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role and Founder and Principal, she helped clients intertwine innovation, data and science, compassion,diversity of perspectives and the importance of the environment for overall health into their skills and values.Dr. Mehta has worked in roles across private, public and non-profit sectors including McKinsey, Syngenta, theSoil Health Partnership, amongst others. She has served as a Board member for various groups includingPheasants Forever, Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pest Center (MITPPC), the School of Statistics atUniversity of Minnesota, and The Gates Scholar Advisory Council, amongst others.Dr. Mehta received her Ph.D. in Agricultural and Applied Economics and MS in Statistics from the Universityof Minnesota, MPhil in Economics from Cambridge University and a BA in Economics from New YorkUniversity.Kellie KubenaRural Health LiaisonRural DevelopmentU.S. Department of AgricultureKellie Kubena has recently been appointed as the USDA Rural Health Liaison in the Rural DevelopmentInnovation Center. Kellie most recently served as the Deputy Chief Innovation Officer in Rural Developmentand prior to that served as the Director of the Engineering and Environmental Staff (EES) in USDA’s RuralUtilities Service Water and Environmental Programs in 2015. Before joining USDA, Kellie served in variouspositions over 17 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Kellie has a Bachelors degree in Wildlifeand Fisheries with a minor in Oceanography from Texas A&M University and a Masters degree in Fisheriesfrom the University of Washington where her research focused on aquatic toxicology.J. Latrice HillDirector of OutreachUSDA Farm Service AgencyLatrice Hill was selected to serve as the National Director of Outreach for the Farm ServiceAgency (FSA) in 2013. As Director, she establishes program outreach policy and maintainsoversight of FSA outreach activities nationwide.Hill began her federal career as a county office clerk with FSA (formerly Farmers Home Administration). Shelater served in the positions of loan officer and district outreach coordinator where she was responsible fordetermining feasibility, assessing financial situations and risks, approving and servicing borrower farm loanaccounts for six counties. With a strong background in communications and passion for serving others, Hill waslater selected to serve as the FSA State Public Relations and Outreach Specialist, overseeing outreach activitiesin 71 counties. While in MS, Hill was appointed by two US Secretaries of Agriculture to serve on the NationalAdvisory Committee for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers for three two-year terms.Hill has received several awards and recognition for her collaborations and work with rural farmers,organizations and students. Notable accomplishments include the Emerson Congressional Hunger Center'sPolicy Leadership Award, Secretary's Award for work with local and regional food systems, Administrator'sTeam Award for Farm Bill Outreach and many others.5

A native of Mississippi, Hill earned her bachelor's degree in Business Administration from BelhavenUniversity. She maintains residences in Virginia and Mississippi.Heather Dawn Thompson, JDDirectorOffice of Tribal RelationsU.S. Department of AgricultureHeather Dawn Thompson was appointed Director of the Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) in January 2021,acting as the Department’s lead voice on tribal issues, relations and economic development within the Office ofthe Secretary.Before leading OTR, Thompson served a member of the American Indian Law Practice Group at GreenbergTraurig, where she worked on federal Indian law and Tribal agriculture. Thompson has a long record of publicservice, beginning as a Presidential Management Fellow at the Department of Justice. Since then, Thompsonhas served as a law clerk with the Attorney General’s Office for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, as Counseland Policy Advisor to the U.S. Senate’s Democratic Policy Committee, and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney forSouth Dakota’s Indian Country Section, where she prosecuted cases involving violence against women andchildren.In the private sector, Thompson was previously a partner at Dentons, where she was one of only a handful ofNative American partners at an “AmLaw 100” law firm. In addition, she has served as the Director ofGovernment Affairs for the National Congress of American Indians, President of the South Dakota IndianCountry Bar Association, and President of the National Native American Bar Association. Thompson holds aJuris Doctor cum laude from Harvard Law School, as well as a master’s degree in public policy from theUniversity of Florida, and a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Carnegie Mellon University.Challenges Facing Today’s Family FarmersScott MarlowDeputy Administrator for Farm ProgramsFarm Service AgencyU.S. Department of AgricultureScott Marlow is the Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs at USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). Heoversees management of FSA’s disaster assistance, conservation, safety net and price support programs, whichplay a critical role in the operations of America’s farmers and ranchers. Before joining FSA, he most recentlyserved as the founder and CEO of Long Rows Consulting, where he provided analysis of risk management,credit, and disaster assistance programs including the role of risk management programs in credit access andtheir combined effect on conservation and climate change. He also facilitated policy development processes foragricultural organizations and provided training for farm services organizations on working with farmers infinancial crisis and addressing the mental health impacts of farm transitions.Marlow has spent 10 years as an operator on farm crisis hotlines, providing financial counseling and servicesreferrals for farm families in crisis. He also served in multiple positions with the Rural AdvancementFoundation International (RAFI), where he focused on building coalitions, farm policy, farm credit, and disasterresponse initiatives.6

