Executive Team

Rob Vandenheuvel was named President and Chief Executive Officer of California Dairies, Inc. effective November 1, 2025. Before joining the team at CDI, Rob had previously served as the general manager for the Milk Producers Council (MPC) since 2007. Prior to his tenure at the trade association, he was a press secretary for the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee in Washington D.C., under the chairmanship of Rep. Bill Thomas (R-CA). Rob holds a Bachelor Arts degree in accounting from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Rob grew up on his family’s dairy farm in Chino, California. He and his wife Carrie Ann, have three children, daughters Reagan and Annistyn, and son Cash.

Shawn Athay joined CDI in October 2020 as its Senior Vice President of Human Resources bringing more than 20 years of HR and dairy experience to the role.Prior to joining CDI, Shawn was the Vice President of Human Capital for Agropur in Appleton, Wisconsin. He has also served as Human Resources Vice President at the J.R. Simplot Company and at Glanbia. Shawn is a strong believer in the power of positive thinking and brings a passion for wellness, standardization, efficiency, teamwork and, what he calls, the HIRT Principle: Honesty, Integrity, Respect and Trust. Integrating HR metrics and having a key focus on leadership development will be focal points for him and his team going forward.He is an avid football fan at the high school, college, and professional levels, and he is fiercely loyal to his college alma mater, Boise State University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Relations Management.