The Corn Refiners Association is full of hardworking men and women who are busy behind the scenes every day, helping our members achieve their goals and advocating for issues that matter in our industry. Our CRA Staff Profile series is dedicated to highlighting the brilliant individuals at CRA – learning more about their roles and accomplishments and even discovering a little bit about what they like to do outside of the office.
Get to know John W. Bode, President and CEO of the Corn Refiners Association. John is widely regarded as an industry expert and has been involved in every significant change in federal food law since the 1981 Farm Bill. John has received the honor of giving the Distinguished Lecture at an Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and is a recipient of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Ambassador’s Circle Award. He was ...
Meet Robin J. Bowen, Senior Vice President. Robin joined CRA in 2019, bringing decades of experience in policy advocacy and education as a U.S. Senate staffer, attorney, and lobbyist. She leads our government relations, stakeholder engagement, and communications efforts to bring CRA’s policy insights to Capitol Hill and state governments. As the sixth generation to call her family farm in Kentucky home, Robin brings a critical personal perspective of America’s agriculture industry to our team ...
Meet Kent Roberson, Director of Government Relations. Kent joined CRA in 2021, bringing with him nearly 10 years of experience as a professor of political science at the University of Maryland and deep roots in the state’s local government. He provides key support of CRA’s legislative efforts and directly advocates before the highest levels of government to advance the organization’s policy goals. As a seasoned political advocate and one of the newest additions to CRA, ...
Meet Keniece Barbee, Chief of Staff. Keniece joined CRA in 2016, bringing a breadth of experience managing high-level executives that worked with U.S. House and Senate members and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. She provides strategic management to CRA and its Board of Directors to advance our organization’s priorities and goals. Keniece is also Director of Member Services of the Plant Based Products Council (PBPC), where she works to provide PBPC members with the resources ...
This month, we’re spotlighting CRA’s Vice President of Food Policy, Allison Cooke! In her role, Allison leads development and execution of science-based policy regarding food, nutrition, agriculture, and product safety and quality at the international, federal, state, and local levels. She also coordinates Health & Wellness and Product Safety & Quality Committees. Additionally, Allison regularly monitors, evaluates, analyzes, and reports on government policies, regulations, food industry trends, impacts, threats, and opportunities, providing strategic insights and ...
Get to know Jamaica Gayle, CRA’s Director of Sustainability and Environmental Affairs. In her position, she manages CRA’s Sustainability and Environmental Affairs committees and leads efforts to advance these issues across food, agriculture, and plant-based product value chains. Jamaica is also responsible for representing CRA in a broad range of industry and environmental coalitions focused on sustainability and environmental issues. Prior to joining CRA, Jamaica served as the Executive Director of the National Foreign Trade ...
Devon Frederick Harvey is Executive Assistant to CRA President and CEO John Bode. Over the past 25 years, Devon has provided executive support in the hospitality, consulting, environmental, and medical fields. Prior to becoming an Executive Assistant, Devon was an award-winning public relations professional. Family engagement in corn farming and an interest in antique tractors help fuel Devon’s commitment to CRA’s mission. Read on to learn more about Devon, in her own words: Q: How ...