At Wayne-Sanderson Farms, a culture of safety touches every part of our business—from animal care to food safety to employee health. Strong safety cultures don’t happen by chance; they are built by leaders who are intentional in their efforts to protect people and support teams. Across our operations, women play a vital role in shaping what that looks like every day.
Kicking off this year’s Women in Ag series is Neena Kao, Regional Health and Safety Manager.
Neena’s path into the poultry industry wasn’t one she originally planned, but it’s one that quickly became her calling. Growing up, Neena dreamed of becoming a physician. As she pursued a pre-med biology degree at the University of Georgia, she fully intended to go to medical school. However, when she was introduced to a health and safety role at Wayne-Sanderson Farms’ Pendergrass, Georgia complex, she initially saw it as a temporary opportunity during a gap year, but it led her to discover a different path. “I realized that my passion wasn’t necessarily medicine— it was people,” Neena shared. “I was drawn to the people and the camaraderie in the processing plant. I very easily found a home in the industry and within the company, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Starting as an hourly employee at the Pendergrass processing plant, Neena built her career through a series of roles within the safety department, eventually serving as Complex Health and Safety Manager. That hands-on experience gave her a deep understanding of operations and reinforced the importance of staying connected to the people doing the work every day.
Now, as Regional Health and Safety Manager, Neena supports operations across North Carolina and Georgia, focusing on people development, compliance, risk mitigation, and innovation. In this role, she partners closely with local teams to strengthen safety systems that protect employees while supporting operational success. She is especially energized by the opportunity to expand her impact and collaborate across multiple locations. “Every location has unique strengths,” she said. “Being able to learn from different teams while also sharing best practices across the region is incredibly rewarding.”
For Neena, safety leadership goes far beyond policies and procedures. It’s about building a culture that people believe in. She emphasizes that a strong safety culture is something you can almost feel the moment you step onto the floor. “When the safety culture is strong, employees are engaged and alert; the operation is well-maintained, and people work together,” she said.
She explains that leadership plays a critical role in championing that culture by prioritizing safe work practices and creating trust with employees, so they know their voices are heard when concerns are brought forward. “Ultimately, a strong culture is one where safety and operations partner to reinforce each other. Where producing a product well, and producing it safely, are understood to be the same thing.”
As Regional Health and Safety Manager, Neena keeps safety top of mind by focusing on relationships. She believes that meaningful connection and open communication are the foundation of any successful safety program. By sharing lessons learned, highlighting innovations, and staying engaged with frontline employees, she works to create a culture where safety is not enforced, but embraced. “People commit to a culture that they feel part of,” she said. “Ultimately, for me, it is not about enforcing safety policies from above, but it’s about making it something that people take pride in. I want our teams across our locations to feel genuinely seen and supported.”
That mindset has been shaped by one of the most important lessons she’s learned throughout her career: safety is deeply personal. “Our Vice President of Health and Safety, John Horne, frequently reminds us that ‘safety is a calling,’ and I truly believe that,” Neena shares. “You can’t lead safety from behind a desk, and you can’t view every procedure, assessment, or report as just a compliance task. Safety is really about protecting real people who have families and friends, who are loved, and who matter deeply to those around them.”
This shift in perspective made the work deeply personal for Neena and continues to shape how she leads. It’s also what drives her to prioritize people above all else. “My commitment to safety will never waiver because it isn’t simply founded on policies or regulations. It’s rooted in the genuine belief that every person that walks through our doors deserves to walk back out whole and healthy, every single day.”
Neena’s leadership and commitment have not gone unnoticed. She was recently recognized with the Frank Cruice Innovation in Safety & Health Award at the 2026 International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE). The award honors facilities that demonstrate meaningful progress in operational excellence through innovative safety and health initiatives— an achievement she credits to the strength of her entire team.
“Safety improvements are never the result of just one person’s work. They come from strong partnerships and a shared commitment to protecting people. That award really represents the dedication of the entire Pendergrass team and the culture they continue to build every day. I couldn’t be prouder of that project,” she shared.
She also credits much of her growth to the mentors who have supported and challenged her along the way, and she is committed to doing the same for others. “There have been so many mentors who shaped me in ways that I still carry today. Other women who pushed me to pursue opportunities that I may have chosen to sit out, who demonstrated a balance between empathy and strength, and who built my confidence by modeling the behavior of the type of leader I wanted to be. I think mentorship is what got me to where I am today, so I try to pay it forward by supporting and developing those around me.”
Reflecting on her career journey thus far, Neena encourages other women to consider the many opportunities within the agriculture industry. “This industry is so dynamic and diverse, and it has given me more opportunity than I ever thought possible,” she shared. “The breadth of pathways within the industry is so vast. Whether your passion is in animals, medicine, technology, people, sales, operations, nutrition— the list goes on— and the agriculture industry has a home for it.”
Source: Wayne-Sanderson
