Michael Walter
Michael D. Walter
Walter is Senior Vice President of Economic and Commercial Affairs at ConAgra Foods, Inc. He manages and coordinates all State, Local and Federal Government Affairs. He reviews economic trends, issues and opportunities for the organization and participates in and provides oversight of joint ventures across ConAgra Foods. He is also a member of ConAgra Foods’ Risk Committee.
Walter joined ConAgra in 1989 as President of ConAgra Specialty Grain Products. Under his leadership, Specialty Grain Products grew from $10 million in revenues to a $550 million grain processing business with 39 facilities in eight countries. He went on to become ConAgra Foods’ Senior Vice President of Commodity Procurement where he successfully consolidated ConAgra’s purchasing power as well as developed new Risk Management metrics and systems.
Before joining ConAgra, Walter held several management positions with General Mills grain operations in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Prior to that, he managed a variety of trading activities for R.S. Wilson Company in Los Angeles, California and Central Soya in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Walter earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and Marketing from Eastern Illinois University. He served twice as chairman of the American Oat Association and was chairman of the Northwest Terminal Elevator Association. He is past president of the Minneapolis Grain Shippers Association, a member and current Director of the Chicago Board of Trade, a member of the Minneapolis Grain Exchange and director for C.T. Malt. He was a past Director of Swift Meat Company and Renewable Environmental Solutions.
Walter was involved in teaching graduate-level courses in risk management and derivative trading at Creighton University.