John R. Tyson, the former CFO of Tyson Foods and fourth-generation heir to the company, was found guilty of driving while intoxicated and careless driving in Arkansas on Oct. 17. Tyson was fined less than $1,000 and ordered to complete 32 hours of community service, according to a district court docket. A 90-day jail sentence was suspended.
Tyson was initially suspended as CFO after a June incident in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where police pulled him over for speeding and hitting a curb and then deemed him to be under the influence of alcohol. Two months later, his suspension became permanent, officially removing him from his role at the company.
The incident was the second in two years. In November 2022, Tyson was found intoxicated in a stranger’s bed. In that incident, he pleaded guilty to charges of public intoxication and criminal trespass and paid a $440 fine. According to the company’s website, Tyson is no longer CFO but still serves as executive vice president at the bottom of the leadership team.
Before these incidents, Tyson was thought to be in line to someday replace current CEO Donnie King. While the CEO job at Tyson Foods has seen its fair share of turnover, it also hasn’t had a Tyson heir at the helm since Tyson’s father, John H. Tyson, stepped down in 2006.
Tyson’s sister, Olivia Tyson, who currently serves as president of the Tyson Family Foundation, would be the only Tyson successor to the CEO outside of her brother. However, Olivia’s ascent to CEO is unlikely — she has never served in any capacity for the Tyson brand outside of her current role, according to a company blog post.
The CFO position left vacant by Tyson’s suspension was filled by longtime Tyson Foods finance leader Curt Calaway. After serving in multiple leadership positions within the company like CFO of prepared foods, senior vice president of finance and vice president of audit over nearly two decades, Calaway removed his interim title and was promoted to CFO at the end of August.
