Our Leadership
My Rural America’s diverse leadership team comes from a cross-section of the U.S., including Arkansas, Connecticut, Iowa, New York, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS – Executive Committee
Barbara M. Leach, President & Founder
Barbara Leach is former co-owner/operator of a family farm. She grew up in Atlantic, Iowa and later, she and her family raised corn, beans, hogs and cattle while she learned the valuable lesson of how policy and politics count as much as hard work for both everyday life and in Washington. At USDA, she led a project that resulted in US farmers saving $400 million on the cost of FCIC crop insurance. She has also worked on issues affecting the National Transportation System, public education, school loans and cable television.
Caren A. Wilcox, Vice President
Caren Wilcox is currently serving as Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association (OTA) in Greenfield, MA and Washington, DC. She has announced that she will leave that position this summer. An experienced business executive and public servant, Caren's professional experience includes having served as the first deputy under secretary for food safety at USDA, overseeing meat, poultry and egg products food safety programs.
Lloyd E. Wright, Secretary & Treasurer
Lloyd served as Director of USDA’s Office of Civil Rights during the period of the black farmer settlement. He has also directed numerous projects for Conservation, Community Assistance, Resource Development and Watershed Protection Divisions of the Natural Resources Conservation Service at USDA.
POLICY ADVISORS
Linda A. Lingle, Chair. Linda Lingle grew up in Piggott, Arkansas. Her first job out of college was working as a VISTA volunteer with the South Carolina Commission for Farm Workers, which was headed by Representative Jim Clyburn, now Majority Whip for the U.S. Congress. Now, Linda runs a successful consulting practice with an emphasis on community college projects, energy and environmental issues.
Mathew Cary. Matt Cary, a Viet Nam veteran from Elmira, New York, is Founder and President of Veterans and Families of Military Progress, a new grassroots organization dedicated to ensuring that the rights and needs of veterans, military service members (active-duty, National Guard and Reserve) and their families are understood by the American public and protected by legislation, regulation and public policy initiatives.
Robert Cashdollar. A native of Tennessee, Bob Cashdollar grew up working on his dad's cattle farm and watching Tennessee politics. Bob worked on his first Farm Bill in 1972 and continues to represent clients to Congress on issues like food, agriculture, rural economics and natural resources. He also serves on the boards of the Friends of the National Arboretum and the Capitol Hill Community Garden and Land Trust.
Christopher A. McLean. A Nebraska native, Chris is a principal partner in e-Copernicus, a firm specializing in telecommunications, transportation and technology policy. Chris is also a former Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service and served as counsel to former Senator Bob Kerrey and the late Senator Jim Exon.
Larry Mitchell. A former Texas corn and cotton farmer, Larry Mitchell is a past Vice President of the National Farmers Union and was Deputy Administrator at USDA's Farm Service Agency. Mitchell currently represents the American Corn Growers Association on farm program and energy policy.
