SAN ANTONIO, TX – During their 2022 Annual Meeting, CropLife America (CLA), the national association representing the manufacturers and distributors of pesticides, elected Andy Lee, president and CEO, Valent North America, as its newest chair of the CLA Board of Directors. Lee will hold the position for two years and use his diverse background to help guide the association. Andy succeeds Paul Rea of BASF Corporation who led the board from 2020 - 2022.

“Andy’s expertise and commitment to sustainability make him an ideal leader to help us navigate the completion of our strategic plan and I look forward to working with him as he steps into the role of board chair,” said Chris Novak, CropLife America president and CEO. “Agriculture faces many challenges, including a changing climate that contributes to more pests and diseases as well as extreme weather events that can be detrimental to food production. As we look ahead, we know that our industry will need to pass and implement new laws to speed pesticide registrations (PRIA), find solutions for protecting endangered species, and work with our agricultural friends and allies to develop and implement climate-smart agricultural solutions. Andy has a vision for how our industry can unite on these challenging topics, so I look forward to working side-by-side with him as we tackle these issues.”

Novak continued, “I would also like to thank Paul Rea for his work over the last two years. Under Paul’s leadership, we pushed the boundaries in seeking additional dollars for EPA, developed new tools our members could use to address Endangered Species Act needs, all while managing our organization through a pandemic and an office move. I am grateful for his leadership and support.”

“I’m honored to take over as the new chair of the CLA Board of Directors,” said Lee. “Our work as an industry has never been more critical and I’m eager to collaborate actively with Chris, the CLA staff, and all our members. We should speak with a single voice to communicate our essential contribution to agriculture – as a vital link in the chain that delivers innovative, sustainable solutions into farmers’ hands and onto their fields. Our industry depends on a well-funded and staffed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that enables us to provide safe, effective products to advance sustainable agriculture and help feed America and the world.” 

Lee is the president and CEO of Valent North America. He previously served as president and CEO of Valent U.S.A. and Valent BioSciences. Lee started his career working for American Cyanamid in various functional roles, including European technical director and European commercial director, based in Belgium. Prior to joining Valent U.S.A., Lee was chief executive officer of Sipcam Agro USA, Inc., and ADVAN, LLC. Previously, he spent nine years at BASF Corporation in senior global marketing roles, and as operations director of the U.S. Crop Protection business.