Tyson Foods Expands Board to Add Heirs John R. Tyson and Olivia Tyson

John R. Tyson (Photo provided by Tyson Foods)

Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale announced it has appointed former CFO John Randal Tyson and Olivia Tyson to the company’s board of directors.

Both are the children of Chairman John H. Tyson and the great-grandchildren of founder John W. Tyson.

The appointments expand the company board from 13 members to 15. Olivia Tyson is the president of the Tyson Family Foundation and the co-founder of Tricky Knot, an entertainment financing company in New York.

John R. Tyson served as CFO from September 2022 until June 2024 when he was suspended by the company after an arrest for driving while intoxicated, his second alcohol-related arrest since November 2022. Curt Calaway was named interim CFO and later assumed the job permanently in August 2024 after Tyson pleaded guilty to DWI.

The company had not said what position John R. Tyson held with Tyson Foods since his suspension in June 2024 other than to say he was on “health-related leave.”

In a filing with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission on Friday, Tyson Foods said John R. Tyson most recently served as senior vice president, earning a salary of $200,000 and was awarded stock options worth $190,000 in February 2025. The Tyson Foods heir’s LinkedIn page says he recently held a role as “senior advisor.” 

Tyson Foods said Olivia Tyson will serve on the compensation and leadership development committees and John R. Tyson will serve on the strategy and acquisitions committee. Both will also be on the newly formed Technology committee.

“Barbara and I are proud to welcome Olivia and John Randal to the board,” said John H. Tyson. Barbara Tyson is John H. Tyson’s aunt and a member of the board. “With their leadership, I am confident that we will continue to uphold the values of generations of the Tyson family and serve as stewards of the company for the long-term benefit of our team members, our communities, and our shareholders. 

“I am confident about our strategy and excited to step into a new chapter of working with the fourth generation of Tyson family members to help oversee the business.”