Denise O’Brien
Source:Denise O'Brien for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture (
Candidate biography:
Denise O'Brienbrings leadership, vision and experience to the job of Secretary of Agriculture. Her perspective is practical, global and committed to the future ofIowaagriculture.
Practical
Denise understands the challenges and rewards ofIowaagriculture firsthand. She and her husband Larry Harris have operated a family farm nearAtlantic,Iowasince 1976 where they milked cows until 1995. They now raise poultry, apples, and strawberries using organic practices. She is currently Executive Director of Women Food and Agriculture Network, the nonprofit education and farm advocacy organization she helped found in 1994. A lifelong Midwesterner, Denise was born inOmaha,Nebraska; her family moved toAtlanticwhen she was four. She and Larry have three children, daughter Briana, (27), and son Trevor, (25) and Caia (23).
Global
A global perspective has always been an important part of Denise’s approach to issues and solutions. In 2005, Denise was a delegate to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's Committee on Agriculture inRome,Italy. She was a nominated member of the North American/European team for the World Bank Assessment of Agriculture inLondon. Denise has participated in delegations and conferences in many parts of the world including Netherlands, Soviet Union, France, Belgium, Costa Rica, Cuba, Spain, Mexico and China to represent US agriculture in discussions about economic development, sustainability, and leadership, and to learn from the experience of others in international settings. In 1997 she addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations on behalf of farmers. She has lectured and spoken at conferences nationally and internationally representing the views of Iowans, women and farmers.
Committed to the future ofIowaagriculture
For over 30 years, Denise has devoted her professional life to educating and advocating on issues that concern family farms. She serves on the board of Community Food Security Coalition, and Agricultural Missions, Inc. She currently serves on and is past president of the Iowa Association of County Conservation Boards. She has served as an appointed member of the Iowa Governor's Farm Crisis Policy Task Force, Food Systems Task Force of the Iowa Dept of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and the Iowa Food Policy Council, and served as President of the National Family Farm Coalition from1993-1995.
In 2000 Denise was inducted into Iowa Women's Hall of fame for her work on behalf of family farmers and leadership for women. In 2001 she was selected as a Food and Society Policy Fellow, a three-year appointment funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and dedicated to communication and leadership in food and agriculture policy. Denise received the 2005 Practical Farmers of Iowa Sustainable Agriculture Achievement Award and the 2004 Iowa Farmer’s Union Lifetime Achievement Award. She writes and speaks frequently to academic, business and policy-making audiences, both nationally and internationally.
Dedicated to Public Service
Denise’s investment inIowais evident in her home community ofAtlantic. She helped found the Atlantic Chapter of Trees Forever and Friends of the Library. In 2005 she received the prestigious national Athena Award, presented by her local Atlantic Chamber of Commerce in recognition of her service toIowaandCassCounty. She was appointed to serve on the Cass County Conservation Board.
Denise O’Brien is a dedicated public servant with one foot firmly planted inIowa's farmland, and the other in the international sphere. Her unique combination of practical farming, farm policy, and organizational experience give her the leadership, vision and determination we need to shape a diverse, productive, viable agricultural future forIowa.