Alejandra Castillo
Alejandra Castillo is the president and CEO of the North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA). A senior executive with more than 15 years of experience in global trade, she has expertise in trade execution, stakeholder management and trade policy. Alejandra worked at the U.S. Grains Council in Washington, D.C., Singapore and India. Most recently, she opened the Council’s newest office in India, where she served as the Regional Director for South Asia. In that capacity, Alejandra set up strategies to evaluate and implement the Council’s market development programs in the region that included India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Alejandra also serves as volunteer president of the International Grain Trade Coalition (IGTC). Since 2019, Alejandra has supported the IGTC Working Group on Electronic Trading Documentation. In that role, she served as one of the co-chairs for the Industry Advisory Group (IAG) and the IAG representative for the CPM Focus Group on Sustainable Funding for the IPPC ePhyto Solution Project.
Prior to the Council, Alejandra worked in trade execution with Cargill focused on trade risk management as well as vessel and container logistics for cotton, grains and oilseeds. She also gained experience as an international freight forwarder prior to entering trade execution. Before joining Cargill, she worked as a project manager for the Mayo Clinic and an associate director of admissions for St. Catherine University.
Alejandra is a native of Nicaragua and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in strategic management and organizational leadership, both from St. Catherine University, in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Alexander Grabois
Alexander Grabois serves as the manager of global strategies and trade for the U.S. Grains Council, a non-profit organization that promotes the global use of U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including ethanol and distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS). In this capacity, he supervises the Council’s overseas offices’ through backstopping and supporting the offices with their market development programs, and provides trade servicing expertise to the Council, strengthens the Council’s relationships with U.S. and global traders and Council customers and end users worldwide.
Prior to joining the Council, Grabois gained nearly a decade of experience as a trade representative for ProChile. He has also worked at the Chilean Consulate in New York City and for the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Grabois holds a master’s degree in public administration from Baruch College and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Seton Hall University.
Ankush Bhandari
Ankush Bhandari is currently with Verition, focusing on grain, oilseed and biofuel industry research and analysis. Prior to this he was the vice president of economic research at Viterra US (Formerly Gavilon Group, LLC). He began his career with ConAgra Trade Group, Gavilon’s predecessor, in 1997 as a research analyst and later moved into a financial trading role for nearly ten years.
Bhandari has been a key note speaker and presenter at various conferences in the United States, Europe, South East Asia, Mexico and South America. He has also delivered market outlook presentations at various industry associations and roundtables. He earned his master’s degree of business administration and finance from Emory University in Atlanta.
Ann Lewis
With more than 20 years of agriculture and biofuels experience focused on global market development, research and analysis, Ann Lewis is a proven leader dedicated to helping organizations thrive in international markets. She holds degrees in international studies and agricultural economics and has published research on internationally competitive food firms, providing her with deep expertise in U.S. commodity utilization and global market dynamics.
As senior analyst at the Renewable Fuels Association, Ms. Lewis delivers critical market intelligence to support the U.S. ethanol industry in advancing the production, use, and sustainability of renewable fuels and bioproducts. Additionally, as an instructor and preventive controls qualified individual, she ensures U.S. ethanol biorefineries comply with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act for the safe production, handling, and export of animal feed.
Carlos F. Suárez
Carlos F. Suárez Isaacs serves as the director of global sustainability for the U.S. Grains Council, a non-profit organization that promotes the use of U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products worldwide.
Suárez previously served as a regional ethanol trade specialist in Latin America, working with strategic public and private stakeholders across Latin America to help them achieve policy goals and capture value through fuel ethanol in the current global energy transition. He transitioned to the trade policy department as its manager of sustainability, policy and innovation in 2022 and assumed his current role in July 2024.
Before working with the Council, Suárez served as the Associate Director for Business Development in Latin America with The Nature Conservancy, where he engaged in fundraising and the structuring of projects around water security, healthy agricultural systems and sustainable infrastructure.
Suárez also worked as a Specialist for the U.S. Commercial Service for three years, and as an Economic Specialist for the U.S. Department of State in Colombia for four years. He has broad experience in developing strategies for market penetration projects in the franchising, finance, information technologies, consumer electronics, telecommunications and professional services sectors.
