Confectioners hire Downs as president
May 14, 2014 | 05:08 PM
The National Confectioners Association has hired John Downs Jr. as president of the trade association, Robert Simpson, NCA Board chairman and COO of Jelly Belly Candy Company, announced today.
Downs, a senior adviser to the president of Coca-Cola Americas for The Coca-Cola Company, will succeed Lawrence Graham, who retires this month after 22 years at NCA.
Downs has worked for Coca-Cola since 1986 in government relations, public affairs and communications. He began his career in government relations as a legislative assistant to the speaker of the House in Maryland before joining the Glass Packaging Institute and then the American Beverage Association.
Downs will assume the role as president of NCA this summer. He will manage the 25-person Washington office, which in addition to being the lobbying voice for the chocolate, cocoa, non-chocolate and gum industries, organizes the American confectionery industry’s largest trade show, the Sweets & Snacks Expo, and conducts scientific and shopper research.
A native of Maryland, Downs holds a degree in political science from Washington College in Chestertown, Md.
