 WPPC Opening Keynote Breakfast Session with United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will deliver the Thursday breakfast keynote address at the Washington Public Policy Conference. As the 30th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he is in a unique position of helping guide the Obama Administration's efforts to increase consumption of fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables. From the first lady's personal encouragement to eat more fresh produce to the many new programs such as WIC fruit and vegetable vouchers and the school snack program that USDA is currently implementing, this administration is positioned as never before to truly drive increased consumption.
Prior to his appointment he served in the public sector at nearly every level of government, beginning as mayor of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa in 1987, and then as state senator in 1992. In 1998, he was elected Governor of Iowa which he held for two terms and earlier weighed in as supporting expansion of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program for schools around the country. As Governor, he created the Iowa Food Policy Council to advance local food systems and enhance family farm profitability. As well as led trade missions to foreign countries to market agricultural products and attended the Seattle meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to push for expanded agricultural trade negotiations. Vilsack was a leader among his colleagues serving on the National Governors Association Executive Committee and chair of their Committee on Natural Resources, he also served as chair of the Governors Ethanol Coalition, chair of the Democratic Governors Association, and founding member and chair of the Governors Biotechnology Partnership.
Friday Breakfast General Session with FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg
 Join FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg Friday morning for an important discussion focused on produce food safety and the role of FDA in one of the most important issues of our time.
Given the importance and potential impact of the food safety discussion and pending legislation in Congress, as well as Dr. Hamburg’s contributions to the White House Food Safety Working Group and the FDA’s recent issuance of commodity specific guidelines for tomatoes, melons and leafy greens, this is an outstanding opportunity for our industry to hear directly from the commissioner herself.
Appointed by President Barack Obama in March 2009, Dr. Hamburg has extensive experience in the field of public health, including work with the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Department of Health and Human Services and most recently the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
Luncheon with CNN Analyst Paul Begala
 Wrap-up this year's WPPC with an entertaining look at today's political issues with Paul Begala, well-known CNN analyst and former advisor to President Bill Clinton. Those who've seen Begala in his frequent television appearances know that he balances his strong political viewpoint with wit and insights that even hard-core conservatives can appreciate.
From the White House's Situation Room to CNN's news program of the same name, Paul Begala’s experience gives him an unmatched perspective on politics and the media. As a political strategist or pundit, Begala has been at the center of every election cycle of the last 25 years. He also served as counselor to President Clinton in the White House, where he helped define and defend the Administration's agenda, from the State of the Union Address to the economic, domestic and international issues the White House faces each day. With his partner James Carville, he was a senior strategist for the Clinton-Gore Presidential Campaign in 1992, and he has helped direct the political strategy of numerous other campaigns across the country and around the world, including advising politicians in Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa.
He helped his friend John F. Kennedy, Jr. launch the political magazine George and wrote the "Capitol Hillbilly" column. Begala is a research professor at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute and in 2007 was named the prestigious Carl Sanders Distinguished Scholar in Political
Leadership at the University of Georgia School of Law.
Special Education Session at the Canadian Embassy with Chris Leggett, First Secretary for Agriculture
 The Embassy of Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Produce Marketing Association and United Fresh, will host a special educational session on Friday, September 11, 2009. As one of three concurrent field educational sessions during this year's Washington Public Policy Conference, the embassy visit will give attendees the opportunity to meet with Chris Leggett, the embassy's first secretary for agriculture to discuss trade between the U.S. and Canada, Canadian standards for fruits and vegetables, food safety and other issues needed to successfully conduct business in Canada.
Chris joined the embassy in April 2007. As the first secretary for agriculture, Chris takes the lead on plant issues, including grains, horticultural and specialty crops, as well as issues related to food safety and the Farm Bill. Prior to his assignment in Washington, he served as deputy director for Canada-US trade issues with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Chris has dealt with a broad spectrum of food-related issues since joining the Canadian public service in 1997, including the implementation of Canada's NAFTA obligations in the fisheries and agri-food sectors, and more recently the implications of the detection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy on selected Canadian cattle and beef exports.
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