Since October 2018, Geoff Cooper is President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), the leading trade association for America’s ethanol industry. Collectively representing the majority of U.S. ethanol industry leaders and supporters, RFA is working to drive expanded demand for American-made renewable fuels and bio-products worldwide.
Previously he served as RFA Executive Vice President, where in addition to overseeing market analysis and policy research, he provided regulatory support and strategic planning for the association and its members. Geoff has also focused on issues related to lifecycle analysis, sustainability and ethanol co-products.
He has served as an appointed member of the California Air Resources Board’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard Program Advisory Panel, as well as the Oregon Clean Fuels Program Rulemaking Advisory Committee. Geoff was also appointed to the Midwest Governors Association’s (MGA) Advanced Transportation Fuels Advisory Group, as well as MGA’s Low Carbon Fuels Policy Advisory Group. He also serves on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Agricultural Advisory Committee and was named to the U.N. Expert Roundtable on Biofuels & Food by the Commissioner for Human Rights. He has testified on behalf of RFA before state and federal legislative and regulatory bodies.
Geoff has discussed ethanol, energy, and agricultural issues on CNBC, Fox News, Fox Business News, and National Public Radio, and has been quoted by the Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and numerous other print and online media outlets. He received the ethanol industry’s prestigious “High Octane Award” in 2017, and has twice been selected as one of “Top 100 People in the Bioeconomy” by the readers of Biofuels Digest.
Prior to joining RFA, Geoff served as Director of Ethanol Programs for the National Corn Growers Association. In this role, he led research and promotional efforts to increase the production and use of corn-based ethanol. Previously, Geoff served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, specializing in bulk petroleum supply and logistics. A Wyoming native, Geoff graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. He earned his master’s degree at Webster University in St. Louis.