Education

Bachelors degree in Government, Centre College

Home Base

Louisville, Kentucky

Hobbies

NCAA Women’s Basketball (Go Cats!), foodie photography, and bacon

My Approach

“I approach every project through the eyes of the client: listening with empathy, patience, and acuity to understand each stakeholders’ perspective and challenges to ensure all solutions will make a meaningful and tangible impact.”

Dawn Riley, Co-Founder

Dawn has over 20 years of experience working in government and the public service arena at the local, state, and federal levels specifically focused on agriculture. She started offering her expertise directly to private and public clients in 2005. Her years of experience working on her family farm, managing the family farm-supply business, representing American farmers, and ongoing participation in local, state, and national ag non-profits keep her informed and grounded in the values all farmers share. No matter what the scale or level of the project, nothing changes the fact that almost everything we hold dear-whether food, or clothes, or energy-comes from the ground up. Without a strong agricultural sector we have nothing to build on.

Key Experience

United States Department of Agriculture

Chief of Staff to Deputy Secretary Jim Moseley

Director of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs – Research, Education and Economics Mission Area

Acting Deputy Undersecretary – Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Mission Area and to Research, Education and Economics Mission Area

Agriculture Legislative Correspondent

Secretary-Treasurer

Manager, KY Burley Moldings. KY Burley Moldings, Inc. is a family-owned company that has been providing float trays for water bed & greenhouse production of plants since 1992.

Advocacy

Despite her busy schedule on the farm and working with clients, she continues to volunteer time and expertise as a Board Member or in an advisory capacity with the following organizations:

The Farm Foundation provides objective policy analysis on the entire food chain from agricultural to consumer issues.

Since 2009, the Ag Innovation Showcase has been connecting key stakeholders and breaking down barriers across verticals in food and agriculture.

The mission of the Food Policy Advisory Council is to develop policies in support of a just, sustainable food system that will improve public health, spur economic development in urban and rural communities and increase access to healthy food for all Louisville Metro citizens.

The US Water Alliance advances policies and programs that build a sustainable water future for all.

AGree seeks to drive positive change in the food and agriculture system by connecting and challenging leaders from diverse communities to catalyze action and elevate food and agriculture as a national priority.