Tyson Leadership Shakeup

Devin Cole’s exit is framed as a short tenure: he had been COO since September 2025 and is departing after “only nine months,” after first returning to Tyson in 2024 from George’s Inc., where he worked for seven years; earlier, he spent 20 years at Tyson from 1994 to 2014.

Wes Morris is specifically described as coming out of retirement after previously leaving Tyson in February; he most recently served as group president of Tyson’s poultry business from January 2023 to February 2025, and prior to his retirement he also worked as a consultant from October 2020 through January 2023.

Tyson disclosed detailed compensation for Morris: a base salary of $1.35 million plus participation in annual performance incentive programs; his target incentive bonus is set at 160% of base, with an annual long-term incentive target of $5.9 million, and he received restricted stock valued at $1.5 million effective July 10 (vesting 33% annually for three years). Tyson also agreed to pay up to two years of base salary plus a pro-rata cash bonus if he is terminated without cause or due to death/permanent disability.

Jeff Schomburger, slated to become president and CEO in October, linked Morris’s appointment to operational execution and customer focus, saying Morris has a “proven track record of executing against operational priorities across key segments of the business,” and that his “deep understanding of our operations… will help position the company for long-term growth and continued success.”