Our Team
John Welisch, President and CEO
John joined the firm in 1980 and worked with his father, Jack, for more than two decades. With over 45 years in the rice industry, he truly enjoys helping buyers, providing solutions, and sharing his rice market expertise.
John is thrilled to be working alongside his daughters as the fourth generation in the business founded by their great-grandfather, Walter T. Welisch. John remains active in the rice community, holds memberships in a variety of industry associations, and has served on many USA Rice Federation and Rice Millers’ Association committees for decades.
Alexandra Welisch, Associate
After graduating from Marist College, NY, in 2017 with a BA in Business Administration, Ali began working at the company while learning more about the services we offer from the ground up. Today, she collaborates with John and our economist to advise customers on market timing, procurement strategies, and contract negotiations. Ali currently serves on the USA Rice Regulatory Affairs and Food Safety, Sustainability, and World Market Price Committees and chairs the Domestic Promotion Committee.
Gina Welisch, Associate
Gina joined National Rice Company in 2024 after earning a BA at California Polytechnic State University and a master’s degree in law at the University of California Law School, San Francisco. She manages all business operations as well as the development of National Rice Company’s proprietary Rice Management System, drawing on her experience from previous roles in nonprofits and the government sector.
Shella Zhou, Rice Market Analyst
Shella supports our in-depth market intelligence with analysis of domestic and world rice market dynamics and trends, relationships among commodity markets, and their implications for the current and future states of the rice industry. She is a two-time graduate of the University of California, with economics degrees from UC Berkeley and UC Davis.
Account Managers
With an average of 12 years experience at National Rice Company, our team of Account Managers delivers day-to-day rice contract management, purchasing support, and logistics services. They are also responsible for keeping clients up to date, troubleshooting, and ensuring a swift response to all client needs and requests. Each client is paired with a team member who is the designated manager for their account. We cross-train every team member so all clients can be assured of continuous coverage.
Jackie Quiros, Executive Account Manager
Pauline Stanford, Senior Account Manager
Elizabeth Corvino, Account Manager
Ashley Martin, Account Manager
Nicole Huntley, Account Manager
Jennifer Thorman, Account Manager
Information Technology Specialists
Two information technology professionals oversee the ongoing development, maintenance, and operation of our proprietary rice management and client information systems.