Suárez holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Universidad del Rosario in Colombia, a master’s degree in global risk management from Francisco de Vitoria University in Spain and a master’s degree in business administration from HEC Montreal.
Chris Bliley
Chris Bliley serves as Growth Energy’s senior vice president of regulatory affairs. Chris handles all federal regulatory matters covering fuel, vehicle emission and air quality standards, food safety, as well as transportation and logistics. His responsibilities also include state fuel quality and labeling matters.
Prior to joining Growth Energy in 2011, Chris was a director at the Nussle Group, a Washington, D.C. based consulting firm. He served as the associate administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency running the agency’s Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations from 2007 until 2009 under President George W. Bush. Bliley was also chief of staff and legislative director for Congressman Jim Nussle. Prior to joining Nussle’s staff, Chris was director of government relations for the Smokeless Tobacco Council, a Washington-based trade association.
Chris is a graduate of the University of Virginia and lives in Arlington, Virginia with his wife Allison and their two daughters.
Dan Hunter
Dan Hunter serves as Assistant Commissioner for the Texas Department of Agriculture. He is the top advisor on the critical issues of the economy, trade, and water. He directs all external relations and Communications for the Department. He oversees matters on U.S. policy and the important role it plays in agriculture and the Texas economy. He also provides direct oversight on programs involving rural affairs, including rural health care and marketing. Hunter directs the International Marketing Programs for Texas Agriculture.
He currently serves on the Board of the Texas Wine Advisory Committee and the Texas Olive Oil Advisory Board. He is a member of the Texas Agriculture Finance Authority. He also serves on the Texas FFA Foundation Board of Directors and the Ag Workers Insurance Advisory Board. Hunter has served on numerous international trade, commodity, policy advisory committees.
Hunter has an extensive background in agriculture, trade, research, water, and policy development. Prior to his current position he served as Executive Director of the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research (TIAER) and an adjunct professor at Tarleton State University.
Prior to joining the Institute, he was the Executive Officer of the Southwestern Peanut Growers’ Association. Earlier in his professional career he served as the Government Relations Representative for the National Cotton Council association in Washington, DC. He also worked as a primary legislative staff member for former Congressmen Larry Combest and Fred Grandy.
Hunter received degrees from Texas Tech University, where he was recently honored as Outstanding Alumnus, Tarleton State University, and Western Texas College. He has written numerous articles for several publications, and provided testimony for legislative and regulatory committees. Additionally, he has given presentations around the world including the United Nations Foreign Agriculture Organization in Rome. Hunter has conducted business as an official U.S. and Texas Representative, and for private companies on every continent except Antarctica.
Doug Kitch
Mr. Kitch received his BA in business management from the University of Northern Iowa. In his 14+ years with CPM, Doug has held numerous applications positions across various divisions, including 6 years as the applications engineer and/or applications manager specializing in grain grinding for the ethanol and animal feed segments.
During those years, he focused on quantifying different variables that affect the performance of a grinder. He is currently the Technical Sales Manager where he oversees the technical teams responsible for sizing new equipment, onsite diagnostics, as well as ongoing support of CPM equipment.
Outside of work, Doug has a goal of attending a game at every FBS College Football stadium.
Gary Morrison
Gary Morrison, principal reporter, holds responsibilities for assessments on the shrimp and frozen lobster markets. Additionally, he has been covering the Boxed Beef and Certified Angus Beef® markets since 2013. Since joining the company in 2001, Morrison has reported on various protein markets. Additionally, he has managed Instant Market News and human resources functions. Mr. Morrison previously worked in the financial sector.
Morrison’s expertise spans speaking engagements, offering market insights and analysis. He is a graduate of the National Fisheries Institute Future Leaders Program.
Morrison graduated from Rutgers University School of Business, earning a bachelor’s of science degree. He pursued further academic qualifications and obtained a master’s of business administration from Georgian Court University.
Guy Allen
Guy began serving as the senior economist for the IGP Institute at Kansas State University in the spring of 2019. In this role, he facilitates programs in marketing, supply chains and risk management of agricultural commodities.
