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William G. Lapp
Principal, Advanced Economic Solutions
Lapp has over 25 years of experience in analyzing and forecasting economic conditions and commodity markets. In 2005 he formed Advanced Economic Solutions, and prior to that was the Vice President of Economic Research for ConAgra Foods.
Advanced Economic Solutions is dedicated to providing high quality economic and commodity analysis to agri-business and food companies. Advanced Economic Solutions provides forecasts and analysis for procurement, investment and risk management decisions, in order to help these companies in their decision-making processes and strategic thinking.
Lapp has experience in providing comprehensive economic analysis of grain, livestock, and dairy markets. He has extensive experience in forecasting market conditions from a risk management perspective, as well as providing strategic direction and insights for a broad cross-section of food industries.
Lapp recently became a director of the Kansas City Board of Trade. He also serves on the board of the Farm Foundation and the Kansas City Federal Reserve Board's Center for the Study of Rural America. Lapp is a member of USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Advisory Board, the Omaha Chamber of Commerce Ag committee, and participates on the Harvard Business Industrial Economists' Round-Table.
Lapp grew up on a dairy-hog farm in northern Illinois. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Math and Computer Science from Southern Illinois University, and a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University.
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Peter Lopoukhine
Director - Structured Trade Finance, Lloyds Bank TSB
Lopoukhine is currently the head of Lloyds TSB's Commodities Finance for North America. Prior to joining Lloyds in April 2008, Lopoukhine was part of SG's Commodities Finance and Energy and Natural Resources team NY, targeting the North American agricultural and biofuel industries arranging working capital finance and project finance structures.
Lopoukhine also has over 10 years experience in structured trade and export finance and has focused on natural resource markets, including oil and gas, and coal, in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Russia and former Soviet Union.
Lopoukhine has an undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts and an MBA from Fordham University.
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Darius W. Gaskins, Jr.
Partner, Norbridge, Inc.
Former President, Burlington Northern Railroad
Gaskins, a Partner at Norbridge, Inc., provides senior counsel on regulatory and public policy issues in the transportation and energy industries.
Gaskins has had a distinguished career in industry, government, and academia:
- Visiting Professor, Center for Business and Government, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 1989 to 1991
- President and Chief Executive Officer, Burlington Northern Railroad, 1985 to 1989; Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales, Burlington Northern Railroad, 1982 to 1985
- Senior Vice President, Natomas North America, 1981 to 1982
- Chairman, Interstate Commerce Commission, 1980 to 1981
Gaskins holds a Ph.D in economics and Masters in Engineering from the University of Michigan, and a B.S. from the United States Military Academy (distinguished graduate).
He is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors for Sapient Corporation and Chairman of the Energy Policy Research Foundation, Inc. (EPRINC). Gaskins is a former Director for the following companies: Anacomp, Inc.; Burlington Northern Inc.; Eagle-Picher Industries, Inc.; Leaseway Transportation Corporation; MidSouth Corporation; Northwestern Steel and Wire Company; and UNR Industries, Inc. Gaskins is also a past Chairman of Resources for the Future, a non-profit environmental policy group based in Washington, DC.
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David Lehman
Director, Commodity Research and Product Development, the CME Group
Lehman is a Director in the Research and Product Development Department of CME Group. Lehman is responsible for managing new product research and development and contract maintenance for the commodity sector. Prior to joining CME Group, Lehman was Managing Director and Chief Economist at the Chicago Board of Trade from 2005-2007, with responsibility for commodity research, new product development and contract maintenance. From 2003-2005, Lehman was Managing Director of Commodities at CBOT, with responsibility for new product research and development and marketing and education for commodities. Lehman held various research and marketing positions at the CBOT from 1989 - 2002, and held the position of Industry Economist at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission from 1986-1989. He received bachelors and master's degrees in agricultural and resource economics from the University of Maryland in 1983 and 1985, respectively.
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David Lyons
Vice President, Louis Dreyfus Commodities
Lyons is Vice President for Government Relations for Louis Dreyfus Commodities. Louis Dreyfus is a global merchandiser of agricultural and energy commodities with operations in more than 50 countries. In this position for Louis Dreyfus, Lyons is responsible for representing the company's interests with all levels of government including the various Executive Branch Departments and Agencies, the Congress and foreign embassies. He has held this position since December 1988.
Lyons has served in leadership positions in numerous agriculture trade associations. In 2007, Dave served as Chairman of the Commodity Markets Council (CMC), a trade association representing all of the US futures exchanges and the users of the futures exchanges including major commodity trading and handling firms. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the National Grain and Feed Association, the major association representing the US grain handling and merchandising industry, and the Board of Directors of the US Grains Council, the market developments group for the US feed gains industry. Lyons has also served on the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Advisory Committee on Emerging Markets and the USDA Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee (ATAC) for Grains and Oilseeds.
From 1985 until joining Louis Dreyfus, Lyons served in several positions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
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Randall D. Jones
Deputy Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration
Jones became the new deputy administrator of the Agency's Federal Grain Inspection Service on July 20, 2008. Prior to joining GIPSA, Jones served as associate deputy administrator of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock and Seed Program.
During his tenure, he oversaw research and promotion programs for beef, pork, lamb and soybeans; livestock and grain market reporting; domestic and foreign seed trade activities and quality management programs to market seed and meat products domestically and internationally. He also was directly involved in the development and implementation of a new research and promotion program for sorghum.
During his 7 years of service with the Agricultural Marketing Service, Jones contributed directly to the effective marketing of meat and seed products, primarily through the implementation of programs that would enhance trade with domestic and foreign markets.
Since September 2001, he oversaw the implementation of quality management systems and development of three accreditation programs for seed, providing uniformity of procedures and methodology and thereby enhancing seed commerce across the globe. He was also involved in the recent development of an agreement with Canada that facilitated the direct marketing of U.S. seed upon import, saving U.S. seed producers and exporters thousands of dollars a year in seed testing and exporting costs. Further, his oversight of OECD Seed Schemes activities has enhanced U.S. seed movement in international seed trade.
Jones is a native of Grayson County in southwest Virginia, where he grew up on a beef cattle and dairy farm. He received his Bachelor of Science from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA.
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John Skelley
General Manager, Pinal Energy, LLC
Skelley is General Manager of Pinal Energy LLC, a privately held company, and the first ethanol production facility to be built in Arizona. The facility began production in August, 2007. The plant plays an important role in improving Arizona's air quality, provides 45 jobs for the Maricopa area and, most importantly, makes a local source of ethanol available.
Prior to managing Pinal Energy, Skelley was President of Arizona Grain, Inc. in Casa Grande, Arizona from 1984 to 2006. Skelley holds a Masters of International Management from Thunderbird Graduate School in Glendale, AZ and a B.S. Degree in business marketing from Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
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