CRA President and CEO John Bode Announces Retirement Plans; Search Underway for Successor

Bode Plans to Retire in January 2027

March 18, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Corn Refiners Association President and CEO John Bode, who has led the organization since 2013, plans to retire in January 2027. The CRA Board of Directors has begun a search for the association's next chief executive officer.

"The nation's corn refiners are grateful for John's years of transformative leadership and appreciate his continuing that leadership into next year," said Jim Stutelberg, Primient CEO and Chairman of the CRA Board of Directors. "Replacing John's expertise and influence will be a tall order. He has been instrumental in addressing the challenges our industry faced as we navigated complex policy dynamics, weathered the COVID-19 pandemic, and fought to protect markets for the American corn refining industry. Our board looks forward to maintaining the positive trajectory John has set."

Bode joined CRA in 2013, transforming the organization into a best-in-class issues management organization with influence across food, agriculture, and sustainability policy. A former Assistant Secretary of Agriculture and staffer on the Senate Agriculture Committee, Bode has been involved in every major amendment to federal food law over the last four decades, making him a valuable resource to CRA members and the broader farm policy community and a leading voice for science- and risk-based policymaking.

By a vote of his industry peers, Bode was chosen to chair the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee, a group of senior representatives across American agriculture that offers advice to the Department of Agriculture and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on trade policy matters, including the operation of existing trade agreements and the negotiation of new deals.

Bode was also instrumental in the founding of the Plant Based Products Council, the leading voice for advocacy on behalf of the growing ag bioeconomy. His persistent efforts to tell the story of food and agriculture as a coherent economic system led CRA and more than 30 other associations to sponsor the annual Feeding the Economy report, an award-winning study that measures the economic impact of food and agriculture on the U.S. economy.

"I am thankful for the collegial work of the CRA Board of Directors, many industry colleagues, and the wonderful CRA staff who have made my career a blessing," said Bode. "The CRA Board's comprehensive perspective supports strategic alliances that enable us to meet challenges that would otherwise exceed our capabilities. Punching above weight class has been a fun way to cap a career. As gratifying as that has been, come next year, my focus will turn to our dogs, some Caribbean Islands, and working for Mrs. Bode, not necessarily in that order."

Bode plans to remain actively engaged in guiding the CRA's key initiatives through the appointment of his successor, ensuring continuity and momentum through the transition.

The CRA Board of Directors has retained Sterling Martin to guide the search for the next CRA President and CEO.

For a comprehensive biography and timeline of Bode's career, click here.

###

About the Corn Refiners Association (CRA)
The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) is the national trade association representing the corn refining industry of the United States. CRA and its predecessors have served this important segment of American agribusiness since 1913. Corn refiners manufacture sweeteners, starch, advanced bioproducts, corn oil and feed products from corn components such as starch, oil, protein, and fiber.