Meet AFIA's Andi Harizi

Written by: AFIA Editor   |   November 18, 2024

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) is pleased to announce the addition of Andi Harizi as its accountant. In this role, Harizi will work closely with AFIA’s Chief Financial Officer Andy Timmins to support the accounting needs of the AFIA and its partner organizations, including the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER), Food and Agriculture Export Alliance (FAEA) and Global Feed LCA Institute (GFLI). We recently had the opportunity to talk with him about his background and interest in the animal food industry.  

Q: Tell me about your background. Have you worked for agricultural organizations before? 

A: I have not had the chance to work with an agricultural organization before AFIA. Following my college graduation, I worked in outsourced accounting in the nonprofit sector. It was a deeply fulfilling experience to have a hands-on role in improving the daily lives of the people in my community.  

Q: You have been in the nonprofit space for a while. What originally drew you to this industry? 

A: What originally drew me to that field was that their goals aligned with my personal goals. What drives a nonprofit is not the profit motive but having a tangible impact on improving people's daily lives. Not just seeing people as customers but as valued members of a community.  

Q: This is a new position for the AFIA. What are your goals? 

A: I am really excited to ease some of the burden off Andy’s shoulders, so that hopefully, we both get more time to streamline different accounting processes. Overall, I would say that my immediate goal would be to learn the nuances of different procedures early on so that I can implement new features and stay on top of different transactions month to month.  

Q: As you know, we love our fur babies around here! Do you have any pets?   

A: Unfortunately, I have never had a pet, but ideally, in the near future, I was hoping to get a dog.  

Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work for fun? 

A: I have recently gotten into local recreational sports teams in the area, more specifically, intermural basketball. It is a great team-building experience and a good way to meet new people that you would not have had a chance to meet otherwise. I also like exploring new places to eat in the city, and I try to read in my free time as much as I can.