Jay Debertin is president and chief executive officer of CHS, the nation’s leading farmer-owned cooperative and an agronomy, global energy, grains and processing company.

In 2017, Debertin was named president and CEO following 33 years of leadership roles across the company. He has been with the cooperative since 1984.

Since becoming president and CEO of CHS, Debertin has driven the strategy to strengthen the company through advancing operational excellence, strengthening the company’s financial performance and building a team to grow the company’s core businesses to create connections that empower agriculture. Debertin previously held the positions of executive vice president and chief operating officer for CHS Energy and Processing and Food Ingredients.

In his role as president and CEO, Debertin leads a $48 billion company that provides end-to-end products and leverages the strength of the company’s supply chain to support the nation’s farmers and cooperatives.

Working for CHS was, in part, a coming home for Debertin. He grew up in the heart of the Red River Valley in East Grand Forks, Minnesota, in a community surrounded by agriculture and a strong cooperative system.

Debertin holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Debertin serves as board chair for Ventura Foods, LLC, a joint venture of which CHS is part owner, as well as the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. He also sits on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and Securian Financial, and has previously served on the Minnesota Opera and Visitation High School boards. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife, and they have three daughters.

David Black is executive vice president, enterprise transformation, and chief information officer for CHS, a leading global agribusiness and the largest farmer-owned cooperative in the United States.

In his role, Black is responsible for enterprise transformation, marketing and communications, sustainability and innovation, facilities and CHS global information technology. He leads enterprise transformation efforts, including the company’s change in operating model and transformation management office. Black also leads strategy, implementation, delivery and operation of information technology for all CHS businesses worldwide. Finally, he oversees the company’s owner and employee communications, advertising and public relations and CHS sustainability and innovation programs, including the CHS venture capital program, Cooperative Ventures.

Prior to joining CHS in 2014, Black served as vice president of information technology at Monsanto Company, where he was responsible for all aspects of information technology for its global commercial businesses. During his 20 years with Monsanto, he held positions including vice president, corporate strategy, and president, Monsanto Agro-Services, LLC, a role in which he was responsible for new business development. He also held a broad range of global IT and enterprise roles including leadership assignments in Asia and Canada.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal recognized Black as a 2016 Titan of Technology for his transformational leadership at CHS. Black currently serves on the boards of Cooperative Ventures and Ventura Foods and is former board chair of Ag Gateway, a nonprofit consortium of more than 300 businesses serving the agriculture industry, which strives to promote, enable and expand e-business in agriculture. He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Tarkio College, Tarkio, Mo.

Rick Dusek, executive vice president, leads ag retail, distribution and transportation for CHS, the nation’s leading farmer-owned cooperative and a global agronomy, energy, grains, and food company.

Having spent his entire 34-plus year career with CHS, Dusek has held several leadership roles with the company. He was promoted to join the company’s strategic leadership team and to lead retail operations in 2017, and in 2023, his role expanded to encompass ag retail and wholesale distribution and transportation. 

As executive vice president, Dusek is leading the transformation of the company’s retail and wholesale distribution assets and operations and developing an enterprise transportation center of excellence to advance critical distribution capabilities for the company’s integrated enterprise supply chain for energy, agronomy, animal nutrition and grain product lines. Dusek and his team are helping create and drive efficiency to deliver excellence and enable profitable growth on behalf of owners and customers.
  
In his previous role as vice president of CHS agronomy, Dusek was instrumental in the transformation of the company’s wholesale crop nutrients business, including investment in domestic nitrogen production and led his team in implementing a market research function to advance supply, trading, and risk management strategies. Dusek has also served as vice president of grain marketing where he led all aspects of North American grain and strategically expanded the platform. 

Born and raised in Grafton, North Dakota, Dusek joined CHS in 1988 and spent his early days with the cooperative merchandising grain. Dusek is a past board member of the Minneapolis Grain Exchange and The Fertilizer Institute. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural economics from North Dakota State University, and he is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. Dusek and his family reside in the suburban metro area of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

John Griffith is executive vice president, ag business and CHS Hedging, for CHS, a U.S. farmer-owned cooperative and a global energy, grains and foods company. He is responsible for all CHS global commodity and renewable fuels trading, agronomy operations, grain processing, supply chain management and risk management, including freight, currency, execution and trade finance. He also oversees CHS Hedging, LLC, a commodities brokerage subsidiary of CHS Inc.

