NCGA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Director, PAC and Political Strategy
Job Titles:
- Member of the Resolutions Committee
Job Titles:
- Graphic Communications Manager
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board
- Corn Board Member Minonk, Illinois
Bill Leigh of Minonk, Illinois, serves as a member of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, a farmer-led trade association with offices in St. Louis and Washington.
Leigh is a sixth-generation farmer who grows corn and soybeans in north-central Illinois with his son, Christopher, along with his brother and nephew on their family farm of over 150 years. He uses precision farming techniques across his operation and has adopted sustainable practices such as a ryegrass cover crop ahead of soybeans. He also participates in the Precision Conservation Management program.
He and his wife, Debbie, have two sons, James, an engineer, and Christopher, who returned to the farm from service in the U.S. military.
At the national level, Leigh has chaired the Risk Management and Transportation Action Team and has served on the Ethanol Action Team. Previously, he served on NCGA's COVID task force and participated in Corn Vision 2020.
At the state level, Leigh is a past president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association, where he chaired industrial, export and grassroots committees. He was elected to the Illinois Corn Marketing Board in 2023.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Chairman of the Market Development Action Team
- Corn Board Member / Decorah, Iowa
- Liaison
Bob Hemesath of Decorah, Iowa, serves as a member of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, a farmer-led trade association with offices in St. Louis and Washington, D.C.
Hemesath raises 3,000 acres of corn and runs a 40,000-head hog wean-to-finish and feeder-to-finish along with his brother, nephew, and, in busy seasons, his father in Iowa.
Hemesath serves as Corn Board Liaison to the Ethanol Action Team and on the Finance committee.
Previously, he chaired the Governance Committee and served as Corn Board liaison to the National Pork Producers Council on the national level.
Hemesath also has served as chair of the Market Development Action Team, Feed, Food and Industrial Action Team and the Trade Policy and Biotechnology Action Team. He has served as chairman of the Iowa Corn Growers Association and as secretary of the County Extension Council at the state level.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Governance Committee
- Chairman of the Nominating Committee
- Member of the Commodity Classic Management Committee
- Co - Chair Classic 2024
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Commodity Classic Management Committee
- Co - Chair Classic 2026
- Corn Board Member / Plato, Minnesota
- Liaison
Brian Thalmann, of Plato, Minnesota serves as a member of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, a farmer-led trade association with offices in St. Louis and Washington.
Thalmann farms 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans in south-central Minnesota. In addition to his traditional farming operation, he owns and operates a seed conditioning facility that cleans approximately 200,000 units of Stine soybeans every year.
On the national level, Thalmann serves as the board liaison to the Sustainable Ag Research Action Team and the BNSF Railway Ag Business Council. He also serves on the Commodity Classic Management Committee, which he will co-chair for the 2026 event
He has previously served as Corn Board liaison to the Market Development Action Team and the Renewable Fuels Association. Prior to his election to the board, he served as a member of both NCGA's Ethanol and Sustainability Action Teams.
A past president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and Governor's Pollinator Protection Team, he still serves his state as a member of the Minnesota Governor's Biofuel Council.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Member of the Resolutions Committee
- Vice President, Public Policy
Job Titles:
- Director of Policy Communications Media Relations
Job Titles:
- Member of the Resolutions Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Resolutions Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Member of the Nominating Committee
Job Titles:
- Director, Public Policy, Production and Sustainability
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Member of the Nominating Committee
- Corn Board Member / Morse Bluff, Nebraska
- Liaison
Dan Wesely of Morse Bluff, Nebraska, serves as a member of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, a farmer-led trade association with offices in St. Louis and Washington, D.C.
Wesely farms both corn and soybeans, working with his neighbor in eastern Nebraska. As neighbors, they found themselves in the same places with the declining health of their fathers. Thus, they found ways to work together and independently using modern technology. Their operation is 75% irrigated.
Wesely serves as Corn Board Liaison to the Member and Consumer Engagement Action Team and on the Governance Committee.