Marlow is from North Carolina, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree from Duke University and aMasters of Crop Science from North Carolina State University. He lives with his wife, J.J., and two cats, and isthe proud father of two grown daughters.Mary Hendrickson, Ph.D.Associate ProfessorUniversity of MissouriDr. Mary Hendrickson is a rural sociologist studying the connections between agriculture, food,climate change, water scarcity, hunger and energy use. Specific scholarship focuses on the socialand economic organization of different types of food systems, the social, ecological and economic impacts ofthat organization, and options for changing how we organize the food system.Dr. Hendrickson works as an Associate Professor in the College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources atthe University of Missouri, Columbia. Previously, she was an Assistant Professor in the Division of AppliedSocial Sciences from 2012-2019. From 1998-2012, she served as director of the Food Circles NetworkingProject and as associate director of the Community Food Systems and Sustainable Agriculture Program forUniversity of Missouri Extension. In 2008, she was promoted to Extension Associate Professor at University ofMissouri.Her education includes a Ph.D. in Rural Sociology from the University of Missouri, an MS in Rural Sociologyfrom the University of Missouri, and a B.S. in Agricultural Honors and Agribusiness from the University ofNebraska-Lincoln.Alexis Racelis, Ph.D.Associate ProfessorUniversity of Texas Rio Grande ValleyDr. Alexis Racelis is an Associate Professor in the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’sDepartment of Biology and School for Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences. Hisscholarship studies ecological interactions in the social, political, and economic contexts in which they occur.Dr. Racelis’ research is driven by a better understanding of how agriculture, urban development, invasivespecies and resource management affects certain ecological processes in the light of pressing social andenvironmental issues, such as climate change, food and water security, sustainable development, and socialjustice.In 2022, Dr. Racelis was appointed to the inaugural Agriculture Subcommittee of the U.S. Department ofAgriculture’s Equity Commission. The subcommittee will provide recommendations to USDA AgricultureSecretary Tom Vilsack on policies, programs and actions needed to address equity issues – including racialequity issues – to strengthen accountability within the federal department and its programs.His education includes a Ph.D. in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Crus, an M.S.in Environmental Science from Florida International University, and a B.S. in Biological Sciences at Universityof California, Santa Barbara.7

