Washington, DC (April 25, 2025) - Ray Starling, former Special Assistant to President Trump for Agriculture and Agricultural Trade and Chief of Staff to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, will headline ASTA’s Leadership SummitJune 8-11 in Washington, D.C.
Starling previously served as a Special Assistant to the President, where he was the principal agriculture advisor at the White House. He later moved on to serve as Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s Chief of Staff, where he led and executed the Secretary’s policy agenda for USDA, oversaw the Department’s budget and guided the workforce that supports our nation’s farmers, growers, ranchers, rural development activities, and critical nutrition programs.
With more than 20 years of experience in public and private sector service, Starling has worked in the U.S. Senate, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in private practice, and as a clerk in the North Carolina Supreme Court. Starling now serves as general counsel of the North Carolina Chamber and president of the North Carolina Chamber Legal Institute.