Previously, he chaired the Market Development Action Team and the Food, Feed and Industrial Action Team at the national level. He has also chaired the Nebraska Corn Growers Association and serves as the current president of the North Bend Central School Board.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Commodity Classic Management Committee
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Co - Chair Classic 2025
- Corn Board Member / Shelton, Nebraska
- Director on the Board of Nebraska Corn Growers Association
Deb Gangwish, of Shelton, Nebraska, serves as a member of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, a farmer-led trade association with offices in St. Louis and Washington.
Gangwish raises corn, seed corn and soybeans on a fully irrigated farm in central and north-central Nebraska with her husband Paul, son Trace, son-in-law Dalton, and a great team of a few dozen employees. In addition to traditional farming and ranching activities, she and her family run a custom harvest seed operation and a small trucking company.
On the national level, Gangwish serves on the Finance Committee and as NCGA's 2025 co-chair on the Commodity Classic Management Committee.
Previously, she served as the board liaison to the Sustainable Ag Research, Stewardship and Freedom to Operate Action Teams, on the Governance Committee, and the association's liaison to the BNSF Railway Ag Business Council, the North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance and the Syngenta Advisory Council for Enogen.
Before election to the Corn Board, she served on NCGA's Freedom to Operate Action Team and Climate Change Task Force.
A CommonGround Volunteer, Gangwish serves as a director on the board of Nebraska Corn Growers Association.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Resolutions Committee
- Vice Chair
Job Titles:
- Member of the Resolutions Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Commodity Classic Management Committee
- Liaison
Job Titles:
- Director, Member Insight and Engagement
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Resolutions Committee
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Finance Committee
- President / Madelia, Minnesota
Harold Wolle, of Madelia, Minn., serves as president of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, a farmer-led trade association with offices in St. Louis and Washington.
Wolle has transitioned his farm to his son, Matt, who rents the tillable ground of his 1,800 acres. On this ground, Matt raises corn and soybeans. Wolle also has 200 acres enrolled in the CRP program.
As NCGA President, he also serves as president of the National Corn Growers Association Foundation, as an executive committee member of NCGA's Allied Industry Council, and as the association's delegate to the U.S. Grains Council. He is a member of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Ag Advisory Committee and serves as the liaison to the Agriculture Markets Advisory Council and the Renewable Fuels Association.
Wolle previously served as the first vice president of NCGA, the NCGA Foundation and the Finance Committee. He also served as the Corn Board liaison to the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Advisory Board and the Congressional Sportsman's Caucus.
He has also served as the board liaison to the Risk Management and Transportation Action Team, and the National Coalition for Food and Agriculture Research. Prior to joining the Corn Board, he served on NCGA's Risk Management Action Team and NASCAR Advisory Committee.
At the state level, Wolle is a past president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and past chairman of the Watonwan Farm Service/Central Farm Service Coop Board as well as the Corn Plus Coop Board.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Member of the Nominating Committee
- Corn Board Member Ferdinand, Indiana
J.R. Roesner, of Ferdinand, Indiana serves as a member of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, a farmer-led trade association with offices in St. Louis and Washington.
Roesner currently farms with his brother in six counties in southwest Indiana. Together, they raise corn, soybeans and wheat as well as operate an excavating and tile installation business.
On the national level, Roesner serves on NCGA's Governance Committee. Additionally, he serves as the board liaison to the Climate Smart Ag Alliance, North America.
At the state level, he serves as vice president of the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and in various roles as a leader in his community.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Corn Board Member / Washington Court House, Ohio
- Liaison
Jed Bower, of Washington Court House, Ohio, serves as a member of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, a farmer-led trade association with offices in St. Louis and Washington.
Bower raises corn and soybeans with his wife, Emily and children, Ethan and Emma, on their fifth-generation family farm in south-central Ohio.
Bower serves as board liaison to the Production and Technology Access Action Team and the National Pork Producers Council. He previously served as liaison to the Waterways Council, Inc.
Previously, he served as board liaison to the Member and Consumer Engagement Action Team. Prior to his election to the board, he served as vice chair of NCGA's Market Development Action Team, a Sustainability Advisory Group member, and a Nominating Committee member.
