2025 Board of Directors Election
This year's election will be held to fill the office of President-Elect. Individual Cereal & Grains Association members will receive an electronic ballot to cast their vote.
Voting is open October 1–16, 2025 (midnight CDT). Elected officials will be installed at the
2025 Cereals & Grains - Chemistry, Quality, and Technology Conference, and will take office on November 14.
Note: if you didn't receive your email ballot, it may have been caught in your server's spam filters. Check Clutter, Junk, Quarantine, etc., and ask your IT department whether it got caught in server firewalls. You can check
Survey Monkey's Help page for IPs and domains your IT department can whitelist to ensure you receive it.
Questions? Contact
Cereals & Grains headquarters with ballot inquires.
Meet Your Candidate
President-Elect (to serve as President 2026–2027)
Lindsey Thies
General Mills
Briefly describe your experience in leadership and professional service, including your volunteer work with Cereals & Grains Association:
I am an accomplished grain science leader with a track record in research, product innovation, and business strategy at Grupo Bimbo and General Mills. I’ve led multidisciplinary teams to develop and optimize grain-based products, drive technical advancements, and foster cross-sector collaboration. Since joining the Cereals & Grains Association as a student in 2010, I have demonstrated deep commitment to advancing our field. My engagement accelerated in 2019 as a board member of the Milling & Baking Division, where I championed industry partnerships, mentored incoming chairs, and helped shape division strategy—including supporting the ASB partnership for the Spring Technical Conference. I have also contributed to planning impactful annual conferences and expanding member engagement. Beyond my technical expertise, I’ve built a robust global network across food and agriculture, collaborating with industry, academia, and professional organizations to deliver innovative solutions and mentor emerging scientists. Through these roles, I am dedicated to championing collaboration, innovation, and excellence as President of the Cereals & Grains Association.
Describe your vision and leadership and how it will help achieve the Cereals & Grains Association vision and current strategic goals:
My vision as President is to position the Cereals & Grains Association as the world leader in grain science research, grain-based food and ingredient analytics, and as a truly fun, welcoming organization. I will focus on elevating our organizational awareness and growing a dynamic, diverse membership that reflects the future of our field. Just as important, CGA is a community where we genuinely enjoy connecting with fellow grain science enthusiasts—there’s nothing quite like the energy, laughter, and shared passion that comes from gathering with other “grain science nerds” at our annual conference. That sense of belonging and fun is at the heart of what makes CGA special, and it’s a spirit I’m committed to fostering and expanding.
To bring this vision to life, we’ll implement a strategic marketing and recruitment plan anchored in building trust in the science behind cereals and grains. We’ll spotlight the AACCI Approved Methods of Analysis as the industry’s gold standard and promote the Laboratory Proficiency Rating Program (LPRP) as the benchmark for method utilization. Our campaigns will coordinate industry-wide messaging to reinforce credibility and unity, while also showcasing CGA’s role as the leading forum for sharing both basic and applied science. By actively seeking input from members and industry partners, we’ll ensure our methods, conference content, and programming address real needs and remain future-focused—supported by ongoing market research to keep CGA at the forefront of innovation.
At the same time, we’ll prioritize recruiting and engaging agriculture students (undergraduate and graduate) and new food industry professionals—those who will carry our mission forward. By partnering with universities and industry leaders, and strengthening our mentorship program, we’ll connect emerging talent with established experts, ensuring our membership and programming remain vibrant and relevant.
Our signature initiatives will include a global awareness campaign to highlight CGA’s leadership and member impact, targeted recruitment programs for students and early-career professionals, and new networking and mentorship opportunities to foster engagement and professional growth. All of this will be powered by our greatest strength: our volunteers. By mobilizing current members and industry professionals as ambassadors and champions, we’ll leverage their expertise and passion to extend our reach and welcome the next generation. As a volunteer-driven organization, CGA’s progress is built on the dedication and leadership of its members, and together we will amplify our collective impact.
By uniting world-class marketing with purposeful, member-driven recruitment, we will secure CGA’s legacy, expand our reach, and ensure our association remains the essential hub for innovation, collaboration, and scientific advancement in cereals and grains.
Biographical Statement
Lindsey Thies grew up in Manhattan, Kansas, where her early connection to Kansas State University and work in wheat breeding research with Dr. Allan Fritz sparked a lifelong curiosity for grain-based foods and the scientific process. Drawn to the intersection of science and industry, she pursued the Bakery Science and Cereal Chemistry undergraduate program at KSU, complemented by co-op internships with Pepperidge Farm and Grupo Bimbo. These formative experiences shaped Lindsey’s perspective on food and the grain industry, paving the way for her continued involvement with the Cereals & Grains Association.
Beginning her corporate career at Grupo Bimbo in 2016 and now serving as a Senior Scientist at General Mills, Lindsey has expanded her expertise in research, product innovation, and business strategy. She has led multidisciplinary teams to advance grain-based products across major brands, built a global network, mentored emerging scientists, and fostered collaboration between industry and academia.
Lindsey is committed to championing innovation and excellence as President of the association. Outside of grain science, she enjoys gardening—especially tending to her orchids—and training dogs, passions that reflect her curiosity, patience, and dedication both personally and professionally.
