The Iowa Biodiesel Board has chosen Grant Kimberley, Iowa Soybean Association director of market development, as its new executive director to fill the vacancy left by Randy Olson, who took a position with the U.S. Soybean Export Council earlier this year.

As executive director, Kimberley’s first official day on the job is March 18, National Biodiesel Day, which coincides with Rudolf Diesel’s birthday. In his new role, Kimberley will develop and implement strategic plans for the IBB, including critical policy efforts. His duties will include overseeing the day-to-day operation of the organization, and collaborating with the board for the future of the organization.

“Hiring Grant as the new executive director will create a seamless transition for the organization and for the Iowa biodiesel industry,” said Mark Cobb, a biodiesel producer and petroleum distributor who serves as IBB chair. “Grant is a biodiesel expert in his own right, engaging with the industry at the state and national level for more than a decade. His talents and expertise make him a perfect fit to lead us to the next chapter, and we’re lucky to have him.”

“Biodiesel has been a passion of mine for the last decade,” Kimberley said. “Since the early 2000s, I've seen tremendous growth and change in the biodiesel industry, hitting a record 1.8 billion gallons last year. I look forward to working more closely with all aspects of Iowa's thriving biodiesel industry, from the production of multiple feedstocks to the end user.”

Kimberley joined the ISA staff in 2000. In 2006, he led market development, overseeing the association’s domestic and international marketing programs that create demand for soybean and soybean products. He has helped design and implement biodiesel education and marketing programs for ISA in cooperation with IBB and the National Biodiesel Board and has been deeply involved with state and national biodiesel policy issues, including direct involvement in getting biodiesel approved as an advanced biofuel in the federal renewable fuel standard (RFS) program.

Kimberley graduated with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture business from Northwest Missouri State University, and also has a master’s degree in public administration from Drake University. Prior to joining ISA in 2000, he worked for Monsanto. He began farming in 1995 and became the sixth generation of his family to farm in the U.S.