ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, U.S. — CHS Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) designate Carl Casale announced on Dec. 14 his senior leadership team.

Casale, who becomes president and CEO of CHS on Jan. 3, 2011, will succeed current President and CEO John Johnson, who is retiring Dec. 31, 2010. The appointments to CHS senior leadership team are effective Jan. 3.

In announcing his leadership team, Casale said, "I look forward to working with this experienced and talented team of individuals who will help lead our company forward as we seek opportunities to add value for CHS stakeholders."

The following are the members of the CHS senior leadership team.

• Jay Debertin, executive vice-president and chief operating officer, Energy and Foods. Debertin, 50, will be responsible for refineries, pipelines, refined fuels sales, marketing and distribution, lubricants, propane and renewable fuels as well as vegetable oil-based foods through Ventura Foods, LLC. Debertin joined the company in 1984 in its Energy division and has held a variety of positions, serving most recently as executive vice-president and chief operating officer, Processing. Debertin currently serves as chairman of the board of the National Cooperative Refinery Association.
• Mark Palmquist, executive vice-president and chief operating officer, Ag Business. Palmquist, 53, will be responsible for all grain and processing related business units including crop nutrients, country operations, grain marketing, terminal operations, exports, logistics and transportation and international grain businesses. Palmquist will oversee oilseed processing operations and the company's Horizon Milling, LLC joint venture in wheat milling. He joined the company in 1979 as a grain merchandiser and has held a variety of positions in grain, currently serving as executive vice president and chief operating officer, Ag Business.
• Lynden Johnson, senior vice-president, Business Solutions. Johnson, 50, will assume responsibility for Business Solutions, with an emphasis on programs and products that support the success of member cooperatives and other agribusinesses, as well as producers. His responsibilities will include Business Solutions Consulting, along with subsidiaries Ag States Group, Country Hedging Inc., and Cofina Financial. Johnson was named vice-president of Business Solutions Consulting in 2008 and previously held the position of vice-president, Member Services since 2005.
• Pat Kluempke, executive vice-president, Corporate Services. Kluempke, 62, will be responsible for Corporate Services including human resources, information technology, marketing communications, community stewardship, governmental affairs, business risk control, building and office services, along with corporate board coordination, corporate planning and international relations. Kluempke joined the company in 1982 and began his career in grain trading and export marketing.
• David Kastelic, executive vice-president and chief financial officer. Kastelic, 55, will assume responsibility for finance, accounting and risk management. Most recently he served as senior vice-president and general counsel for CHS. He joined the CHS Legal Department in 1993 after 13 years in private practice and was named to his current position in 2000.
• Lisa Zell, senior vice-president and general counsel. Zell, 42, will serve as the company's senior vice-president and general counsel. She joined CHS in 1999 as a corporate attorney and has served as senior attorney since 2003. She has served as principal legal counsel since 2008.