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Mike Espy was secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture from 1993 through 1994, the first African-American to serve in that capacity. He is credited with reorganizing the $65 billion agency, negotiating multilateral treaties for trading agricultural commodities and reforming the national food-inspection system to eradicate food-borne illnesses. He gained recognition as an expert in rural business, economic development and infrastructure policy. Mr. Espy had also served as Mississippi’s Second District representative to the United States Congress.
Currently Espy maintains offices in Jackson, Mississippi, and Washington, D.C., working as a private sector attorney, counselor and agricultural adviser through his law firm, Mike Espy PLLC, and his consulting firm, AE Agritrade Inc. He has extensive experience in international commercial transactions, and now serves as an investment adviser for public/private projects in Africa. In his legal practice Mr. Espy focuses on government relations, public finance, agribusiness transactions and commercial and international law. As a consultant he advises agribusiness companies, government entities and food charities. | 