About Board of Managers

Mike McCranie is a fourth-generation farmer growing soybeans and corn in northeastern South Dakota. He farms with his wife, Monica, and their sons, Matthew and Mitchell. They incorporate sustainable practices that help improve the land. He plans to pass it to the next generation better than he received it. Mike is a United Soybean Board Director and serves on the Volume Action Team in the Export Work Group. He was previously a National Biodiesel Board Director, chairing their Research Committee, and South Dakota Soybean Research & Promotion Council Chair. Mike is a member of the American Soybean Association, South Dakota Corn Growers Association, South Dakota Farmers Union and South Dakota Farm Bureau Federation. He is active in his community and, along with many agriculture organizations, serves his local church. 

Alejandra Castillo is the President & CEO of the North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA). A senior executive with over 15 years of experience in global trade, she brings expertise in trade execution, stakeholder management, and trade policy. Alejandra worked at the U.S. Grains Council in Washington D.C., Singapore, and India, where she most recently opened the Council’s newest office in India and served as Regional Director for South Asia.

Alejandra also serves as volunteer President of the International Grain Trade Coalition (IGTC). Since 2019, she has supported the IGTC Working Group on Electronic Trading Documentation, serving as co-chair for the Industry Advisory Group (IAG).

Prior to the Council, Alejandra worked in trade execution with Cargill, focused on trade risk management and vessel and container logistics for cotton, grains, and oilseeds. A native of Nicaragua, she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in strategic management and organizational leadership, both from St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota.

DeLong is a grain, oilseed and feed trading professional with more than 14 years of experience in global agricultural markets. He currently serves as a Director and Senior Export Trader at The DeLong Co., Inc., a family-owned agribusiness, where he has built a career focused on origination, marketing and execution of products for diverse international destinations. His work involves close collaboration with producers, end users and supply-chain partners to deliver reliable, high-quality products to global customers. Austin brings a strong understanding of how U.S. agricultural products compete internationally, along with a practical, market-driven perspective on value creation, sustainability and long-term demand growth. He serves as Co-Chair of USSEC’s Sustainability & Market Access Strategic Utilization Team. 

Bobby Ewalt is a Senior Director of Trading Soy Meal and Crush North America for Bunge with strong connectivity to the global oilseed market. Over the past 19 years, he has worked in various roles throughout the North American soybean and canola oilseed processing divisions. Bobby has served as Co-Chair for USSEC’s Sustainability & Market Access and Animal & Aquaculture Strategic Utilization Teams. He is also a National Oilseed Processors Association Director. As the North American crushing industry grows and the need for global export market access increases, Bobby’s goal is to take an even more active role in the development of these markets. He and his wife live in St. Louis, Missouri.

Dr. Berit Foss serves as Vice President, Feed and Sustainability at the National Grain and Feed Association. Dr Foss has been an active member in the industry where she has developed and implemented sustainability programming, regulatory compliance strategies, and industry collaboration initiatives. She prides herself on growing food safety culture, bringing people together to solve problems, and driving progress forward. Dr Foss holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of South Dakota and a BS in Biochemistry from Baylor University. She has authored multiple research publications and has been recognised for her work in regulatory compliance and feed safety programs.

Ryan Locke serves as Vice President of Engagement at the National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA), where he shapes the organization’s work with key stakeholders, member companies, and policymakers across the oilseed value chain.
Ryan’s work is deeply focused on state-level policy development, particularly in advancing biofuels programs such as low-carbon fuel standards and other market-based frameworks that drive demand for domestically produced, oilseed-based feedstocks. He also plays a leading role in nutrition and food policy, helping advance science-based approaches that recognize the value of oilseed-derived products in supporting food security and public health.

Ryan brings a unique perspective through his direct involvement in production agriculture. As a Nebraska farmer, he understands firsthand the operational realities facing producers and applies that experience to inform policy development and stakeholder engagement. He holds a B.S. degree in Animal Science from Texas A&M University.

Roberta Simpson-Dolbeare farms with her husband, Eric, and son-in-law, Drew Simonsen in western Illinois. She also owns a small retail store, Brookside Marketplace. Roberta earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism/mass communications from Iowa State University, and she is a graduate of the Illinois Ag Leadership Foundation. Roberta is an American Soybean Association Director, serving on the Trade Policy & International Affairs Committee and an Illinois representative on the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) Committee. She is involved with the Pike and Calhoun County Farm Bureaus, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and is past chair of her local school and hospital boards. Roberta and Eric have two children and four grandchildren. 

Jim Sutter serves as the CEO of the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) – the international marketing arm of U.S Soy.

With a rich commercial background in the food and agriculture sector, following leadership roles in Cargill’s global grains and oilseeds business, Jim plays a key role in defining and driving USSEC’s vision for U.S. Soy as a trusted, sustainable source of nutrition and energy worldwide.

Jim leads a global team focused on differentiating, elevating preference and enabling market access to U.S. Soy for human consumption, aquaculture and livestock feed in 90+ countries internationally.

In addition, he actively collaborates with USSEC’s 100+ members who represent the soy value chain including U.S. Soy farmers, processors, commodity shippers, merchandisers, and food and agriculture organizations.

Jim is a global citizen, having built and led teams in Europe, S.E. Asia, and the U.S. He was raised on his family’s crop and cattle farm in Colorado, U.S.A.

He is a glass-half-full optimist, a half-marathoner, and has a passion for a brighter future for all.