional manager in Texas and New Mexico from 1997-2000. He then moved to Saint Joseph, Mo., where he was director of commercial and industry relations for the Association from 2001 until 2004.

In early 2004, Matt and Amy decided to return to Kansas to raise their family and continue Dalebanks to the next generation. Matt cherished his time with the Association and its members, but he and Amy felt called to return to the production side of the beef community. In addition to his daily ranch and management duties, he has served the industry in various local, state and national leadership positions. Most notably, he served as president of the Beef Improvement Federation in 2021-2022, the Kansas Livestock Association in 2016, and chaired the NCBA Young Cattlemen’s Conference in 2007. 

Matt also served on the Kansas Angus Association board of directors and has helped coach Kansas youth in team sales competitions at the National Junior Angus Show through the years. Matt and Amy’s children have competed in contests and shown cattle at National Junior Angus Shows, and Lyle currently serves as chairman of the NJAB. Matt also serves as lector, cantor and on the parish council of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Eureka, Kan.

In 2022, Matt created a podcast called Practically Ranching. This sideline has grown over the years, and he records and produces the podcast roughly twice per month as ranch and family schedules allow. For generations, Matt’s family has been continual learners and sharers of information, and the podcast gives him an effective way of doing exactly that.

From a young age, Matt had a front-row seat as the Angus breed endured the influx of Continental breeds; industry, economic and political challenges; and significant losses in beef demand. He also witnessed the advent of the Certified Angus Beef program, Angus Herd Improvement Records (AHIR®), genetic selection tools, and value-based marketing.

Three invaluable resources — Angus genetics, Angus programs and Angus members — sustained the beef industry through these ups and downs. Forward-thinking decisions that Angus leaders made over the decades were not easy or without risk, but they helped put Angus breeders and the greater beef industry in the strong position that we enjoy today. Going forth, we will continue to see new challenges. Matt looks forward to evaluating potential solutions that grow Angus breeders’ ability to capitalize on opportunities for their — and their customers’— family farms and ranches.

He is excited to visit with members in the coming weeks and hopes to provide leadership to the American Angus Association as it continues its longstanding position as The Business Breed.

Doug Stevenson, Montana

The Montana Angus Association Board of Directors unanimously endorses Doug Stevenson as a candidate for election to the American Angus Association Board of Directors. 

Doug, along with his wife, Sharon, owns and operates Basin Angus Ranch near Reed Point, Mont. Today, the ranch runs approximately 750 cows with a focus on maintaining balanced, functional cattle that excel in both maternal and carcass traits. Basin Angus markets 300 registered bulls annually, along with selling commercial bred females throughout the year and approximately 100 registered females each fall in their A Lasting Legacy Elite Female Sale. 

Growing up as a third-generation Angus breeder, Doug developed a strong interest in agriculture. He advanced his knowledge and passion for the agriculture and beef industries through participation in 4-H, FFA and the NJAA. Throughout his youth, Doug served in many leadership roles, including Montana FFA treasurer (1982-1983) and the NJAB (1984-1986), which laid a strong foundation for the leader he is today. Doug is an avid supporter of youth programs and appreciates the value of raising children and developing future generations through these activities. 

Doug received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from Montana State University. He then continued his education, earning a law degree at the University of Montana. After a short time practicing law, in 1990, Doug and Sharon made the decision to return to the family ranch full-time to work alongside Doug’s parents, Wayne and Marian. With Wayne’s tragic death in 1994, Doug and Sharon stepped up and took over management of Basin Angus. 

Doug has been an active member of the Montana Angus Association, serving on the board of directors and then as president in 2001-2002. 

In 2001, Doug and his cousin Darrell Stevenson were instrumental founders in the creation of ORIgen Genetic Services, a business based upon the concept of a company owned and managed by beef cattlemen to meet the needs of beef cattlemen. Doug was elected as the first president and chairman of the ORIgen board of directors and has served in that capacity for two and a half decades. 

The early adoption of emerging genomic technologies in combination with generations of “cow sense” passed down through the Stevenson heritage is the ranch standard. Doug understands the significance of data collection and submission for herd improvement. He is committed to submitting data on numerous traits, including heifer pregnancy, ultrasound, foot, hair shed, teat and udder scores. Basin Angus Ranch is actively enrolled in MaternalPlus® and AHIR Inventory Reporting.

Doug has developed a set of phenotype, production, and EPD parameters and thresholds for their breeding program and practices great discipline in their application. ET and IVF technologies play a large role in accelerating the production of Angus cattle that meet the standards. Attention to detail is always the order of the day at Basin Angus, and the quality and consistency of cows are continually appreciated by visitors and customers.

Doug and Sharon have three daughters, Brittany, Leisa and Nicole. Brittany is a clinical pharmacist while her husband, Trevor Berg, manages the daily operations at Basin Angus Ranch. Leisa, a former agriculture education teacher, is raising her children in Hobson, Mont., with her husband, Brady Johnson. Nicole has followed her father’s footsteps, pursuing a degree in agricultural business, and recently serving as the chairman of the NJAB. Nicole works alongside her parents in recordkeeping, data submission, and preparation and marketing of the family’s Angus genetics. 

A highlight for Doug and Sharon is watching their five grandchildren, Paisley, Parker, Jamie, Liam and Callie, develop a love and passion for Angus cattle and agriculture. 

Doug welcomes the opportunity to serve the membership through the Board of Directors for the American Angus Association. As a lifelong Angus breeder, Doug pledges integrity and upholding core values in conducting business and prioritizing the needs of the members and Angus breed. He is grateful for your consideration and support.