Patrice Bailey

Patrice Bailey

Mr. Patrice Bailey was appointed to the position of assistant commissioner in June 2019. Bailey oversees agricultural, marketing and development, dairy and meat inspection, food and feed safety, and outreach for the MDA. Bailey, a native of Harlem, New York, holds a B.S. in agriculture education from Prairie View A&M University (Texas) and has a Master’s Degree in agriculture from Iowa State University. He has served the Twin Cities in several positions focused on bridging underrepresented communities of color to various available resources and advocating for them legislatively at the Capitol. Prior to his current position as assistant commissioner, he served as the outreach director for the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage.

Leadership

Ken Smith

President and CEO
Michael Auger

Michael Auger

SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Mike Burns

Chief System Operations Officer

Andrew Kasid

Executive Vice President, CFO

Pam Sarne

Vice President – Accounting

Steve Rambeck

Director of Business Development

Jenae Batt

Director of Marketing and Public Relations

Tom Thomalla, Jr.

Director of Information Systems

Board of Directors

Heidi Conrad

Heidi Conrad

Chairperson
Patrice Bailey

Patrice Bailey

Nicole M Hansen

Nicole M. Hansen

Beverly Jones Heydinger

Beverly Jones Heydinger

Ken Peterson

Ken Peterson

Pat Wolf

Pat Wolf

David Ybarra

David Ybarra

Ken Smith

Ex Officio

George Fremder

George Fremder

Director Emeritus
Former Mayor, George Latimer

George Latimer

Director Emeritus
Robert Lowe

Robert Lowe

Director Emeritus
Barbara Lukermann

Barbara Lukermann

Director Emerita
Susan Sands

Susan Sands

Director Emerita
Bernard St. Peter

Bernard St. Peter

Director Emeritus
John Taylor

John Taylor

DIRECTOR EMERITUS