Allison, tell us a little bit about yourself, where you’re from, where you grew up, and what brought you to Virginia Tech.

I grew up in Deltaville, Virginia, on my family’s produce farm. After visiting Virginia Tech for many football games, I loved Blacksburg and the campus. I knew I wanted to pursue a career that would allow me to be involved in the development of key policy decisions that impact farms like my family’s, rural communities like Deltaville, and the agriculture industry. After learning about the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, it became clear how my education at Virginia Tech would prepare me for an eventual career working in agricultural policy in Washington, D.C.

What is your current job? What do you do with it? What other fun professional opportunities have you had after Virginia Tech?

I’m currently on the government affairs team as senior director for a leading protein company, JBS. Working for a global meat and poultry processing company has provided me the opportunity to learn about different aspects of the agriculture industry I otherwise may not have had exposure to. Our team helps tell the story of JBS to lawmakers, finds ways to connect farmers and ranchers with the company, and advocates for policies that further the company’s efforts to help feed a growing global population and better the communities where we operate.

So far, my career in Washington, D.C. has provided me with opportunities to see how our government functions from multiple vantage points. I worked for a member of the House Agriculture Committee during the reauthorization of the last farm bill. I also worked for the American Farm Bureau Federation handling issues that directly impacted my family’s farm, like agricultural labor and immigration, pesticide availability, and food safety regulations. It’s a privilege to be a part of the government process that ultimately impacts the hardworking individuals who make up our agriculture and food system.

What was your experience with the Kohl Centre? I understand that you played a key role in the development of the student-led “Product Promotion for New and Beginning Farmers in Virginia” project. Can you tell us a bit more about this?

I had a great experience with the Kohl Centre. The Kohl Centre enabled me to connect with other students I had not previously met in the department and to learn more about Virginia’s diverse agriculture industry while developing a work product that helped Virginia farmers.

The goal of our project was to develop resources and outreach materials to help new and beginning Virginia farmers promote their products. We also included existing resources available for farmers. The research demonstrated that specialty operations could create new, diversified income streams for producers. Our work showed how agritourism, participation in farmer's markets, and creative marketing strategies to differentiate products can create new economic possibilities for Virginia farmers.

How did your Kohl Centre and department experience impact your professional development?

In addition to the knowledge gained through our research, participating in the Kohl Centre enabled me to improve group collaboration skills. Government affairs work is most successful in collaboration with other stakeholders who also have a vested interest in the same outcome. Much of my professional experience has encompassed working alongside colleagues collaboratively to achieve a common goal, like the process in our student-led Kohl Centre project.

Considering how frequently economic data is used in policy decisions, the department experience and the talented educators provided me with an educational foundation that I frequently draw upon in my career. The unique perspectives that the professors brought to the classroom exposed me to ideas and concepts often referred to in policy discussions in Washington, D.C. I’m glad I was not learning about these varied viewpoints the first time on the job. The department coursework challenges students to articulate and defend their viewpoints, often using economic data to support these ideas. As a government affairs professional, I’m grateful to have practiced this skill throughout my time at Virginia Tech.