Guy’s extensive career in grains and commodities span three continents: North America, Australia, Asia, and China. He has vast experience in commodity trading and risk management, supply chain logistics and commodity analysis; as well as new business development. He also maintains interests in grain production and farming activities in both Australia and the U.S.
Guy began his career in grain in 1986 at the local country elevator, Taloma Farmers. In 1988, Guy commenced work with Louis Dreyfus Commodities in Pekin, Illinois, located on the Illinois-Mississippi River system. From there he expanded his experience with trading and operational responsibilities while at locations across the Midwest in Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska; as well as in Australia and China.
While in Australia in 1995, Guy established the grain trading division for GrainCorp Operations Ltd., in Sydney when Australia’s domestic market deregulation began. Over a seven-year period, he grew that business to maturity.
In 2002, he served as a founding director of Advance Trading AustralAsia, a leading risk management advisor to producers, commercial traders, consumers and end users. Guy has worked closely with large and small grain consumers and end-users, where he developed risk management, raw material procurement and pricing strategies across Australia and New Zealand. This included implementing new commodity accounting and logistical systems.
During his time in Australia, Guy was a key player in the establishment of Australia’s Trade Rules and Dispute Resolution Rules and is an experienced GTA (Grain Trade Australia) Arbitrator. He is also a Licensed Futures Broker (AFSL) and holds bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.
Guy has trained and mentored many of the industry population and is a committed advocate for lifting the industry’s professional standards. His “grassroots” foundation in agriculture and his diverse international experience ensures that Guy brings unique perspectives and skills to the industry.
Jason Hafemeister
Jason Hafemeister is the acting deputy under secretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs. In this role, he develops and implements strategies to expand U.S. agricultural exports, participates in international trade negotiations, and oversees multiple agencies that work to enhance the global competitiveness of American agriculture.
Prior to his current position, he was the trade counsel to the secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In this role, he advised the secretary and the under secretary for trade and foreign Agricultural Affairs on agricultural trade policy. He has been involved in agricultural farm and trade policy for over 25 years, including almost 20 at USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Jason grew up on California’s scenic central coast.
He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley, a master’s degree from the University of California at San Diego, and a law degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He is married with two small children.
Joe Ward
Joseph W. Ward, Ph.D., is the executive director of the Distillers Grains Technology Council. Born and raised on a livestock farm in Indiana, he was active in 4-H and FFA throughout his informative years. He attended Purdue University, earning a bachelor’s degree in animal science and a master’s degree in ruminant nutrition, and earned a Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University in ruminant nutrition.
Active in animal production agriculture, manufacturing, and processing since the early 90’s, his research activities include promoting holistic animal health through improved production practices using bio-functional ingredients and co-products arising from the ethanol and bio-refinery industry.
Ken Eriksen
Mr. Eriksen has a distinguished career directing efforts in client advisory and development, risk management, consulting, and events. As the founder of Polaris, Mr. Eriksen directs and leads the activities of Polaris. He was formerly a strategic advisor in the Industry Executive Advisory group, the head of the S&P Global Commodity Insights Client Advisory and Development group, and Agri Supply Chain where he was a senior vice president. Since he joined S&P Global in 2001 (and through its successor companies including Spark Companies, Inc., Informa Economics and IHS Markit), Mr. Eriksen led the company’s Transportation, Industrials and Energy Services group and was a co-leader of the Consulting group.
Mr. Eriksen regularly speaks on commodity markets and flows, supply chain, transportation and infrastructure issues and developments, and is an expert witness in transportation, logistics and supply chain matters. Prior to joining S&P Global, Mr. Eriksen worked for USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service as an agricultural statistician. In that capacity, he conducted national surveys and set national estimates in agriculture. Also, while at USDA, he worked for the Agricultural Marketing Service on its transportation and marketing program, conducting research and analysis on domestic and international transportation issues.
He also worked as an international longshoreman for the Pacific Maritime Association in Tacoma, Washington. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agribusiness and agricultural economics from Washington State University. While working on his master’s degree there, Mr. Eriksen was a transportation economist for the Department of Agricultural Economics, performing economic transportation data analysis and modeling.
