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Her professional career began with twelve years on active duty as a personnel officer with the United States Air Force, followed by over eighteen years with the Forest Service. Over the last eighteen years, she served in various positions within Human Resources Management (HRM) in both Albuquerque and Washington D.C. In her most recent assignment, she was appointed as the Director for Human Resources Management for the Forest Service.  Currently, Deedra is the Acting Chief Human Capital Officer for USDA in the Office of Human Resources Management.

Prior to joining the OCR, Taylor served on Capitol Hill where she was a legislative assistant for Congressman Barry Moore (AL-01) handling agriculture, forestry, and natural resources issues.As a born and raised Alabama native, Taylor graduated from Auburn University with her B.A. in Political Science.

Christopher joined USDA in 2025 following his position as the Member Services and Coalitions Coordinator for the Congressional Western Caucus where he organized Members of Congress initiatives for rural policy making.Christopher is from South-West Florida and graduated from Florida International University with a degree in History and Political Science.

Ms. Lewis began her career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), starting as a COOP student with the Soil Conservation Service (now known as the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)) as a FORTRAN programmer in an Engineering Project Office. Upon her graduation from Delaware State College, Ms. Lewis took a position as an IT specialist with NRCS in Delaware. From there, she continued to expand her knowledge and expertise across USDA, serving as the Group Manager for Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey in 2004. Beginning in 2008, Ms.

Alveda C. King, PhD, serves as Senior Advisor on Faith and Community Outreach. She is a guardian of The King Family Legacy, Chair of the AFPI Center for the American Dream, founder of Alveda King Ministries, and co-founder of She Leads Georgia and Speak for Life. She was elected twice to the Georgia State House, and she graduated from Aidan University.

Carter Chain is a Confidential Assistant for the USDA Office of Congressional Relations. Carter joined the USDA in February of 2025 as a political appointee after working in the Michigan State Legislature for four years, getting his start as an intern in then-State Senator Tom Barrett’s office, then as a Legislative Aide for representatives from the southwest and eastern Michigan. Carter is a Californian by birth but grew up in Lansing Michigan.

Chris Berardi is a Senior Legislative Advisor for the USDA Office of Congressional Relations where he responds to inquiries from congressional member offices and committees. Chris joined the USDA’s Office of Congressional Relations in 2025, prior to joining the USDA Office of Congressional Relations, Chris was the Senior Advisor and Director of Communications for Congresswoman Harriet Hageman. Prior to serving in this role, Chris was the Deputy Director of Federal Policy for Council for a Strong America, a bipartisan nonprofit organization.

Tucker Stewart serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Most recently he was General Counsel and the Senior Agricultural Policy Advisor for his home-state Senator, Roger Marshall, M.D. He obtained degrees in Agriculture at Butler Community College and Animal Science at Kansas State University where he judged livestock competitively across the nation. He also graduated with honors from Washburn University School of Law.

Coral Petillo is the Confidential Assistant for the USDA Office of Congressional Relations where she connects congressional constituents with legislative members of USDA and the OCR team and tracks activity in the office for the Secretary and the White House.Coral joined USDA in March of 2025 as a political appointee following her position as a Regional Field Manager for the Leadership Institute where she trained young conservatives on college campuses to stand up for their rights as Americans.

Hans Hunt is the Senior Legislative Advisor for the USDA Office of Congressional Relations where he responds to inquiries from congressional member offices and committees. Hans joined the USDA’s Office of Congressional Relations in 2025 after three years of service on Capitol Hill, where he served as a Legislative Assistant for a member office. In that role he covered agriculture, forestry, and trade policy issues.Hans is a Wyoming native. He holds a B.A. in agribusiness from the University of Wyoming and a M.S. in International Agriculture from Oklahoma State University.