Kanza Names Woodard Next CEO
Mar 22, 2023
IUKA, Kansas — The Board of Directors of the Kanza Cooperative Association has named Alan Woodard as its next Chief Executive Officer. The selection of a new CEO follows the retirement announcement of Bruce Krehbiel, who has served the cooperative for over 36 years.
“On behalf of the Kanza Board, it is my privilege to announce Alan Woodard as CEO. Alan is a proven leader and advocate for cooperatives. We look forward to collaborating with him to ensure the continued long-term success of our company. We are proud of our co-op’s past and extremely excited for what the future brings under Alan’s leadership,” said Alvin Neville, Board Chairman. “The Board of Directors would also like to express their deepest gratitude to Bruce Krehbiel for his leadership and service to Kanza Cooperative Association over the last 36 years. His loyalty and commitment to the cooperative principals is unmatched.”
Woodard has been the CEO of CoMark Equity Alliance (CEA) since 2017. Prior to that he had a long and successful career in banking and finance leadership, most recently with Farm Credit of Southern Colorado and CoBank. He is a graduate of Emporia State University.
“It is a tremendous honor to be selected as the next CEO of Kanza,” said Woodard. “Kanza has been serving farmers in central and southcentral Kansas for over 100 years. The opportunity to lead this cooperative following Bruce’s highly successful tenure is truly humbling. I look forward to working closely with the board, employees and members of the cooperative.”