Alexander Grabois serves as Deputy Regional Director of Latin America for the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council, leading market promotion, policy advisory and demand-building programs for U.S. coarse grains and ethanol. Previously, he served as the Council’s Manager of Global Strategies and Trade. Grabois brings nearly a decade of international trade experience with ProChile and previously worked at the Chilean Consulate in New York and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. He holds degrees from Baruch College and Seton Hall University.

Chris Riker is the Deputy Administrator for Trade Policy and Geographic Affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service Chris Riker. He leads FAS’s trade policy and geographic affairs functions, which focus on U.S. agricultural trade policy, market analysis and international engagement.

Carlos F. Suárez Isaacs serves as Director of Global Sustainability for the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council. Previously, he led sustainability, policy and innovation efforts and served as a regional ethanol trade specialist in Latin America. Before joining the Council, Suárez held business development roles with The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Commercial Service, as well as serving as an Economic Specialist with the U.S. Department of State in Colombia. He holds three degrees in international relations, risk management and business administration.

Collin Bradley is an International Trade Specialist in the Credit Programs Division of USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. In this role, he conducts outreach and business development with both U.S. exporters and international buyers in Asia to promote usage of USDA’s GSM-102 Export Credit Guarantee Program.  Before joining the Credit Programs Division, Collin held various positions within USDA. This includes supporting the monitoring and evaluation of FAS’s international food assistance programs: Food for Progress and McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program.

Edward Hubbard serves as General Counsel and Vice President of Government Affairs for the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), where he leads tax and international trade policy efforts and advocates for policies supporting ethanol production and use. Previously, he served as Legislative Director and Counsel to U.S. Representative Albert Wynn. Hubbard also practiced law at Willoughby & Associates and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. He holds a J.D. from Howard University and a B.A. in political science from UCLA.

Emily Marthaler serves as Director of Global Policy for Growth Energy, the largest U.S. ethanol trade association. Previously, she spent more than nine years with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, most recently as Senior Trade Advisor for biofuels and bioenergy, leading global trade and policy efforts. Earlier, she served as deputy director of the Midwestern Governors Association and held roles with USDA Rural Development and the U.S. Senate. Emily holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and economics and a master’s degree in political management from The George Washington University.

Jay Reiners serves as vice chairman of the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council and is a member of its 15-person board of directors. A farmer near Juanita, Nebraska, Reiners farms corn and soybeans with his wife. He holds an associate’s degree in general agriculture from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and served in the Nebraska Army National Guard. He is a member and former chairman of the Nebraska Corn Board and previously served on the Council’s West Hemisphere and Asia A-Teams.

Joseph W. Ward, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Distillers Grains Technology Council. Born and raised on a livestock farm in Indiana.  Active in 4-H and FFA throughout his informative years.  He attended Purdue University earning a BS in Animal Science and MS in Ruminant Nutrition.  He also earned a Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University in Ruminant Nutrition.  Active in animal production agriculture, manufacturing, and processing since the early 90’s.  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 A. Eriksen is Managing Member of Polaris Analytics and Consulting and a strategic advisor to the commodities, supply chain, logistics and transportation industries. He previously held senior leadership roles with S&P Global and its predecessor companies, leading transportation, industrial, energy and consulting groups. Eriksen is a frequent speaker and expert witness on commodity markets, transportation, logistics and infrastructure. Earlier in his career, he worked with USDA and as an international longshoreman. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Washington State University.

Kurt Shultz serves as Senior Director of Global Strategies for the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council, leading long-term planning, strategic initiatives and program evaluation. Since joining the Council in 1999, he has held leadership roles overseeing international operations and market development programs across Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. Previously, Shultz worked in environmental health and safety and agricultural research and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He holds degrees from UC Davis and the University of the Virgin Islands.

Mark Sevier serves as the manager of global strategies and trade for the U.S. Grains & BioProducts 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.

Marty Ruikka is President and Principal of The ProExporter Network, where he leads strategic grain origination projects, including mergers, acquisitions, elevator and ethanol studies. He joined the firm at its launch in 1988 and later worked on satellite-based mapping applications with NASA’s Stennis Space Center. Marty co-developed the Commodity Market Zone Analysis software, a GIS-based grain origination modeling tool. He oversees business development, operations and research and regularly presents the firm’s findings at industry events.

Norma Ritz Johnson is executive director of the United Sorghum Checkoff Program, a role she began in 2021 after previously serving as Communications Director for National Sorghum Producers. She has extensive experience in agricultural communications, advocacy, economic development and agribusiness, including leadership of the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce and work with the Texas Department of Agriculture. A Texas Tech University graduate, Johnson holds a B.S. in Agricultural Education and Communications and is an Agricultural Communications Graduate of Distinction.

Ryan Calkins was elected to the Port of Seattle Commission in 2017 and re-elected in 2021. He serves as an Advisor on Offshore Wind and Maritime Infrastructure at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Previously, Ryan ran a Seattle import and distribution company recognized for sustainability leadership and founded Seattle Microfinance Organization. He began his career with disaster relief and human rights nonprofits in Central and South America. Ryan holds degrees from Yale University and Willamette University and lives in Seattle with his wife and three children.

Ryan LeGrand is President and CEO of the U.S. Grains Council, promoting the global use of U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products. He brings decades of experience in export grain trading and market development, including leadership roles at Hawkeye Gold and Gavilon. Fluent in Spanish, LeGrand spent much of his career in Mexico. He serves on federal agricultural trade advisory committees and is a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a degree in International Business.

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.

As CEO of Wittaya Aqua, Stephen brings nearly two decades of experience in aquaculture and animal nutrition, with leadership roles in farming, feeds, additive innovation, and technical consulting. Today, he applies this diverse expertise globally, guiding Wittaya’s efforts to deliver data-driven solutions that enhance feed, ingredient, and animal performance while supporting sustainable aquaculture practices.