About Lee Sanders
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Lee Sanders is Senior Vice President, Government Relations and Public Affairs, as well as Corporate Secretary for the American Bakers Association (ABA). Lee leads the ABA government relations team representing the baking industry before Congress, federal agencies, state legislatures, and international policy making bodies. She strategically advises association members and the industry on critical legislative and regulatory issues while serving as a spokesperson on behalf of the industry. Lee established and is Immediate Past Chair for the Food and Beverage Issue Alliance that serves as a platform for communications for over 50 FDA-regulated food industry trade associations that work together to develop unified positions on nutrition and food safety issues meeting quarterly with FDA and other key federal government agencies. Lee also leads the Grain Chain, a Farm to Fork Coalition of eleven grain industry organizations that partner for unified strategy to promote and support nutritional benefit messaging for grain-based foods in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Lee sits on the Executive Committee for the Business Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC). She is a member of the National Association of Manufacturers’ Food Policy Committee. She is a past chair of the Wheat Quality Council as well as past chair of the Cereal and Grains Association (formerly American Association of Cereal Chemists International (AACCI)) Milling and Baking Division. Lee served as a long time Advisory Board member and as Chair of the Technical Committee for the American Society of Baking. Lee is a founding member and current President of the Society of Bakery Women. Before coming to the industry 29 years ago, Lee served in several government roles including legislative aide to Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) and as a political appointee in the Administration of George H.W. Bush.
Lee was the 2021 recipient of the American Society of Baking’s Robert A. Fischer Distinguished Service Award. She also received the 2017 Full Kernel Award from the Wheat Quality Council for outstanding contributions to the improvement of wheat and flour quality in the United States. Lee was recognized as the 2009 AACCI Myron D. “Mike” Baustian Memorial Award recipient for outstanding service. She also received the 2009 Leadership Award, Baking & Snack Magazine.
Lee holds a B.A. Degree in Journalism from the University of Mississippi and currently sits on its Political Science Advisory Board. She holds executive education certificates from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business in Leading Teams for Growth and Change as well as Strategic Analysis and Decision-Making. Lee is a Certified Association Executive (CAE), American Society of Association Executives.
Lee's High Resolution Headshots
