Originally from Atlantic, Iowa, Barbara Leach – the daughter of a railroad worker and a work-at-home mother, is former co-owner/operator of a family farm. It was there, while she and her family raised corn, beans, hogs and cattle, she learned the valuable lesson of how policy and politics count as much as hard work both in everyday life and in Washington. Appointed by the President, Ms. Leach has served as Chief of Staff for USDA's Risk Management Agency and as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at USDOT. Over the years, she has consistently fought to protect farmers' bottom line. Her work with the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) resulted in new insurance coverages for organics farmers, price protection for livestock growers and reductions in the cost of crop insurance for all producers. A graduate of the University of Maryland's University College, she has held senior positions in four national trade associations, affecting policy changes in the general areas of real property, public and private education and intellectual property.
Dan Lucas, Vice President for Operations
An Illinois native, Dan Lucas is the son of a food product manager and a work-at-home mother. Beginning in 1847, his German and Irish farming ancestors joined the fight for fair prices for their dairy and grain products. Strong believers in rural education, they also helped found a community college in Palos Heights, Illinois. Mr. Lucas is former International Political Director for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Also a past Political Field Director for the National Association of Realtors, he brings more than thirty years of field experience at local, state and national levels. Believing the success of policies important to the growth and prosperity of rural America is key to the economic growth and prosperity of all Americans, Mr. Lucas is committed to ensuring systems in place offer opportunity for rural America's citizens to make their voices heard.
Keith Dinsmore, Director of Media Affairs, Mid-America Office
A native of Fremont, Iowa, Keith Dinsmore was raised on a 200-acre family farm. His early claim to fame was winning the Swine Showmanship Trophy at the Southern Iowa Fair at the age of 13. His love baseball and writing spawned dreams of becoming a sportswriter. At the tender age of 20, he became the youngest daily sports editor in the U.S. while a student at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. Mr. Dinsmore is former publisher of more than 20 Iowa and Missouri rural community weekly newspapers, which repeatedly won state and national honors for editorial excellence and service to agriculture. A graduate of Truman State University, Kirksville, MO, he has been named Master Columnist by the Iowa Newspaper Association. As a small town publisher, Mr. Dinsmore was involved in dozens of community organizations, while his leadership in the Iowa Community Betterment Program has been recognized with the Ambassadors Award from the Iowa Department of Economic Development.
Robert Cashdollar, Policy Advisor
A native of Tennessee, Robert Cashdollar grew up working on his dad's cattle farm and watching Tennessee politics.
After majoring in Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at the University of Tennessee , he spent time as a Naval Officer, freelance writer and an agricultural aide at the US House of Representatives for 16 years. He played an important staff role in every Farm Bill from 1972 to 1988 and has been consulting in Washington for clients on issues related to food, agriculture, rural economics and natural resources through his firm Cashdollar-Jones & Company. He serves on the boards of the Friends of the National Arboretum and the Capitol Hill Community Garden and Land Trust. He received an award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for pro-bono assistance in bringing in NOAA Weather Radio to millions of rural Americans giving them advance warning of dangerous weather.
Larry Mitchell, Policy Advisor
A native of Tarrant County, TX, Larry Mitchell started farming in 1971 as a sophomore in high school, the fifth generation of his family to farm in north Texas. At one time, his operation was as large as 2,200 acres in cultivation in Dallas, Tarrant and Hill Counties, Texas, and included the production of wheat, oats, corn, cotton, grain sorghum, hay, horses and cattle.
Appointed by the President, Mr. Mitchell has served as Deputy Administrator for the Farm Service Agency at USDA. He is former Vice President of the National Farmers Union, and currently CEO of the American Corn Growers Association. A graduate of Tarleton State University and an expert in farm programs, Mr. Mitchell also represents the Alliance for Rural America, a coalition of thirteen national, regional and state agriculture and rural organizations, representing over 300,000 members, working toward improving energy availability and affordability for all rural Americans.
rural leadership coordinators-2006
Margarita Hibbs, Rural Leadership Coordinator for New Mexico
Margarita Hibbs – the daughter of a former USDA Under Secretary, is currently the proud first lady of Estancia, New Mexico. She grew up spending most of her summers and winter vacations with grandparents in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. She is extremely active in rural community and social development programs and services. For the last eight years, a large focus of her work has been in Special Events Coordination, Promotions, Music and Communications. In addition to her community activism, she is also the current Vice President of the Rio Grande Valley CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Board for abused and neglected children within the 7th Judicial Court District of New Mexico. She and her husband are active foster parents. She also runs a small gallery business on Main Street and lives with her husband and four children above her business. Ms. Hibbs is passionate about the need to overcome obstacles that hurt rural communities' prosperity.
Drew Arrowood, Rural Leadership Coordinator for North Carolina
Drew Arrowood's favorite place is still the farm where his Grandmother grew up and where his father spent his summers in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. Although Drew grew up in the suburbs, he spent his summers working in his grandfather's small cafe that was famous for hot dogs and glass bottle sodas. A former small business owner in Cabarrus Country, Mr. Arrowood is an adjunct professor of ethics at Phiefer University in North Carolina. He has a Bachelor's degree from Wake Forest University, a Master's degree from Florida State University and studied agricultural statistics at the University of Maryland.
Debra Blore, Rural Leadership Coordinator for New Hampshire
Originally from Missouri, Debra Blore comes from a huge family of farmers.
In Columbia, MO, she hosted a weekly program on public affairs for KOMU and later, as a co-writer, she wrote the text for teachers in public schools to teach science in the State of Missouri . Now, living in New Hampshire, she also is a freelance writer, having written many feature articles and served as editor for many more. As Chair of the Monadnock Summer Lyceum
program, she brings experience in communications and outreach to the MRA team.
aaron owens, Rural Leadership Coordinator for wyoming
Aaron Owens is a third-generation “Wyomingite” from an extended family of rural small business owners and service workers.
Owens ran for the Wyoming House of Representatives in 2006, the youngest candidate ever to do so. His platform was protecting our rural communities from the “parade of tail lights to the big city." It is his extensive political and organizing work, always focused on improving the quality of life for rural Americans, that makes Owens a strong Rural Leadership Coordinator for MRA. His experience includes serving on the management team of a U.S. Congressional campaign, developing strategy for state and local campaigns, and lobbying the state legislature on various issues vital to rural America . Owens was the youngest project manager for a juvenile justice IT. And now, in his "spare" time, he works to complete graduate studies in Economics and Political Science at the University of Wyoming . His longer term goal is to open a small business within the next 8 years.
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