Jeff Ettinger has certainly built up his résumé in recent years — interim president of University of Minnesota, congressional candidate. But the former Hormel Foods chief executive just can’t quit the company.
Ettinger, who ran the Austin, Minn.-based company from 2005 to 2016, is back on Hormel’s board of directors.
He will join the search committee to help find the company’s next top executive, Hormel said. Current CEO Jim Snee is retiring in October.
Ettinger will also represent the Hormel Foundation, which he chairs, on the company’s board. The foundation owns 46% of Hormel stock.
“I look forward to representing the Hormel Foundation and all shareholders while working with the board and management to help shape the next chapter of growth for Hormel Foods,” he said in a news release.
Ettinger was interim president of the U in 2023 and 2024, a tenure that included major campus protests over Israel’s war in Gaza.
He ran as a Democrat for Congress in southern Minnesota’s First Congressional District, losing in 2022 to Republican Brad Finstad.
![Hormel headquarters in Austin, MN. ] GLEN STUBBE * gstubbe@startribune.com Friday September 11, 2015 Despite woes throughout the food industry, partly due to consumers turning away some from processed foods, Hormel has managed to continue prospering -- even though a good part of its business -- Spam, chili -- is about as processed as you can get. But the company's turkey and pork offerings are riding a hot protein trend. And over the past two years, it's made some of the biggest acquisitions in](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/527MWWMEXAN6BDVVGMMGBOERGU.jpg?&w=436&ar=3:2&fit=crop)