Toni Stanger-McLaughlin, JDChief Executive OfficerNative American Agriculture FundToni Stanger-McLaughlin, J.D., a citizen of the Colville Confederated Tribes, serves as the ChiefExecutive Officer (CEO) of the Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF). Mrs. Stanger-McLaughlin hascompassionately worked in agriculture law and policy for many years. Before being named the CEO of NAAF,she served as the first NAAF Director of Programs where she assisted the development and delivery of millionsof dollars of NAAF philanthropic investment in Tribal food systems.Mrs. Stanger-McLaughlin started her agricultural career working in the United States Department ofAgriculture (USDA) headquarters in Washington D.C., within the Office of Civil Rights. Mrs. StangerMcLaughlin thereafter moved from the Office of Civil Rights to the USDA Office of Tribal Relations in theOffice of the Secretary. While in the Office of Tribal Relations, Toni working across multiple USDA agenciesand offices as well as other federal departments to advance Tribal needs in agriculture, natural resources, landuse and infrastructure development. Prior to joining NAAF, Toni served as the Director of Tribal Relations forthe University of Arkansas School of Law Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI).She attended the University of North Dakota School of Law and received her JD, focusing on federal Indianlaw. In her spare time, Toni enjoys being outdoors with her husband and three children, as well as beading andsewing powwow regalia for her immediate and extended family.B. Ray JeffersPolicy and Program ManagerRural Advancement Foundation InternationalB. Ray Jeffers was born and raised in Person County, NC, where he also operates the family’scentury farm purchased by his great grandfather in 1919. Previously Ray served for 12 years as an electedPerson County Commissioner (2008-2020), was President of N.C. Association of County Commissioners in2014 and was an executive board member of the National Association of Counties. Ray continues to serve onseveral local and state boards promoting agriculture and rural communities. Ray attended Piedmont CommunityCollege and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.USDA and HHS: Partnering for HealthMonica Rousseau, DrPHPublic Health AnalystFederal Office of Rural Health PolicyHealth Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)Department of Health and Human ServicesMonica Rousseau serves as a Public Health Analyst within the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy at theHealth Resources and Services Administration. In this role, Monica analyzes behavioral health regulations andpolicies, develops and administers grants within the Rural Opioid Response Program, and coordinates efforts toimprove mental health initiatives among federal and non-federal partners. Prior to joining HRSA, Monica8

coordinated a series of collaborative, community-based efforts to reduce rates of suicide and substance usedisorders in Tampa Bay Florida. Monica has her Doctorate of Public Health, and has served on several local,state, and national task forces to improve public health.Kimberly NelsonRegional Administrator – Region VIISubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services AdministrationDepartment of Health and Human ServicesKimberly Nelson (Kim) is the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse andMental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Regional Administrator serving Region 7: Kansas, Iowa,Missouri, and Nebraska, since 2015. Ms. Nelson has worked in the behavioral health care field since 1992. Herclinical work was early in her career and mainly focused on addiction services, initially in community-basedsettings in women’s and children’s residential programs in Kansas. She then moved into executive leadershiproles primarily. Ms. Nelson provided leadership as program director in programs with criminal justice clients incommunity-based residential and outpatient settings, as well as with prison-based substance use disorder care.Ms. Nelson was recruited to the state of Kansas with the Addiction and Prevention Services Division as theMedicaid Coordinator. As the liaison between the behavioral health and Medicaid divisions, her primaryresponsibility was to ensure Medicaid policy was aligned with the state goals for addiction services. This wasaccomplished via a pre-paid inpatient health plan; part of a 1915 b/c managed care waiver for behavioral health.Ms. Nelson was part of the team that wrote the waiver, request for proposals, awarded the contract and then ledthe team that managed the contractor for the five years of this waiver.As the state administration changed, after a brief time as the state’s Substance Abuse Authority, in continuingroles of increasing responsibility, Ms. Nelson moved into the role of Director of Managed Care for theBehavioral Health and Disabilities division in the state. She helped implement a statewide comprehensiveintegrated managed care system in 2012 under an 1115 demonstration waiver that covered all services;including physical health, behavioral health, and long-term services and supports. Ms. Nelson shared in themanagement of this contract, leading the team that managed the aspects of this contract dedicated to behavioralhealth and long-term services and supports in the state. During her tenure with the state of Kansas, Ms. Nelsonwas part of the team that got the state plan amendment approved for implementation of Health Homes for thosewith severe mental illness. In her position of Vice President of Marketing and New Business Development for alarge integrated health services provider in Kansas, prior to becoming the Region VII Administrator, Ms.Nelson lead the team that launched their Health Home program. Perhaps most importantly, Kim is a person inlong-term recovery from addiction. She is a Licensed Addictions Counselor and a Certified Peer SupportSpecialist. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and her master’s degree in Public Administrationfrom the University of Kansas.9