Griffith grew up on a corn, soybean and livestock farm in southwestern Minnesota and during his high school years, worked part-time at a local grain elevator. Today, he is a results-oriented, respected leader who champions expanding market access, operational excellence and develops strong, customer-focused teams to monitor market trends for opportunities that drive revenue growth and add stakeholder value across all global origination offices and operations. 

Prior roles at CHS include senior vice president, Global Grain and Marketing, vice president, Grain Marketing North America, vice president and merchandising manager, senior durum manager, procurement merchandiser, and assistant barley merchandiser. 

Leadership positions outside CHS include vice president, supply chain, and vice president, global sourcing at American Italian Pasta Company, Kansas City, Mo., and vice president and chief procurement officer for Ralcorp Holdings, Inc., St. Louis, Mo.

Griffith earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minn., and a Master of Business Administration from Rockhurst University, Kansas City, Mo. He is a member of many trade associations and serves in leadership positions and serves as the board chairman for both the North American Export Grain Association and CHS Hedging, LLC.

Gary Halvorson is executive vice president, enterprise customer development for CHS, the nation's leading farmer-owned cooperative and a global energy, grains and foods company. Halvorson is responsible for CHS efforts across all businesses to deliver a focused and coordinated customer experience for owners and customers. He also oversees marketing and sales functions for CHS wholesale and retail agronomy businesses and agronomy product development, as well as CHS Cooperative Resources, which provides strategic business and talent planning for cooperatives.

Halvorson has more than 20 years of experience in various agronomy roles, previously working for Cargill and serving as a sales agronomist at a local cooperative. He joined CHS in 1999 and held various leadership roles with CHS in Milton, N.D., and Dakota Ag Services in Minot, N.D., before becoming general manager for CHS Ag Services, Warren, Minn. Halvorson served as vice president of farm supply for CHS Country Operations from 2014 through 2017. He represents CHS on the Board of Directors for The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) and has served on the National FFA Sponsors Board and the Agricultural Retailers Association Board of Directors.

Halvorson earned a bachelor of arts degree in business from Concordia University and has completed many other career development and management courses, including Leading for Growth, Dale Carnegie training and the Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) program.

Darin Hunhoff is executive vice president of energy for CHS, the nation’s leading farmer-owned cooperative and a global energy, grains and food company.

In 2017, Hunhoff was named executive vice president following 25 years of leadership roles in the company’s energy businesses and enterprise strategy.

In his role, Hunhoff is responsible for enhancing and growing the company’s diverse energy operations, which includes refineries, pipelines and terminals, refined fuels, propane, and lubricants. In addition, Hunhoff oversees CHS strategic sourcing group, creating value through an enterprisewide approach to sourcing and procurement.

Hunhoff's many contributions to CHS include a role as chief strategy officer, leading a comprehensive portfolio review that provided critical input toward the company’s strategic direction. In Energy, he led the refined fuels business to a record 3 billion gallons of Cenex^® branded sales and led the propane division through significant transformation and earnings. He also led a rebranding of Cooperative Resources.

Growing up in agriculture in South Dakota, his family operated a successful agri-business and instilled in him a motivation to help farmers succeed. 

Hunhoff holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and business management from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota.

Darin is a member of Feed My Starving Children’s Minnesota Council. He previously served on the board of directors of Ardent Mills, LLC, the nation’s largest wheat miller, as chairman of the marketing advisory committee at the Propane Education Research Council, and as president of the Vision Board for Hosanna Church, one of the largest churches in the Twin Cities metro area.

Mary Kaul-Hottinger is executive vice president, chief human resources officer, for CHS, a leading global agribusiness and the largest farmer-owned cooperative in the United States.

In her role, Kaul-Hottinger is responsible for setting direction and strategy to help CHS achieve key priorities with a focus on helping the organization attract, develop and retain high-performing and diverse talent to drive business growth and the company’s strategies. She also has responsibility for the company’s community giving and employee volunteerism.

Kaul-Hottinger has more than 36 years of experience in human resources. She joined CHS in 2018 after serving 11 years at Ecolab as vice president, human resources for Ecolab’s global businesses where she and her team supported multiple business units with more than 30,000 employees in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Prior to joining Ecolab in 2007, Mary served in human resource leadership roles supporting operating divisions at General Mills and Pillsbury. She also held human resources roles at Securian Financial, formerly Minnesota Life.

