Nicholas Sallas Named First Recipient of Thaxton Animal Welfare Assistantship; Dr. Wayne Kuenzel Named to KFC Animal Welfare Advisory Council

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nicholas Joseph Sallas of Columbiana, Ala., has been named the first recipient of the J. Paul Thaxton Graduate Assistantship for the study of Animal Welfare. The assistantship at Mississippi State University’s Poultry Science Department is funded by KFC and the Yum! Brands Foundation.

The graduate assistantship is named in honor of the late Dr. J. Paul Thaxton, a former professor of poultry science at Mississippi State University and member of KFC’s Animal Welfare Advisory Council. Dr. Thaxton passed away in October, 2007.

“It’s a privilege for KFC to support Nick’s work and at the same time honor the memory of Dr. Thaxton,” said Mike Morris, KFC’s animal welfare manager. “We are delighted to continue our association with Mississippi State University and we know that Nick will continue Dr. Thaxton’s important work in advancing poultry welfare.”

Sallas received his undergraduate degree in poultry science from MSU and is now working on a Master of Science degree with emphasis in animal welfare. He credits a 2006 seminar presented by Dr. Thaxton with introducing him to the idea of animal welfare as a graduate research area.

“The Poultry Science Department at Mississippi State University is honored that KFC and the Yum! Brands Foundation have provided this assistantship in the name of the late Dr. J. Paul Thaxton,” said Professor Mike Kidd, head of the Mississippi State University Poultry Science Department. “This financial support will help us continue Dr. Thaxton’s important poultry welfare research work and it is a testament to the importance KFC and Yum! Brands place on welfare research.”

Dr. Wayne J. Kuenzel Named to KFC Animal Welfare Advisory Council

Dr. Wayne J. Kuenzel has been named to the KFC Animal Welfare Advisory Council. Dr. Kuenzel is a physiologist and neurobiologist who teaches at the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science at the University of Arkansas.

Dr. Kuenzel was born in Philadelphia and raised in New Jersey. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in biology from Bucknell University and his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Georgia. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Cornell University and a faculty member in the Department of Poultry Science, University of Maryland, for a number of years prior to his current position in Arkansas.

“Dr. Kuenzel is a well respected and knowledgeable expert in the areas of poultry physiology and neurobiology, and we are pleased to have him join the KFC Animal Welfare Advisory Council,” said Mike Morris, KFC’s animal welfare manager.

The KFC Animal Welfare Advisory Council includes some of the most well respected poultry experts in the academic world. Dr. Kuenzel joins Dr. Paul Siegel (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University), Dr. Charles Hofacre (University of Georgia) and Dr. Bruce Webster (University of Georgia) on the KFC Animal Welfare Advisory Council.

The experts on the Council provide information, advice and direction on animal welfare issues, and recommend appropriate courses of action. For more information on KFC and animal welfare, visit http://www.kfc.com/about/animalwelfare.asp.

About KFC

KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain specializing in Original Recipe®, Extra Crispy™ and Original Recipe® Strips with home-style sides, Honey BBQ Wings, and freshly made chicken sandwiches. There are more than 14,000 KFC outlets in more than 80 countries and territories around the world, serving some 12 million customers each day. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE: YUM).