The NGFA's 122nd Annual Convention attracted more than 650 NGFA members to Scottsdale, AZ, last week, during which they elected NGFA's industry officers and several NGFA industry leaders to serve on the Board of Directors.
During the association's annual business meeting, the membership elected Eric Wilkey, president of Arizona Grain Co., Casa Grande, Ariz., as NGFA chairman. They also elected David Baudler, managing director, grain, Cargill Agricultural Supply Chain North America, Cargill Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., as first vice chairman and JoAnn Brouillette, president of Demeter LP, Fowler, Ind., as second vice chairman.
Chairman: Eric Wilkey, President, Arizona Grain Inc., Casa Grande, AZ
Wilkey is the 67th industry leader to serve at the helm of the NGFA. He joined Arizona Grain in 1991 after beginning his career six years earlier with the Continental Grain Co. From 1996-2006, he served as the company's vice president and director of merchandising and risk management prior to becoming the firm's top officer in 2006. In addition, he has been a member of the Arizona Grain Research and Promotion Council since 2004, and is a past chair of that organization. An Illinois native, he received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois.
First Vice Chairman: David Baudler, Managing Director, Grain; Cargill Agricultural Supply Chain North America, Cargill Inc., Minneapolis, MN
Baudler is responsible for Cargill's domestic and export grain across the United States, Canada and Mexico. He previously served from 2011-16 as business unit leader and president of Cargill AgHorizons U.S., which was responsible for the company's farmer-facing grain and crop-input business. He served in numerous positions in the U.S. grain business with Cargill earlier in his career, including the company's World Trading Unit in Geneva, Switzerland; the Dressings, Sauces and Oils Refining Group within the Food Ingredients Platform; and general manager of the Softseeds and Biodiesel Segment of the company's Grain and Oilseeds North America Division. He grew up on a southwest Iowa farm, and received his undergraduate degree in agricultural business from Iowa State University.
Second Vice Chairman: JoAnn Brouillette, President, Demeter LP, Fowler, IN
Brouillette is managing partner and president of Demeter LP, a privately owned and operated business with more than seven decades of service to the agricultural industry. The firm is headquartered in Fowler, Ind., with operations in Illinois and Wisconsin. Since joining the company in 1986, Brouillette held various merchandising and management positions before assuming her current role in 1996. Brouillette was appointed to the Board of Trustees for Purdue University in July 2006 and serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. She was awarded the AgriVision Award from the State of Indiana in 2010 and was appointed to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiation by President George W. Bush in 2003 and again in 2005. She earned her undergraduate degree in business administration from Hanover College, Hanover, IN.
Her late father, Donald G. Brouillette, also served from 1984-86 as NGFA's top elected industry officer.