Kaul-Hottinger serves on the board of Together We Grow, a consortium of major agribusiness and food interests building the workforce of tomorrow. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn.

Olivia Nelligan is executive vice president, chief financial officer and chief strategy officer of CHS, the nation’s leading farmer-owned cooperative and a global energy, grains and food company.

Nelligan has more than 20 years of experience as a global finance leader and business partner with expertise leading transformation across teams and delivering sustainable, profitable growth. Nelligan previously served as chief executive officer of Nasco, LLC, a private equity-owned company. After serving as Nasco’s CEO, she served as non-executive chair of the company’s board. Before being named Nasco’s CEO, Nelligan was the company’s chief financial officer.

Prior to joining Nasco, she spent 14 years at Kerry Group, where she held finance and strategy leadership positions, including serving as global chief financial and strategic planning officer for the Taste & Nutrition division and chief financial officer for the Americas Ingredients & Flavors division. She began her career at Arthur Andersen in Dublin, Ireland.

Nelligan holds a bachelor’s degree in civil law and a higher diploma in business & financial information systems from University College Cork, Ireland. She is a chartered accountant and an associate member of the Institute of Taxation in Ireland. Olivia earned an MBA at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Nelligan also serves on the board of directors for Cooperative Ventures, a venture capital fund joint venture between CHS and Growmark that focuses on innovative solutions and emerging technologies that positively impact farming.

Brandon Smith is executive vice president and general counsel for CHS, the nation’s leading farmer-owned cooperative and a global energy, grains and foods business. In his role, he provides counsel to CHS leadership and the CHS Board of Directors on issues related to company strategy and its execution, corporate governance, government affairs, and compliance with laws and regulations, including the CHS global compliance program. He also works with the CHS corporate finance team to ensure the company maintains the processes and infrastructure that support robust Securities and Exchange Commission reporting and compliance, disclosure and investor communications. Smith also oversees the company’s corporate security, internal audit and enterprise risk management functions.

Smith joined CHS in 2021 after serving as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Tenneco Inc., a multinational industrial company based in Lake Forest, Ill. Prior to joining Tenneco in 2008, Smith was an attorney with Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Chicago, Ill., providing counsel on corporate issues, mergers and acquisitions.

Smith earned a juris doctor degree from Cornell Law School, Ithaca, N.Y., and a bachelor’s degree in business management from Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio. He is an active community volunteer, including serving as a board member for The 100 Club of Minnesota, which supports families of first responders.

Dan Schurr joined the CHS Board of Directors in 2006 and serves as chair of the CHS Board and the board’s Executive Committee. He previously served as secretary-treasurer and first vice chair of the CHS Board. 

Schurr is on the board for Blackhawk Bank and Trust, serving on its audit and loan committees. He is past chair and board member of the Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area and past director of the River Valley Cooperative of Mt. Joy, Iowa, and Great River Bank. He is active in numerous agriculture and community organizations and was named the Iowa Jaycees Outstanding Young Farmer in 2004. 

Schurr holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business with a minor in economics from Iowa State University. He completed the National Association of Corporate Directors comprehensive Director Professionalism course, receiving its Certificate of Director Education and Board Leadership Fellow status.  

He raises corn and soybeans near LeClaire, Iowa, and operates a commercial trucking business. 

Contact Dan Schurr

C.J. Blew was elected to the CHS Board of Directors in 2010 and currently serves as first vice chair of the CHS Board and on the board’s Executive Committee. He is a member of the board’s Governance and Corporate Risk committees. Blew previously served as first and second vice chair of the CHS Board and was a member of the Capital Committee and the CHS Resolutions Committee.

Previously, Blew served on the Mid-Kansas Coop (MKC) board of directors in Moundridge, Kan. He is a member of the Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College Ag Advisory Board, Kansas Livestock Association, Texas Cattle Feeders Association and Red Angus Association of America. 

Blew holds an applied science degree in farm and ranch management from Hutchinson Community College. He has achieved Board Governance Fellowship status from the National Association of Corporate Directors. 

Blew farms and ranches in a family partnership in south-central Kansas. 

Contact C.J. Blew

Scott Cordes was elected to the CHS Board of Directors in 2017. He serves as second vice chair of the CHS Board and on the board’s Executive Committee. He is a member of the Corporate Risk and Governance committees and previously served as first vice chair of the CHS Board and vice chair or the Corporate Risk Committee.

