I'm honored to step into the role of Executive Director at the American Seed Innovation & Growth Alliance (ASIGA), and I wanted to share why this organization, at this moment, is where I want to be.
ASIGA exists to bring clarity and common sense to seed policy — work that matters enormously to the growers, breeders, and businesses who depend on a functional, predictable regulatory system. Right now, that work has real urgency. ASIGA is in the middle of a determined push for reform under Section 781 and H.R. 5371, with a critical deadline on November 12 fast approaching. The stakes for the industry are high, and the window to get this right is narrow.
What drew me to ASIGA is the caliber of the coalition already built around this fight. The organization has earned real momentum, with allies including the Hemp Roundtable and the National Industrial Hemp Council standing alongside it. That's not a small thing in Washington. Coalitions like that are built one relationship, one conversation, one piece of groundwork at a time, and ASIGA has done that work well.
My job now is to help turn that momentum into results. I've spent my career learning how Washington actually works — the agencies, the Hill, the international organizations — and I'm bringing all of that to bear on ASIGA's priorities starting today. This industry deserves an advocate who can move quickly and speak fluently to policymakers, and that's exactly what I intend to be for ASIGA.
I'm looking forward to the work ahead, and to meeting many of you along the way.