Forty Under 40: Connie Jo Clampit

In her nearly 15 years with Tyson Foods Inc., Connie Jo Clampit has held seven different positions. After earning a bachelor’s degree in general business from the University of Arkansas in 1989, Clampit accepted an hourly position with the protein provider as an administrative assistant. Since then, the Springdale native has held positions in marketing with the International and Military divisions, as well as in Retail Trade and Consumer Marketing.nClampit said the best thing about working for Tyson is the opportunity to work with a multitude of people across many divisions. Clampit considers John Lea, group vice president for Consumer Products, her mentor.n”He has put a lot of faith in my work,” Clampit said, “sometimes more faith in me than I have in myself, which gives me the encouragement to do the best I can.”nMost recently, Clampit served in operations where she became the director of the Entre plant in Fayetteville in 2002. In July, she was promoted to a sales position as the director of Alternate Channels with the Retail Sales team. n”Embrace every opportunity,” Clampit says.n”Make it known that you want to aspire to do more and you accept the challenges as they are presented to you,” Clampit said.nn