Cordes was president of CHS Hedging, LLC, and served on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ag advisory committee. He serves on the board of Security State Bank of Wanamingo and previously was a director for Cooperative Network, the Minneapolis Grain Exchange and National Futures Association. Cordes is a member of several cooperatives, including Ag Partners, Goodhue, Minn.; CFS (Central Farm Service), Owatonna, Minn.; Farmers Co-op Oil Company, Echo, Minn.; and Goodhue County Cooperative Electric Association. 

Cordes holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and has completed the Graduate Institute of Cooperative Leadership at the University of Missouri-Columbia.  

Cordes co-owns and operates a corn and soybean farm near Wanamingo, Minn.

Contact Scott Cordes

Russ Kehl was elected to the CHS Board of Directors in 2017 and serves as secretary-treasurer of the CHS Board and on the board’s Executive Committee. Kehl is vice chair of the board’s Governance Committee and a member of the board’s Capital Committee. He has been vice chair of the Capital Committee. He previously was a member of the CHS Resolutions Committee.

Most recently, Kehl served as a director for CHS SunBasin Growers, Quincy, Wash. He had been a director since 2004 for CHS Connell Grain, which merged with CHS Sun Basin in 2017 to create CHS SunBasin Growers. He also been vice chair of the Columbia Basin Seed Association. 

Kehl has participated in numerous leadership programs, including opportunities provided through Northwest Farm Credit Services, the National Potato Council and the CHS new leaders program.  He earned his National Association of Corporate Directors Governance Fellowship in 2019.  

Kehl and his wife raise a variety of crops, including potatoes and dry beans. The Kehl family owns and operates a cow-calf herd, a dry bean processing facility, a custom farming business and a trucking and logistics company. 

Contact Russ Kehl

Alan Holm was elected to the CHS Board of Directors in 2013. He serves as assistant secretary-treasurer of the CHS Board and on the board’s Executive Committee. Holm is vice chair of the board’s Government Relations committee and a member of the Capital Committee. Previously, he chaired the Government Relations Committee and was a member of the Corporate Risk Committee. Previously, Holm was a member and chair of the CHS Resolutions Committee.

Holm is a member of the board of the Citizens Bank of Minnesota and a past member of the River Region Co-op Board, where he served for 21 years, with 12 years as chair. Holm also chaired the Southern Minnesota Co-op Directors Association and was secretary of the Minnesota State Co-op Directors Association. He has held leadership positions with the Brown County Farm Service Agency, AgStar Financial Services Advisory Board and Renville Co-op Transport. He has participated in numerous cooperative and agriculture educational programs, along with being an active coach and leader in youth baseball and softball programs.

Holm holds an associate degree in machine tool technology from Mankato (Minn.) Technical College and has completed the Director Professionalism course through the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Holm partners with his daughter and son-in-law to raise corn, soybeans, sweet corn, peas and hay on their farm near Sleepy Eye, Minn., which has been in his family since 1870. Holm also owns and manages a beef cow-calf operation.  

Contact Alan Holm

David Beckman was elected to the CHS Board of Directors in 2018. He is chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Capital Committee. Beckman previously served as vice chair of the Audit Committee and was a member of the CHS Resolutions Committee in 2017 and 2018.

Beckman is a former secretary of the Nebraska Cooperative Council and former board chair for Central Valley Ag Cooperative, York, Neb. Previously, he also chaired Central Farmers Cooperative, O'Neill, Neb., and Farmers Cooperative Exchange, Elgin, Neb. 

Beckman earned a bachelor's degree in agronomy from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 

With his wife, sons and brother and their families, Beckman raises irrigated corn and soybeans and operates a custom hog-feeding operation near Elgin, Neb.  

Contact David Beckman

Hal Clemensen was elected to the CHS Board of Directors in 2019. He chairs the Government Relations Committee and is vice chair of the Capital Committee. Previously, he was vice chair of the Government Relations Committee and a member of the Corporate Risk Committee.

Clemensen is a former member of the Agtegra Cooperative board, which formed when South Dakota Wheat Growers and North Central Farmers Elevator merged in 2018. Prior to the merger, he held several leadership roles with the Wheat Growers Cooperative. Clemensen has also served as a director of the South Dakota Value Added Agriculture Development Center, South Dakota Soybean Association and Redfield Farmers Union Oil Company. In 2015, Clemensen was named Farm Cooperative Director of the Year by the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC). 