At the state level, Bower served as past president of the Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association, and as a co-chair of Corn Vision 20/20.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Membership Operations
Job Titles:
- Manager, IT and Facilities
Job Titles:
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Vice President, Market Development
Job Titles:
- Member of the Resolutions Committee
- Vice Chair
Job Titles:
- Member of the Resolutions Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Resolutions Committee
- Vice Chair
Job Titles:
- Director, Renewable Fuels
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Member of the Nominating Committee
- Corporate Secretary, NCGA Staff
Job Titles:
- Member of the Resolutions Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Corn Board Member Delaware, Ohio
- Liaison
- President of the Ohio Corn
Kelly Harsh, of Delaware, Ohio, serves as a member of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, a farmer-led trade association with offices in St. Louis and Washington.
A Certified Public Accountant and crop insurance agent, Harsh farms with her husband, Glenn, and three sons.
Harsh serves as the board liaison to the Stewardship Action Team and on the Finance Committee.
Previously, she served as board liaison to the Risk Management and Transportation Action Team.
At the state level, Harsh serves as president of the Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board
- Corn Board Member / Primghar, Iowa
Kelly Nieuwenhuis of Primghar, Iowa, serves as a member of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, a farmer-led trade association with offices in St. Louis and Washington.
Nieuwenhuis is a third-generation family farmer in northwest Iowa, where he grows corn and soybeans in cooperation with his two brothers, operates a Channel seed dealership and finishes about 10,000 hogs per year in partnership with his neighbors. He and his wife, Luanne, have four adult children.
At the national level, Nieuwenhuis previously chaired the Ethanol Action Team. He was recognized for his contributions to biofuels with the America's Fuel Award from Growth Energy in 2023.
At the state level, Nieuwenhuis is a past president of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. He has also served on the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Board since his appointment in 2016 and is a past president of the Siouxland Energy Cooperative Board of Directors, a farmer-owned ethanol producer.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Treasurer
- Member of the Resolutions Committee
- Washington Office Operations Director
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Finance Committee
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Commodity Classic Management Committee
- Co - Chair Classic 2023
- First Vice President / Waterloo, Illinois
Kenneth Hartman, of Waterloo, Illinois., serves as first vice president of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, a farmer-led trade association with offices in St. Louis and Washington.
Hartman is a fifth-generation farmer who operates a grain farm along with his wife, Anita, mother, Joann, and daughter, Amanda. Together, they have also raised specialty crops such as tofu soybeans and white corn, while acting as early adopters of precision farming technologies. He has two daughters working off the farm: Alexis, a financial analyst with Waste Management, and Ashley, a marketing development program representative for John Deere.
As NCGA first vice president, he serves as the first vice president of the National Corn Growers Association Foundation and on the Finance Committee. Hartman also serves as the Corn Board liaison to the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Advisory Board and the Congressional Sportsman's Caucus. He was co-chair of the 2023 Commodity Classic Committee.
Hartman was honored by Prairie Farmer magazine with the Master Farmer award in 2021 for his exceptional agricultural production skills as well as his commitment to family and service.
Previously, he chaired the Finance Committee, served as the board liaison to the Ethanol, Member and Consumer Engagement, Corn Productivity and Quality, and Stewardship Action Teams, and served on its Governance Team. He has served as the association's representative on the Waterways Council, Inc. and on the National Agricultural Genotyping Center Board of Directors and as the alternate delegate representing NCGA to 25 x '25.
Prior to joining the Corn Board, he served as chairman of the Market Access Action Team, vice chairman of the Public Policy Action Team and as a member of the Biotechnology Working Group and Research and Business Development Action Team. He is also a past member of the U.S. Grains Council Executive Committee.
At the state level, Hartman is a past president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association and past chairman of the Illinois Corn Marketing Board. He is a member of the Illinois Leadership Council for Ag Education. He also previously served as a member of the Corn Vision 2020 Steering Committee and chairman of Corn Vision 2020's Production and Environment Committee.
Job Titles:
- Director, Investor Relations and Communications
Job Titles:
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Director, Accounting HR and Administration / Production and Sustainability
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Corn Board Member Applegate, Michigan
Matthew Frostic, of Applegate, Michigan, serves as a member of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, a farmer-led trade association with offices in St. Louis and Washington.
