Kincannon & Reed Recruits CEO for the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
June 18, 2025 – Following a year-long, nationwide search Kincannon & Reed, which exclusively focuses on food, agribusiness, and the related life sciences, has placed Duane Simpson as president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC). He succeeds Chuck Conner, who has led the organization since 2009. Mr. Simpson will formally assume the role on July 14, 2025, coinciding with the opening of NCFC’s annual Washington Conference. David Turner, Carolyn Schubert, Jon Leafstedt, and Crystal Strauss led the assignment.
“Duane’s enthusiasm about the future of agriculture is just what NCFC needs in today’s climate of uncertainty and risks,” said Kevin Brinkley, chairman of NCFC and CEO of Plains Cotton Cooperative Association. “His leadership skills will help NCFC navigate the ever-changing terrain of government and markets, ensuring that it continues as one of the country’s most relevant and respected agricultural organizations.”
Mr. Simpson brings a wealth of experience over the last three decades of work in agricultural policy, industry relations, and organizational leadership. He has spent the last 17 years at Bayer, leading state and federal government relations, stakeholder affairs, sustainability, and product stewardship teams. Mr. Simpson is the current chairman of the Agriculture and Environment Section of the BIO board of directors and represents Bayer at CropLife America and the American Chemistry Council. Before Bayer, he was the chief operating officer of the Kansas Grain & Feed Association, where he represented agribusinesses, including farmer-owned co-ops, at the state and federal levels. Mr. Simpson also has almost a decade of policy and political experience in legislative leadership offices and in political campaigns.
“I am humbled and honored for the opportunity to lead NCFC and to work alongside the dedicated professionals throughout the cooperative family,” said Mr. Simpson. “NCFC’s mission, to advance the business and policy interests of America’s cooperatives and other farmer-owned enterprises, is as vital today as it was when NCFC was founded nearly a century ago. I look forward to building upon the strong legacy of advocacy for agriculture that Chuck Conner has established.”
Since 1929, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives has been the voice of America’s farmer cooperatives. Its members are regional and national farmer cooperatives, which in turn consist of nearly 2,000 local farmer cooperatives across the country. The majority of America’s 2 million farmers and ranchers belong to one or more farmer cooperatives. NCFC members also include 17 state and regional councils of cooperatives.
Founded in 1981, Kincannon & Reed serves clients throughout the world from locations in the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. The firm is based in Arlington, VA. Kincannon & Reed’s mission is: “We recruit leaders for organizations that feed the world and keep it healthy.”
Mr. Turner’s journey of leading global agribusiness operations has given him an understanding of what it takes to succeed in the food and agriculture industries. As a certified executive coach and seasoned search professional, he brings a combination of strategic insight and personal guidance. His experience, spanning PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Canadian agribusiness practice and international leadership at Cargill, allows him to identify and cultivate top talent capable of driving change. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.
Ms. Schubert brings nearly 20 years of experience in the recruitment of board members, CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, general counsel, and other senior-level executives across a broad range of industries. Her background includes leadership positions with Egon Zehnder International, serving their global board & CEO practice. She began her career with the law firm of Lord, Bissell & Brook, working in the international insurance practice group.
Related: Kincannon & Reed Fills Senior Operations Role for MPS Egg Farms
Mr. Leafstedt, managing partner, draws on his expertise in agriculture and biotechnology to help associations, cooperatives, and early-stage companies define their talent needs and recruit senior leadership. Passionate about connecting people with the right roles and organizations, he has led more than 200 searches in his tenure with Kincannon & Reed. Mr. Leafstedt is located in Des Moines, IA.
Ms. Strauss, who is based in Dallas, works on engagements at the board, C-suite, and VP level. Having spent the bulk of her career with boutique search firms, she is known for her ability to recruit across the functional areas of general management, technology, sales, marketing, finance, and human resources. Since joining Kincannon & Reed in 2011, Ms. Strauss has worked on assignments across the food value chain with an emphasis on produce, animal health and nutrition, and crop inputs.
Past Work
Kincannon & Reed recently placed Douglas Kaye as the new CEO of American Vanguard Corporation in Newport Beach, CA. Heinrich Gugger and Stephen Coffey spearheaded the search. Eric G. Wintemute concluded his position as CEO with American Vanguard this past summer. “We are excited to welcome Dak to American Vanguard,” said Scott Baskin, lead director of the board. “His appointment is the result of a comprehensive search process that attracted many outstanding candidates. We are pleased that Dak has agreed to join American Vanguard to spearhead the next phase of the company’s business transformation. We believe that Dak is the right executive to drive the company to achieve its transformation goal of generating an adjusted EBITDA margin of 15 percent and to strategically position the company for future growth.”
Mr. Kaye brings extensive experience to American Vanguard and is expected to lead the company into a new era of growth and innovation. For the past 13 years, he has served in a variety of senior leadership roles at Albaugh, LLC, a top ten global crop protection company. Mr. Kaye most recently held the role of president, North America, which is the largest region in the company.
Related: Kincannon & Reed Recruits President and CEO for CropLife America
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
