Washington, D.C. – The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) is pleased to announce the hiring of Spencer Chase as its new Senior Director of Communications. Chase will lead the external communications and media relations efforts for CRA and the Plant Based Products Council (PBPC), elevating the profile of both organizations through strategic and coordinated efforts that highlight the knowledge and advocacy of CRA and PBPC staff experts.
“Spencer brings a wealth of knowledge about the critical intersection of agriculture and journalism, and we look forward to putting that expertise to work for CRA,” said John Bode, CEO of CRA. “After working with Spencer in his previous role as a journalist for many years, we are confident he will help us grow our outreach and expand the breadth and depth of CRA’s influence.”
“We’re excited to welcome Spencer to the PBPC team and put his talents to work to grow the advanced bioproducts industry,” said PBPC Executive Director James Glueck. “Spencer’s efforts will be critical in driving awareness of our industry and the work of the PBPC, including events like our upcoming conference.”
Chase comes to CRA from Agri-Pulse Communications, where he worked as an agricultural journalist for nearly a decade. At Agri-Pulse, Chase rose to be the company’s Managing Editor, where he helped direct the coverage of the farm policy newsroom. Chase was a recognized voice in Agri-Pulse’s coverage, anchoring the weekly Newsmakers video broadcast and daily DriveTime podcast.
In addition to his role at Agri-Pulse, Chase was an active leader in the National Association of Farm Broadcasting, including serving as the organization’s president in 2022. Chase’s award-winning coverage was recognized by NAFB with the organization’s 2020 Doan Award, which was awarded for his role in the Deep Dive on Dairy podcast. Chase was also the recipient of NAFB’s 2017 Horizon Award, which is given to rising professionals in the farm broadcasting industry.
Chase is a proud graduate of South Dakota State University, where he was actively involved in FarmHouse Fraternity, student government, the campus newspaper, and a student coach on the Jackrabbit football team. He grew up on his family’s diversified crop and livestock farm in eastern South Dakota.