Diane Hall, Ph.D., MSEDLead Behavioral ScientistSenior Scientist for Policy and StrategyPolicy Research, Analysis, and Development Office (PRADO)Office of the Associate Director for Policy and StrategyCenters for Disease Control and PreventionDepartment of Health and Human ServicesDiane M. Hall, Ph.D., MSED, is a lead behavioral scientist with the Prevention Practice and Translation Branchin the Division of Violence Prevention at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC). Dr.Hall′s research interests include teen dating violence and intimate partner violence. In addition, she has workedwith two of the Academic Centers of Excellence on Youth ViolencePrevention. As a lead behavioral scientist, Dr. Hall directs program evaluation, dissemination andimplementation research, and synthesis and translation activities. Before joining CDC in January 2007, Dr. Hallserved as a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania, where she trained school and mental healthcounselors. She is also trained as a school, community, and child clinical psychologist.Dr. Hall earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology at Hollins University. She received a Master of Science incounseling psychology and a Ph.D. in school, community, and child clinical psychology from the University ofPennsylvania. She is licensed as a clinical psychologist.Dr. Hall served as an on-camera subject matter expert for Dating Matters, a free online, interactive trainingdesigned to help educators, youth-serving organizations, and others working with teens understand the riskfactors and warning signs associated with teen dating violence.Jennifer Lincoln, Ph.D.Associate Director, Office of Agriculture Safety and HealthNational Institute for Occupational Safety and HealthCenters for Disease Control and PreventionDepartment of Health and Human ServicesDr. Jennifer Lincoln has three decades of occupational safety and health experience focusing on the preventionof traumatic injuries among workers in high-risk industries. She is best known for her work in the commercialfishing industry. In 2007, she created the NIOSH Commercial Fishing Safety Research and Design Program,and in 2015 she established the NIOSH Center for Maritime Safety and Health Studies, which, in partnershipwith the U.S. Coast Guard, has led to a substantial decline in commercial fishingdeaths in the United States. Throughout her career, Dr. Lincoln has brought energy, vision and commitment toensure investments in science and outreach pay off with evidence-based research findings and evaluatedinterventions.Dr. Lincoln grew up in rural Indiana and after a 28-year career in Alaska with the US Public Health Service, sheand her husband moved back to settle on their 80-acre farm. In 2020, she returned to NIOSH to lead the Officeof Agriculture Safety and Health. Dr. Lincoln served on the CDCs COVID-19 response as a part of the WorkerSafety and Health Team and Essential Worker Team, drafting and reviewing a variety of guidance products toprotect workers from COVID-19 infection. In 2022, the Journal of Agromedicine recognized Dr. Lincoln as a“Leader in the Field” for her contributions in occupational safety and health research as well as her leadershipand dedication during the COVID-19 pandemic response.10

Dr. Lincoln is a Certified Safety Professional. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health(Industrial Hygiene) from Indiana State University, a Master of Science in Environmental Quality Science fromthe University of Alaska, Anchorage, and a Ph.D. in Health Policy and Management with an emphasis onOccupational Injury Control from Johns Hopkins University.USDA Awardees / Program ImpactsJac Wypler, Ph.D.Farmer Mental Health DirectorNational Young Farmers CoalitionJac (or Jaclyn) helps facilitate the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) in theNortheast. Jac has worked in agriculture for a decade – on farms, with non-profits, and in education. Jacreceived a Ph.D. in Sociology at University of Wisconsin-Madison for their research on social power andresistance strategies in Midwest farming communities. Jac’s research and organizing focused specifically onqueer farmers, which took them to Australia where they became passionate about farmer stress, wellness, andmental health. Jac is thrilled to collaborate with farmers and agriculture service providers on FRSAN-NE.Courtney Cuthbertson, Ph.D.Assistant Professor and Extension SpecialistHuman Development and Family StudiesUniversity of IllinoisNorth Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Cen

Commissioner Richard Ball Commissioner New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets On January 9, 2014, Richard A. Ball was nominated as Commissioner of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. A native New Yorker, Mr. Ball has made a living in agriculture his entire life. His inspiration to become a