Ann M. Veneman

Ann M. Veneman has a distinguished career in public service, serving as the executive director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) from 2005 to 2010 and as the United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2001 to 2005. As secretary of the USDA, she directed one of most diverse federal agencies, with a budget of $113 billion and 110,000 employees. She also served as secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture from 1995 to 1999, overseeing the state agency responsible for nation’s largest agricultural producing region. From 1986 to 1993, she served in various positions in the USDA, including deputy secretary, deputy undersecretary for international affairs, and associate administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service. Her leadership and vision have been recognized both nationally and internationally. In 2009 she was named to the Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list, and in 2025 she was inducted into the Government Hall of Fame. She currently serves on the boards of directors for Sun World, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), the Gallo Center for the Arts, and BEAM Circular, as well as PPIC’s board of directors. She also served on the board of Nestle from 2011 to 2022. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former member of the Hilton Humanitarian Prize Jury. A lawyer by training, she has practiced law in both California and Washington, DC. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Davis; a master’s degree in public policy from the University of California, Berkeley; and a juris doctor degree from the University of California Law, San Francisco (formerly Hastings College of the Law). She has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from several universities and colleges.