Clemensen has been active with the South Dakota Soybean Association and South Dakota Corn Growers. He serves on the board of trustees for Presentation College and has served on the Avera Rural Cancer Advisory Board and on his church board of directors. He’s a previous member of the local Lions Club. 

Clemensen graduated from South Dakota State University with a degree in agricultural economics and agricultural business. 

He and his wife raise corn, soybeans and occasionally wheat in Brown and Spink counties in South Dakota. 

Contact Hal Clemensen

Jon Erickson was elected to the CHS Board of Directors in 2011. He serves on the board’s Audit and Corporate Risk committees. Erickson previously was second vice chair of the board, chaired the Capital Committee and served on the CHS Resolutions Committee.

Erickson is an advisory board member for the Quentin Burdick Center for Cooperatives, a board member of the State Historical Society of North Dakota Foundation and a council member for Rural Leadership North Dakota. He is a member of North Dakota Farmers Union and the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association. He previously served as director and chair of Enerbase of Minot, N.D. He is a past director on the North Dakota Farmers Union (NDFU) board, the NDFU Mutual Insurance board and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board. He is the third generation of his family to serve in a cooperative leadership role. 

Erickson holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from North Dakota State University. He has completed course work and been designated a Board Leadership Fellow by the National Association of Corporate Directors. 

Erickson operates the third-generation Diamond T Ranch southwest of Minot, N.D., where his family raises small grains and oilseeds and has a commercial Hereford-Angus cow-calf operation.

Contact Jon Erickson

Mark Farrell was elected to the CHS Board of Directors in 2016. He is vice chair of the CHS Foundation Board of Trustees and a member of the Board’s Governance Committee.

Farrell served as a director and president of the Premier Cooperative board, Mount Horeb, Wis., and as a director for Mount Horeb Farmers Co-op. He was the president of that board when Mount Horeb merged with Patrons’ Mercantile Cooperative to form Premier Cooperative. Farrell also was a director of United Ethanol.

Farrell graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison College Ag and Life Sciences short course in 1978.  

Farrell operates a corn and soybean farm in Dane County, Wis., with his brother and son. 

Contact Mark Farrell

Steve Fritel was elected to the CHS Board of Directors in 2003. He chairs the board’s Corporate Risk Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee. Fritel previously served as secretary-treasurer and first and second vice chair of the CHS Board.  

Fritel served four years on the former Harvest States Wheat Milling Defined Member Board and 21 years on the board of Rugby Farmers Union Elevator, including terms as chair and secretary. He is a past board member of the North Central Experiment Station Board of Visitors, North Dakota Farm and Ranch Business Management Advisory Board, Envision Cooperative and Quentin Burdick Center for Cooperatives. 

Fritel earned an associate degree from North Dakota State College of Science, Wahpeton, N.D. He has completed course work and has been designated a Board Leadership Fellow by the National Association of Corporate Directors.  

Fritel raises cash grain, including spring wheat, durum wheat, soybeans, edible beans, corn and canola on his family farm near Rugby, N.D. Fritel sells some of his edible beans to local family-owned restaurants. Fritel and his son continue to run his family’s grain storage equipment business, created more than 55 years ago.

Contact Steve Fritel

David Johnsrud was elected to the CHS Board of Directors in 2012. He chairs the board’s Capital Committee and is a member of the Government Relations Committee. Johnsrud previously served as secretary-treasurer of the CHS Board and vice chair of the Government Relations Committee.

Johnsrud has served on the board of directors for the Cooperative Network and is former board chair of AgCountry Farm Credit Services and chair of its human resources committee. He has served on the Minnesota Farm Credit Legislative Committee as director and chair, was chair of the Minnesota Farm Credit nominating committee for an AgriBank election and served on the Farmers Union Oil and CHS Prairie Lakes boards of directors, including terms as board secretary for both organizations. Johnsrud also served on the Mid-Minnesota Association Board, with terms as secretary and chair, and on the Minnesota State Co-op Directors Association, with terms as treasurer. 

In 2010, he completed the Farm Credit Services Premier Governance Series, became a Certified Director and graduated from the Minnesota Agricultural and Rural Leadership program. He has completed course work and has been designated a Board Leadership Fellow by the National Association of Corporate Directors.  

Johnsrud farms in partnership with his brother and nephew near Starbuck, Minn. 

