Saturday, March 24, 2012

Day 4: The Leadership Challenge – Congressional & Administration Perspectives

Class 42 began the day with a tour of the Capitol kindly hosted by Congressman Nunes.  We had originally planned this tour for Tuesday afternoon but POTUS was in the Capitol so it and a couple surrounding blocks were cordoned off.  But before we could get to the Capitol, we had to navigate the tunnels of the DC Metro system.  Fortunately, we have a few classmates that know it well and we’ve all benefitted from their knowledge and keen sense of direction.  Big thanks go out to Elisa Noble and Denise Junqueiro for their patient guidance.  Travel Tip – the magnetic name tag holders we have will demagnetize your Metro pass and that will affect your travel time!  Keep them separated.  The tour itself was conducted by two of Congressman Nunes’ staffers, Karly and Brittany.  They were both very knowledgeable about the Capitol, its history and art, and we enjoyed their leadership very much.

After our Capitol tour, we had to hustle our way back to the Rayburn building where we heard from Kiel Weaver, Republican Staff Director for the House Subcommittee on Water and Power, and Congressman Dennis Cardoza, representative of California’s 18th district.  We were also kindly joined by David Reynolds, Director of Federal Relations for the Association of California Water Agencies.  Kiel explained to us how the committee process worked and the necessity of preparation, communication, and compromise if a bill is ever going to make it to a vote, much less become a law.  Congressman Cardoza was particularly generous with both his time and thoughts.  He shared his views on the political process today, how polarization is overwhelming statesmanship, and how the lack of compromise is adversely affecting the ability of Congress to address the critical issues of the day in an effective and durable way.  See his recent Hill blog article at http://mobile.thehill.com//blogs/congress-blog/cardozas-corner/216805-loss-of-moderates-is-damaging-congress

After lunch in the Rayburn cafeteria, we heard from Ken Barbic, Senior Director of Federal Government Affairs for Western Growers, Pamilyn Miller, Senior Professional Staff for Chairman Lucas on the House Committee on Agriculture, and Autumn Veazey, Senior Professional Staff for Ranking Member Roberts on the Senate Committee on Agriculture.  Together, they explained the work that went into trying to draft a farm bill for use by the budget “super committee” last fall, the negotiations and compromises that were made and why, and where we go from here.  Autumn explained that the Senate would likely have another version of the bill ready in a couple of weeks, while Pam stated its future in the House is much less clear.  As the current version of the bill is set to expire in September, we hope that leadership and compromise will reign the summer.

After our briefing on the farm bill, we headed over to the State Department for a sit down with Deputy Secretary Bill Burns.  He was very gracious with his time and shared his views on the significant challenges the United States is and will face globally in the years and decades to come.  His ability to clearly and simply explain complex global issues was extraordinary, as was the patience and thought he provided when responding to our questions.  In closing, Deputy Secretary Burns shared his optimism about the future and his belief that our most effective tool in preserving and enhancing our perception in the world is the power of our example.

The day concluded with a dinner reception to mix the Class 42 (aka Best Class Ever) with alumni from the Foundation’s Washington, D.C. Educational Fellowship Program (aka D.C. Exchange), which is organized and hosted by the Ag Leadership Alumni Council.  On our way to the restaurant, we had a chance to swing past the White House.  It is quite a sight to see.  The dinner was well attended by Exchange alums and the opportunity to meet and talk with such a variety leaders was of great value to the Class.  Thank you AgLeadership Foundation for hosting the event.

Lastly, Elisa and I would like to thank Jared Gross, Jon Ange, Brenda Farias, and especially Robert Grether for their help in making the day run so smoothly.

Written by:  Ara Azhderian and Elisa Noble


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