MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, US —Julia Kloehn will serve as the interim executive director for the Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS), effective April 1.

She replaces Steve Records, who has led the organization since 2019. He is leaving at the end of March to lead a global engineering association.

Kloehn started with GEAPS in 2007 as manager of chapter services and is currently director of operations.

Kloehn’s roots are in agriculture. She grew up on a family farm in rural, central Minnesota and received degrees in English and psychology from the University of Minnesota, Morris.

“Julia has been the GEAPS backbone for more than a decade; she knows our history and understands our vision for the future,” said Barb Grove, chair of the GEAPS board.  “Julia is the epitome of our values — membership matters, inclusion matters, responsibility, intelligence, relationships, and agriculture matters. The GEAPS board of directors is confident that Julia will keep us focused and future thinking as we navigate the execution of a long-term plan.”

Chris Blair, president of the GEAPS board, said the board is confident in her abilities to lead the GEAPS staff and help during the transition.

“Julia’s understanding of GEAPS current operations, our history and the direction GEAPS is heading in the future will provide us a smooth transition,” he said. “We all look forward to Julia’s leadership to help navigate us during transition period as we work through a long-term plan and then executing it.”

GEAPS board of directors will continue to work on a transition plan for the long term. The board said it knows the selection of an executive director is one of its most important duties — and one that has lasting impact on the organization.