Contact David Johnsrud

Tracy Jones was elected to the CHS Board of Directors in 2017 and serves as chair of the board’s Governance Committee and a member of the Capital Committee. He previously served as vice chair of the Capital Committee.

Jones served as a CHS Elburn (Ill.) board member from 1996 to 2018 and before that on the Elburn Co-op Board, including terms as chair from 1999 to 2001 and from 2011 to 2016. He has also served on the DeKalb County Board, including three years as vice chair, and on the DeKalb County E-911 Board. He has been a board member for DeKalb County Farm Bureau, DeKalb Kane Cattlemen’s Association, DeKalb County Corn Growers and Sycamore Fire Protection District. And he has served as a township trustee and township clerk. 

Jones was named a Prairie Farmer Master Farmer in 2017. 

Jones earned an associate degree in farm management from Kishwaukee College, Malta, Ill., and is a 2006 graduate of the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Foundation program.  

Jones operates a fourth-generation family farm near Kirkland, Ill., that produces corn, soybeans and wheat and feeds cattle. 

Contact Tracy Jones

David Kayser was elected to the CHS Board of Directors in 2006. He serves as vice chair of Corporate Risk Committee and is a member of the Governance Committee. He previously served as chair of the Board of Trustees of the CHS Foundation and was a member of the CHS Resolutions Committee.

Kayser chairs the Mitchell (S.D.) Technical College Foundation Board. He previously served as a director and chair of CHS Farmers Alliance, Mitchell, S.D., and chair of the South Dakota Association of Cooperatives. 

Kayser has completed the National Association of Corporate Directors comprehensive Director Professionalism course and has received its Certificate of Director Education. 

Kayser raises corn, soybeans and hay near Alexandria, S.D., and operates a cow-calf and feeder-calf business. 

Contact David Kayser

Tony Rossman was elected to the CHS Board of Directors in 2023. He is a member of the Audit Committee and the CHS Foundation Board of Trustees.

Rossman is a member of CHS as a customer of the retail operation based in Rochester, Minn., and served as producer board president for nine years. He is active in emerging technology and sustainability initiatives for production agriculture and is a member of state corn and soybean growers associations and local and county organizations supporting 4-H and FFA.

Rossman earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from North Dakota State University and is a graduate of the Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership program.

He operates and manages a diversified crop and livestock operation near Oronoco, Minn., and establishes and manages genetic alliances in the beef industry.

Jerrad Stroh was elected to the CHS Board of Directors in 2022. He serves as vice chair of the Board’s Audit Committee and is a member of the CHS Foundation Board of Trustees.

Stroh serves as secretary of the Cooperative Producers, Inc., board of directors and has been a member of that board since 2009 and an associate director from 1998 to 2001. He has also served on the Nebraska Cooperative Council (NCC) Legacy Initiative Committee and has completed the NCC director certification program and participated in the NCC graduate program.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Hastings College in Hastings, Neb., and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

Stroh operates a 900-acre irrigated row-crop family farm in Adams County, Neb., with his wife and daughters. They raise corn and soybeans.

Kevin Throener was elected to the CHS Board of Directors in 2019. He serves as chair of the CHS Foundation Board of Trustees and is a member of the Audit Committee.

Throener has served as a director of CHS Dakota Plains Ag since 2014 and has been a member of Full Circle Ag, James Valley Grain and Agtegra.

He is active in the North Dakota Farmers Union and has served as vice president of Sargent County Farmers Union since 2007. Thoener is an active member of the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association, a volunteer firefighter and a church council member.  

Throener attended North Dakota State University and majored in agricultural systems management. 

A first-generation farmer, Throener and his wife, Ronda, and family raise corn, soybeans, alfalfa and Red Angus cattle near Cogswell, N.D.

Contact Kevin Throener

Cortney Wagner was elected to the CHS Board of Directors in 2020. She serves as a member of the board’s Government Relations and Corporate Risk committees.

Wagner serves on the board for the Montana Council of Cooperatives. She holds a real estate license and previously served as a trust associate at 1st National Bank and Trust Company. 

She earned an associate of arts degree from Williston State College and attended the University of North Dakota, majoring in business finance and psychology. She has completed the National Association of Corporate Directors comprehensive Director Professionalism course. 

Wagner’s family has experience in farming and cooperative management dating back to 1939. She is a first-generation cattle and hay producer based near Hardin, Mont.  

Contact Cortney Wagner