Flowers Foods Elects Two Independent Directors

Shaun P. Mara and Ken Plunk join the board, expanding it to 10 members effective November 18, 2026.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in People

Flowers Foods Elects Two Independent Directors

Flowers Foods' board of directors elected Shaun P. Mara and Ken Plunk as independent directors, effective November 18, 2026. The board appointed both to its audit and finance committees, increasing its size to 10 members.

Why it matters

The additions bring finance and audit experience to the board at a time when the company is expanding its governance bench. The appointments add directors with prior chief financial officer and audit committee backgrounds.

The board expands to 10 members with the election of two independent directors effective November 18, 2026. Neither the announcement nor the extraction specifies the prior board size or the terms of the appointments beyond committee assignments.

The players

Flowers Foods, Inc.

Flowers Foods is a food company whose board elected the two new independent directors.

Shaun P. Mara

Mara is a former chief financial officer with more than three decades of consumer products experience, including roles at Dean Foods and Teasdale Latin Foods.

Ken Plunk

Plunk is a former chief financial officer and information technology executive who currently serves on the boards of WD-40 Company and Milo's Tea Company.

The details

Flowers Foods' board elected Shaun P. Mara and Ken Plunk as independent directors and placed them on the audit and finance committees. Mara retired in June 2025 as chief financial officer of The Simply Good Foods Company, and Plunk previously served as chief financial officer and senior vice president of information technology at J&J Snack Foods.

November 18, 2026: Mara and Plunk's election as directors takes effect.

Market Landscape

The appointments add finance and audit depth to a board that now has 10 members, a structure the company has not described beyond these committee placements. The extraction contains no comparison to peer food companies' board composition.

Shareholders gain directors with prior audit and finance committee experience overseeing financial reporting. The change alters board governance rather than product pricing or availability for customers.

The takeaway

Board appointments with audit and finance experience can strengthen oversight of a company's financial reporting. Readers tracking corporate governance can watch how these committee assignments develop.