Lionel Riley

Lionel Riley serves as Chief Human Resources Officer at Riceland Foods, a major farmer-owned rice and soybean cooperative headquartered in Arkansas. He brings more than two decades of HR leadership across multiple industries and concurrently maintains a distinguished military career as a Lieutenant Colonel and Squadron Commander in the U.S. Air Force, applying both corporate and military leadership insights into his HR approach. At Riceland Foods, he is charged with designing and executing employee-centric talent management strategies, preserving the cooperative's entrepreneurial culture, and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Known for his pragmatic yet people-focused leadership, Lionel emphasizes the importance of listening to the workforce, equipping talent for growth, and aligning HR systems with business outcomes in operationally intensive manufacturing and agribusiness environments.