Agriculture, MAHA, and More: A Conversation with Alexandra Dunn and James V. Aidala

I was delighted this week to visit again with Alexandra Dunn, President and Chief Executive Officer of CropLife America (CLA), and my colleague Jim Aidala, to discuss some of the issues facing the crop protection industry. Alex's amazing career has prepared her well for her demanding job. After graduating from law school and a brief stint in private practice, Alex served as general counsel for the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, then went on to become the Executive Director and General Counsel of the Association of Clean Water Administrators before serving as Executive Director and General Counsel of the Environmental Council of the States. In 2018, Alex served as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 1 (New England) Administrator and was, in 2019, appointed Assistant Administrator of EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), where she served until 2021. Alex returned to private practice here in Washington, D.C. before becoming President and CEO of CropLife America in 2024. Last year, Alex was appointed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to serve on the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for Trade. As if this were not enough, Alex has served as Chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment Energy and Resources, as Dean of Environmental Law Programs at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, has served on the Board of Directors of the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), and is current President of the American College of Environmental Lawyers (ACOEL). Jim is Senior Government Consultant at B&C and, like Alex, a past Assistant Administrator of the EPA Toxics Office, known now as OSCPP. Alex, Jim, and I discuss agriculture and trade policy, how CLA has been addressing "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA issues), crop protection and agricultural chemical communication issues, some pesticide registration challenges, preemption, and even some Endangered Species Act (ESA) issues. ALL MATERIALS IN THIS PODCAST ARE PROVIDED SOLELY FOR INFORMATIONAL  AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES. THE MATERIALS ARE NOT INTENDED TO CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE OR THE PROVISION OF LEGAL SERVICES. ALL LEGAL QUESTIONS SHOULD BE ANSWERED DIRECTLY BY A LICENSED ATTORNEY PRACTICING IN THE APPLICABLE AREA OF LAW. ©2026 Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.  All Rights Reserved