The Council has seven Advisory Teams, also known as A-Teams, that engage members in the organization’s export market development efforts. These teams include Asia, Innovation & Sustainability, Ethanol, Middle East/Africa/South Asia, Trade Policy, Value-Added and Western Hemisphere.
The USGC chairman appoints A-Team leaders each July in association with the Council’s annual Board of Delegates meeting.
A-Team leaders are charged with communicating the actions of their A-Teams to the Board of Directors. Each A-Team consists of representatives of the Council membership, as well as a Council Board liaison and a USGC staff liaison. A-Team members serve two-year terms and meet twice annually, plus additional times via conference call or in person as determined by each team.
The appointed leaders are as follows:
Asia
Gail Lierer – Ohio Corn Marketing Program
Ethanol
Eric Baukol – Granite Falls Energy, LLC
Innovation and Sustainability
Brent Hoerr – Missouri Corn Merchandising Council
Middle East / Africa / South Asia
Jennie Schmidt – Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board
Trade Policy
Greg Alber – Iowa Corn Promotion Board
Value-Added
John Hagios – The Andersons, Inc.
Western Hemisphere
James O’Connor – Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council