Growing up on a North Dakota farm, Jody Feragen vowed to engage in a career where she would never have to worry about rain and the price of grain. She pursued accounting and financial leadership, eventually joining Hormel Foods as treasurer. During a 10-year run in Austin, Feragen didn’t escape those worries about rain and grain after all.

But she flourished nonetheless, rising to serve as Hormel executive vice president, CFO, and a corporate director. Along the way Feragen gained deep expertise in the financial workings of a public company, leading internal audit, investor relations, information technology, and more. It was a hearty role for Feragen. She guided Hormel during its first public debt offering and $3.5 billion in acquisitions while shifting strategy from a meat-heavy company to diverse proteins and products.

As CFO, Feragen earned a Hormel board seat, where she partnered with chairman and CEO Jeff Ettinger to set the agenda and direction. These experiences prepared Feragen to join the public boards of Graco and of Patterson Cos., until the latter went private in 2025.

Feragen brings her robust accounting and financial leadership experience to bear on the Graco board, where she chairs the audit committee and sits on the governance committee. The first stop for new directors is the audit committee, where Feragen acts as a mentor and guide to understanding the inner workings of Graco’s financial structure.

In her 11 years on the board, Feragen has served as counsel during a reorganization and C-suite transitions for CFO and CEO. She also shares her own CFO experience with Graco’s finance team while working to elevate the contributions of its internal auditors. “Since I’ve been on the board, I think we’ve transformed the internal audit from a function that you have to have to a respected piece of the financial organization. That’s a big win,” Feragen says.

She enjoys the people side of being a director, including hiring and onboarding new internal financial leaders. Feragen invests time with new directors to build their Graco knowledge so they can start participating and contributing quickly. She advises them not to be shy about asking questions.

“Questions lead to great conversations,” Feragen says. “Let’s have a discussion and learn about what you are doing at your company. What does your experience bring that could help Graco management make decisions?”

Graco president and CEO Mark Sheahan values Feragen’s deep industry knowledge and the perspective she brings as CFO of a Fortune 500. Feragen’s experience handling different situations during her career and lessons that could be applied to Graco’s business have been helpful in her board service.

Feragen has consistently elevated the quality of board discussions and decision-making. “Her ability to ask the right questions—grounded in both financial rigor and practical experience—has had a lasting impact on our company,” Sheahan says.

As the audit committee chair, Feragen heightened the discipline of the company’s financial oversight. She also contributed vital expertise during several acquisitions and a strategic organizational change, Sheahan says.

“Jody’s guidance, insight, and perspective have been invaluable during her time on the board,” Sheahan says. “She has been a real contributor, and she is not afraid to speak her mind, which I appreciate.”

Marti Morfitt, CEO of River Rock Partners, has served on corporate boards for more than 30 years, including the Graco board with Feragen during her entire tenure. She calls Feragen an “exceptional director” and one of the best audit chairs she has ever worked with. Morfitt finds Feragen’s knowledge of governance and oversight from her CFO and corporate director work especially meaningful.

“Jody is organized, engaged, and has high expectations—she’s very clear about that. She is supportive of the work management does, and she is the full package in terms of chairing the audit committee,” Morfitt says. “She is collaborative and comfortable with challenge, and she brings really good depth to conversations. She also doesn’t shy away from the tough conversations. I personally enjoy working with Jody because she is grounded, smart, articulate, generous, and thoughtful.”

Other Board Service

Hormel Foods: 2007–2018
Patterson Companies: 2011–2025
Graco: 2015–present
University of North Dakota Alumni Association and Foundation: 2010–2018

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