The National Grocers Association has named a new chief operating officer as part of three senior staff executive promotions that the trade group announced Wednesday.
The trade group promoted Jonathan Downey, who has been with NGA since 2020, to chief operating officer and senior vice president. In those roles, he will lead membership growth, events, administration and business development, according to the announcement.
Downey was previously NGA’s senior vice president of membership and industry relations and, before joining NGA, worked at Consumer Brands Association, a trade association representing consumer package goods companies, for 14 years, according to his LinkedIn profile.
NGA also named Christopher Jones, who has been with NGA for six years, as its new chief government relations officer and counsel as well as a senior vice president. Jones, who served previously as senior vice president of government relations and counsel, will now oversee the organization’s government relations, legal and political operations, per the announcement. Before his roles at NGA, Jones worked at the U.S. House of Representatives and, from July 2014 to February 2015, had a separate stint at NGA serving as its senior manager of government relations, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Ten-year NGA veteran Laura Strange was named NGA’s chief communications and engagement officer as well as senior vice president. In her new role, Strange will lead internal departments responsible for all press and public affairs engagement, member communications and marketing as well as member engagement and retention. She will also oversee multiple NGA member programs, including its Creative Choice Awards program and Best Bagger competition.
Like Jones, Strange joined NGA from the U.S. House of Representatives where she served as the communications director for the office of Rep. Bob Latta of Ohio. Strange has held numerous roles at NGA over the last decade, including vice president of industry relations, communications and marketing, and most recently, senior vice president of communications and external affairs, per her LinkedIn profile.