Kent Cooper
Kent is a graduate of Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in Milling Science. Kent has over two decades of experience in the pet food industry. Kent has a vast knowledge of raw materials, raw material supply, procurement, plant processes, product development and project management. While working for the independent petfood company he held the roles of production manager, director of procurement, and site R&D lead. For the past five years Kent has been co-owner of Evolve Consulting Group focusing on product development, processing, and procurement solutions for pet food industry.
Kurt Shultz
Kurt Shultz is the senior director of global strategies for the U.S. Grains Council, a non-profit organization that promotes the global use of U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including ethanol and distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS).
In this role, Shultz is responsible for the development of long-term planning in support of the Council’s domestic and international operations. He oversees strategic planning, program evaluation and special projects, among other assignments.
Shultz joined the Council in 1999 at the headquarters in Washington, D.C., as the manager of international operations for the offices based in Latin America, Africa and the Mediterranean and the Middle East. In addition, he managed the Council’s Latin America marketing program activities upon the closure of the regional office in 2001.
In 2003, Shultz assumed the position of regional director for the Council’s office in Africa and the Mediterranean, based in Tunis, Tunisia. Shultz later served as the regional director of the Americas, based in Panama, where he was responsible for carrying out market development and trade activities in the Western Hemisphere on behalf of the feed grains and export community.
Prior to joining the Council, Shultz was a senior environmental health and safety specialist with the University of Florida; a senior agricultural research technician with the University of the Virgin Islands Agricultural Research Station; and a Peace Corps volunteer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he was a freshwater fisheries extension agent. Shultz has a bachelor’s degree in animal science and a master’s in business administration.
Norma Ritz Johnson
Norma Ritz Johnson is the executive director of the United Sorghum Checkoff Program (USCP). Johnson returned to the sorghum industry as the Sorghum Checkoff’s third executive director in January 2021.
From 1998 to 2004, Johnson served as communications director for National Sorghum Producers (NSP), where she led the organization’s media and public relations efforts and was part of an issues management team that was instrumental in sorghum making significant strides in the 2002 Farm Bill.
Prior to returning to the sorghum industry, Johnson was executive vice president of the 5-Star Accredited Lubbock Chamber of Commerce leading business advocacy and legislative affairs as well as communications and community development efforts there.
During her tenure there, she and the Chamber team implemented programs that resulted in twice being awarded the national Chamber of the Year. Before that, Johnson’s role centered on economic and agribusiness development and promotion of Texas food and fiber products as West Texas chief of marketing & agribusiness development at the Texas Department of Agriculture.
A native of Meadow, Texas, a small farming community on the Texas High Plains, Johnson was active in activities such as 4-H growing up. She earned a bachelor’s degree agricultural education & communications from Texas Tech University and has been recognized as an Agricultural Communications Graduate of Distinction.
She is an alumnus of Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership (TALL) Class V, Leadership Lubbock and Leadership Texas 2011. She was an Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) Talent and Workforce Education Fellow and in 2011 earned the Certified Chamber Executive (CCE) professional designation from the ACCE going on to serve as chair-elect of the CCE Commission.
She currently serves on the Texas Workforce Commission Tri-Agency Workforce Council and has served on the Texas Tech Davis College of Agricultural Sciences Advisory Board, Collaborative Sorghum Improvement Program Board of Directors, Breedlove Foods Board of Directors, was a board member of the ACCE Foundation, was a member of the Revolving Loan Review Committee of the Caprock Business Finance Corporation and served on the Executive Committee of the Texas Association of Business, the State Chamber of Texas.
Johnson was a 2021 recipient of the Lubbock YWCA Women of Excellence Award. She has been recipient of a “Top Twenty Under 40” award by the Young Professionals of Lubbock and was named a “Top Twenty Hispanic” in Lubbock by Latino Lubbock Magazine.
Norma and her husband John live in Lubbock and enjoy college football, traveling, cooking, and researching family history.
Ryan LeGrand
Ryan LeGrand serves as the President and CEO for the U.S. Grains Council (USGC), a non-profit organization that promotes the global use of U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including ethanol and distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS).
