Leadership Renewed, Mission Sustained: The SEC’s Global Advisory Panel Charts the Path Ahead 

March 19, 2026 

At the Soy Excellence Center (SEC), momentum is not an accident. It is the result of deliberate investment in people, knowledge and the kind of governance that keeps a global program grounded in local realities while advancing a shared mission. Each year, the renewal of the Global Advisory Panel (GAP) is a visible expression of that commitment, bringing fresh energy, diverse perspectives and sustained accountability to the SEC’s work across five regions: the Americas, Asia, India, the Middle East and North Africa, and Nigeria. 

This year, at the annual SEC GAP meeting, the program welcomed a new class of leadership that will guide its next chapter, as well as said farewell to an outgoing Chair who helped shape one of its most consequential years. 

A Program Built to Matter 

For Brent Babb, Executive Director of the SEC, the strength of the program lies in what it is designed to do and who it is designed to serve. From early- to mid-career protein professionals in emerging markets to seasoned agribusiness leaders deepening their technical knowledge, the SEC exists to build capacity where it matters most. 

A Vision Renewed: Welcoming Incoming SEC Chair Anne Meis 

Earlier this year, new GAP leadership was elected, including Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and foundational investor members from Qualified State Soybean Boards (QSSBs) representing the full breadth of the U.S. soy industry. Anne Meis, representing the Nebraska Soybean Board, steps into the Chair role with a strong grounding in the soy value chain and a clear sense of what the SEC can deliver. 

Joining Anne in leadership roles are Gail Donkers of the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council as Vice Chair, Brent Swart of the Iowa Soybean Association as Secretary and Joel Schreurs of USSEC Allied as Treasurer. 

2026 SEC Global Advisory Panel 

Honoring Outgoing SEC Chair Mark Read 

With new leadership comes the opportunity to recognize those who came before. Mark Read, representing the Illinois Soybean Association, served as GAP Chair over the past year with steadiness, curiosity and a genuine commitment to the SEC’s mission. He championed the program’s role as a vehicle for meaningful development, asked the right questions of staff and partners, and helped the SEC navigate a pivotal period of growth. 

His contribution was not simply that of a director but of an engaged advocate who understood the human dimension of what the SEC is building. The program is stronger for his leadership, and that foundation carries forward into this new chapter. 
 
Other retiring members included Kyle Durham, Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council; Tony Hill, USSEC Director; John Litz, Tennessee Soybean Promotion Council; Randy Miller, USSEC Director; Adam Redmann, North Dakota Soybean Council; Derrick Scott, South Dakota Soybean; Joe Stoller, Indiana Soybean Alliance; and Reggie Strickland, USSEC Second Vice President.  

Stewardship at Scale: The Role of the SEC GAP 

The Global Advisory Panel is the connective network between U.S. soy’s investment and the global communities the SEC serves. Guided by a robust two-tiered governance model, including the GAP and the Regional Advisory Councils (RACs), the SEC program ensures its initiatives remain locally relevant and globally impactful. 

By fostering collaboration, knowledge-sharing and the free exchange of ideas, the SEC is strengthening local industries and contributing to the global food supply that nourishes the world. GAP members serve as responsible stewards of this model, accountable not only to the investors who make the program possible but to the thousands of professionals whose careers, communities and livelihoods are shaped by what they learn through SEC. 

That accountability is a privilege. And with each new GAP leadership and members, it is renewed. 

Continuing the Mission 

The Soy Excellence Center was built on a belief that knowledge coupled with pragmatic skills change lives. After Six years of training, that belief has been tested and confirmed across regions, industries and generations of protein professionals who have gone on to strengthen their organizations, mentor their peers and expand demand for sustainable U.S. Soy in their markets. 

The SEC’s mission, to equip the next generation of agribusiness leaders and protein professionals with the skills, networks and insights they need to advance the soy value chain, is as relevant today as it was at launch. And with a renewed GAP committed to being catalysts of learning, advocates for U.S. farmers, and stewards of a program that reaches across five regions and counting, that mission has never been in better hands. 

The world needs more protein professionals who understand not just the science of soy but its place in a complex, interdependent global food system. The SEC exists to develop them, and this new chapter of leadership exists to ensure it does.