Noe Selected to Lead Corn Refiners Association
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Corn Refiners Association Board of Directors has chosen Paul Noe (no-ee), an experienced Washington advocate with strong regulatory and legislative expertise, as the organization’s next President and CEO. Noe succeeds John Bode, who earlier this year announced his retirement after 13 years at the helm of the organization. Sterling Martin, a ZRG Company, was proud to support the search.
“Paul’s diverse experience and strategic mindset will make him an outstanding leader for the CRA team and a strong champion for America’s corn refining industry,” said CRA Board Chair and Primient CEO Jim Stutelberg. “America’s food and agriculture sectors are a source of great competitive advantage for the U.S., and our industry is poised to continue to lead the way in providing market demand for farmers, creating critical new jobs in rural communities, and protecting American national security. Paul’s leadership will be critical for CRA to build on a strong foundation of advocacy to remain a vital part of the important conversations happening in Washington and everywhere else our issues are on the agenda.”
Noe brings decades of experience in complex legal, regulatory, and political issues to CRA, the leading voice for the American corn refining industry and a champion for strong, science-based public policy. He has spent the last 20 years in senior roles shaping public policy and regulatory strategy for the American Forest & Paper Association and the former Grocery Manufacturers Association (now known as the Consumer Brands Association).
An experienced leader in the White House and on Capitol Hill, Noe served as counselor at the White House Office of Management and Budget during the George W. Bush Administration, as well as a senior counsel for three different chairmen of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee.
Noe also worked in private practice, providing legal and policy advocacy for environmental, regulatory, and other issues for clients.
“My career has been shaped by the opportunity to work with exceptional colleagues to advance important policy issues, and I am thrilled to begin this next chapter with the CRA team to help an essential American industry that touches the lives of countless producers and consumers every day,” said Noe. “For more than a century, CRA has championed science- and risk-based policies, and that work is as important now as it has ever been. The organization’s vision of a world improved by corn products will require continued American leadership in developing sensible laws and regulations for the century ahead.”
Noe is a proud father of three children and resides with his wife, Wendy, in Arlington, Va.
Noe will join CRA Oct. 1. He will assume full leadership of the organization ahead of Bode’s retirement effective Jan. 31, 2027.
“The leadership role John has played in building CRA into a respected voice in American food and agriculture cannot be overstated, and his counsel and wisdom will be missed by a grateful coalition of industry groups John has worked closely with during his time at CRA,” added Stutelberg. “His guidance of CRA for the last 13 years has left the organization in a strong position to shape the future of food and agriculture policy, and we wish him nothing but the best as he moves forward in his next phase of life.”
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.