Commencement Speaker

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER & HONORARY DOCTORAL DEGREE THOMAS J. VILSACK

Now the second-longest-serving Secretary of Agriculture in U.S. history, Thomas J. Vilsack has been a strong supporter of land-grant universities like Utah State University, bringing science, research, and technology to the forefront in helping to address modern agriculture and land-management challenges.

Secretary Vilsack served as secretary under President Barack Obama for two terms and was nominated to return to the role by President Joe Biden. Prior to his first appointment, he served two terms as the governor of Iowa, and served in the Iowa State Senate and as the mayor of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. He received his bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College and his law degree from Albany Law School in New York.

Although Secretary Vilsack had no upbringing in agriculture, he became familiar with it during the 1980s farm crisis. Working for a small-town law firm in Iowa, he helped local farmers who were struggling with bankruptcy. As he told Successful Farmer magazine in 2017, “I understood that this was not just a way of life, or a way they supported their families. This was how they defined themselves.” From that point on, he has dedicated his life to helping create opportunity.

Under his recent leadership, the USDA has announced millions of dollars in investments in rural Utah infrastructure, job training, business expansion, and technical assistance, including projects in Cache County, Brigham City, Price, and Moab. As the western U.S. has struggled with extreme drought, he led a process that eliminated bureaucratic hurdles and ensured that Utah’s agriculture producers received the maximum assistance allowed by law. In the face of increasingly destructive wildfires, he has taken a personal interest in finding solutions that benefit forest lands in Utah and other western states, recently announcing a 10-year, multibillion-dollar plan to reduce the fire risk on up to 50 million acres near communities.

And far from only serving farmers and rural populations, Secretary Vilsack’s work with the USDA touches the lives of all Americans: During the 2008 recession, he played a crucial role in making nutrition programs more accessible to Utah’s most vulnerable citizens. One of his current priorities is making sure Americans have consistent access to safe, healthy, and affordable food.

Secretary Vilsack is known as a leader who pushes his staff to always be prepared and to make sure government is responsive and competent. He now heads a department-wide approach to mitigating climate change and building sustainable food systems, where the USDA is engaging the agriculture and forestry sectors in voluntary, incentive-based climate solutions, as well as advancing investments in science and research to help producers become more resilient.

Secretary Vilsack has been honored for his service and work to advance American agriculture by several organizations, including the Congressional Hunger Center and the Global Child Nutrition Foundation. He is a former member of the board of directors for GenYOUth as well as Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks that feed more than 46 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other community-based agencies.

For his long history of public service, his commitment to improving food safety and security for all Americans, and his leadership in advancing science and technology in agriculture, Utah State University is proud to bestow upon Thomas J. Vilsack the honorary degree of Doctor of Agricultural Sciences.