The North American Renderers Association (NARA) is pleased to announce that Moises Huerta has joined the organization as Latin America Director. Based in Bogotá, Colombia, Huerta will spearhead NARA’s international market development efforts across Latin America, focusing on strengthening market access, expanding industry engagement, and advancing the utilization of NARA members' products.

In this role, Huerta will serve as NARA’s eyes, ears, and hands in the region — providing direct, in-region representation for NARA and its members. He will work closely with regulatory agencies and industry stakeholders to monitor market and policy developments, support science-based engagement to address technical barriers, and identify growth opportunities across the region. He will also support the implementation of NARA’s international marketing programs.

Huerta brings more than 15 years of experience in international agricultural trade and market development, including over a decade dedicated to promoting US agricultural exports across Latin America and the Caribbean. He most recently served as Regional Lead for the Americas Soy Excellence Center (SEC) at the US Soybean Export Council (USSEC), where he led a multi-country workforce training program reaching nearly 15,000 professionals from more than 1,000 companies across 13 countries. He designed and implemented a cost-sharing model in which companies and partners across Latin America contributed financially to program delivery, significantly expanding reach while reducing per-trainee costs for USSEC.

Earlier in his career, Huerta served for seven years with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service at the US Embassy in Colombia, where he led market access and regulatory engagement efforts in a market that today represents approximately $4.5 billion in US agricultural exports. His work contributed to resolving technical barriers, facilitating trade, and preserving tens of millions of dollars in U.S. exports under complex regulatory conditions. He also held roles with the Embassy of Peru in Washington, D.C., supporting trade promotion and market access for Peruvian food and agricultural exporters.

Born and raised in Peru, Huerta holds a master’s degree in applied economics and a bachelor’s degree in business management from Johns Hopkins University, along with executive training from Harvard University, Cornell University, and Georgetown University. He is fully bilingual in English and Spanish.

“Moises brings a rare combination of deep regional expertise, strong government and industry relationships, and a proven track record in advancing US agricultural exports. His experience navigating regulatory environments and developing impactful educational programs will be invaluable as NARA continues to expand its presence and influence across Latin America. We are thrilled to welcome him to the team.” said Kent Swisher, NARA’s president and CEO.

Huerta’s initial weeks with NARA will focus on full immersion into the industry and its priorities. He will begin in Chicago at NARA’s Annual Spring Meeting, where he will engage directly with renderers, traders, and allied industry leaders to better understand the issues shaping the sector. He will then travel to the East Coast for a hands-on introduction to rendering operations. Following this, Huerta will participate in meetings in Washington, D.C., with USDA and congressional offices to support NARA’s trade policy and market access priorities — including advocating for USMCA negotiators to address Mexico’s unfair value-added tax, which is putting US exporters of rendered products at a disadvantage and negatively impacting Mexican feed industry customers.

“Moises is exactly the kind of leader our members are going to love — smart, strategic and deeply experienced in the markets that matter most to us. Having both come up through the Foreign Agricultural Service and other USDA Cooperator groups, I know the caliber of talent and drive he brings to the table. He knows how to get things done, how to navigate complex bureaucracies, and how to build relationships that deliver real results. I’m excited to have him on board and can’t wait to see the fresh energy and ideas he’ll bring to elevate our work across Latin America.” said Dana Johnson Downing, NARA’s senior vice president of international programs.