LeGrand joined the Council in 2015 as the assistant director and then director of the Council’s Mexico office where he identified and addressed all relevant trade, technical and policy-related factors relevant to building and maintaining the market for U.S. grains and co-products in Mexico.
Before joining the Council, LeGrand worked for Gavilon as the director of ingredients, located in Guadalajara, Mexico. In this capacity, he managed the company’s feed ingredients trading, import and distribution throughout Mexico. LeGrand also served as the director of exports for Hawkeye Gold, LLC where he exported DDGS to Latin America and Asia, and he began his career as an export merchandiser with Garvey International. LeGrand currently serves as the Vice Chairman of USDA’s Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee (APAC) and a member of USTR’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN).
LeGrand earned a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University in international business.
Scott Richman
Scott Richman joined the Renewable Fuels Association as chief economist in 2018. He oversees the development and execution of research and analysis initiatives to support the Association’s public policy, regulatory, and public relations objectives. In addition to conducting analyses of ethanol and related commodity markets and government policies, he leads the association’s research efforts regarding the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of ethanol.
Prior to joining RFA, Scott served as senior vice president and co-head of North America consulting for Informa Agribusiness Consulting, where he co-managed a 15-person consulting group. For more than two decades, he provided research and management consulting services to Informa’s clients, including RFA and other private and public bioenergy stakeholders.
Scott earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Vanderbilt University and his master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University, where he specialized in international business.
Tom Erickson
Thomas J. Erickson is the founder of Erickson Law & Consulting, PLLC, a global commodities and financial markets practice based in Washington, DC, serving clients on matters of international trade, derivatives compliance, ESG and related policy advisory services. Mr. Erickson is a former Commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a position he was nominated to by then-President Bill Clinton.
Prior to establishing his own practice, he held senior executive positions at both Bunge, Ltd. and Cargill, Inc. Mr. Erickson received a juris doctor degree from the University of South Dakota School of Law and is a member of the South Dakota and District of Columbia bar associations.
Verity Ulibarri
Verity Ulibarri serves as vice chairman of the U.S. Grains Council, a non-profit organization that promotes the global use of U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including ethanol and distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS). In this capacity, Ulibarri serves as member of the organization’s 15-person board of directors.
Ulibarri has been involved in farming her entire life, first on her family’s farm and then with her husband in their own operation since 2011 Their farm is located in Melrose, New Mexico, where they grow grain sorghum, wheat and forage crops.
She has been a Council delegate for two years and is a member of United Sorghum Checkoff Program (USCP). Previously, Ulibarri worked for Farm Credit of New Mexico for 13 years while serving as a vice president, credit manager and in a product development and training role.
Ulibarri holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance, an agricultural lending certificate, a U.S. AgBank appraisal certificate and has completed an executive leadership program.
Vijay Singh
Dr. Vijay Singh is a founder professor at Grainger College of Engineering, distinguished professor of bioprocessing in the college of ACES, executive director of Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and deputy director of the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation. Dr. Singh has conducted corn wet milling research for past 25 years and developed several innovative processes and published numerous research publications.
In his role at IBRL, Dr. Singh provides leadership in developing industrial partnerships, bioprocess pilot-scale proof-of-concept activities, and techno-economic analyses to facilitate commercialization of innovative technologies. A fellow of the Cereal & Grains Association and the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, Dr. Singh has been a principal investigator or co-principal investigator for more than $30 million research and $202 million center grants, has authored more than 220 peer-reviewed journal articles.
He was recognized with the 2003 Young Faculty Excellence Award, from Corn Refiners Association, the 2005 New Holland Young Researcher Award and the 2020 International Food Engineer Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. The American Association of Cereal Chemists-International recognized him with Young Scientist Award (2007), Teaching Excellence Award (2013) and Applied Research Award (2018). Dr. Singh has also received College of ACES and College of Engineering Research Awards.
In 2015, Dr. Singh was selected as a University Scholar, the highest honor given to a faculty member at the University of Illinois-system. Dr. Singh received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Food and Bioprocess Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.