Job Titles:
- Director, Public Policy, Renewable Fuels
Job Titles:
- Manager, Market Development
Job Titles:
- Member of the Resolutions Committee
- Vice Chair
Job Titles:
- Member of the Resolutions Committee
- Vice Chair
Job Titles:
- Manager, Association and Membership Services
Job Titles:
- Director of Public Policy, Trade and Biotechnology
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Commodity Classic Management Committee
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Job Titles:
- Director, Stewardship and Sustainability
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Corn Board Member / Woodhull, Illinois
- Liaison
Randy DeSutter of Woodhull, Illinois, serves as a member of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, a farmer-led trade association with offices in St. Louis and Washington, D.C.
DeSutter operates a grain farm in its fourth generation along with his son Matthew, brother Jim and nephew Drew. Having operated continuously using no-till for nearly 30 years, they also use conservation practices such as filter strips, grassed waterways, variable rate fertilizer and cover crops. For the first 15 years of his farming career, he also finished cattle and hogs.
On the national level, DeSutter serves as Corn Board Liaison to the Market Development Action Team and the National Coalition for Food and Agriculture Research and the Waterways Council, Inc.
Previously, he served on the Governance Committee and chaired the Sustainable Ag Research Action Team. He has also served, as vice chair of the Corn Productivity and Quality Action Team, the Research and Development Action Team, and on the Resolutions and Bylaws Committees. He has also served as president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association and Illinois Council on Best Management Practices as well as a delegate to the U.S. Grains Council.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Resolutions Committee
- Vice Chair
Job Titles:
- Member of the Resolutions Committee
- Vice Chair
Job Titles:
- Member of the Commodity Classic Management Committee
- Manager, Meetings and Events
Job Titles:
- Interim Lead, Production and Sustainability Director, Research and Productivity
Job Titles:
- Member of the Resolutions Committee
Job Titles:
- Director, Market Development
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board
- Chairman / Eden Valley, Minnesota
Tom Haag of Eden Valley, Minnesota, serves as the chairman of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, a farmer-led trade association with offices in St. Louis and Washington, D.C.
Haag is a fourth-generation family farmer in south-central Minnesota. Along with his son, Nathan, he grows about 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans. Haag and his wife, Linda, have two sons, Nathan and Lucas, as well as five grandchildren.
As NCGA Chairman, Haag also chairs the Nominating Committee, the National Corn Growers Association Foundation and co-chairs the Agri-Industry Council Executive Committee. In addition to serving on the Governance Committee, he serves as the association's liaison to the Bayer Grower Advisory Committee and Growth Energy.
Haag previously served as president of NCGA, an executive committee member of NCGA's Allied Industry Council, as the association's delegate to the U.S. Grains Council and served as the association's liaison to the Agriculture Markets Advisory Council and the Renewable Fuels Association.
He has also chaired the Governance Committee, served on the Finance Committee and as board liaison to the Consumer Engagement Action Team, the Ethanol Action Team, the Market Development Action Team, the BNSF Railway Ag Business Council and the American Coalition for Ethanol. Prior to his service on the board, Haag chaired the Consumer Engagement Action Team.
A graduate of NCGA's Advanced Leadership program, he chaired NCGA's Grower Services Action Team. He served on the Research and Business Development Action Team prior to his election to the Corn Board.
Haag is a past president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and previously served as an appointee to the Minnesota Trade Advisory Council at the state level.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board
- Corn Board Member / Cope, Colorado
Troy Schneider of Cope, Colorado, serves as a member of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, a farmer-led trade association with offices in St. Louis and Washington.
Schneider is a farmer in east-central Colorado. Along with his parents and his wife, Kristen, and son, Allen, he operates nearly 4,000 acres with row crops including irrigated corn and alfalfa as well as dryland wheat, corn and hay millet. In addition to row crops, the Schneider family operates a cow-calf operation. He also has two sons in college at West Texas A&M: Tyler, who is pursuing a degree in plant science, and Tyson, who is pursuing a degree in agriculture business.
At the national level, Schneider served on the Market Development Action Team, serving as chair for two of his four years. He is also a former member of NCGA's Corn Sustainability Advisory group.
At the state level, Schneider is a past president of the Colorado Corn Promotion Council.
Job Titles:
- Director, Public Policy for Risk Management and Tax