WASHINGTON, May 1, 2025—The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) has named Elena Clark as manager, trade and economic policy. Clark will be informing, overseeing and implementing trade policies and economic strategies that support U.S. dairy’s growth and member company priorities. She will report to Becky Rasdall Vargas, senior vice president, trade and workforce policy.
Elena Clark joins the IDFA team from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), where she served as the Legislative Affairs & Economics Specialist for North America. In that role, she led FAO’s legislative strategy for the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament, delivering synthesized market and trade data as well as Codex standards. While at FAO, Clark concurrently obtained her Masters in International Economic Policy with a focus in Agricultural Trade from George Washington University. Prior to her May 2024 graduation, Clark’s studies afforded the opportunity for a brief hiatus from FAO to complete a graduate internship in the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service in Tokyo, Japan. Clark also has experience working on Capitol Hill, where she served in the offices of Congressman Steube and Congressman Barletta, managing policy issues related to agriculture, trade, the environment, and energy.
Clark hails from a farming family in Northwestern Pennsylvania where her relatives grow sweet corn and produce both beef cattle and poultry. She also grew up keeping honeybees with her grandfather.
“Trade and economic policy continue to play a crucial role in driving the long-term success of the U.S. dairy industry and remain core priorities for IDFA,” said Becky Rasdall Vargas, senior vice president, trade and workforce policy. “We're excited to welcome Elena to our team in Washington, D.C. to support us in those efforts. Her expertise and dedication will strengthen our work and help us provide even more value to our members."
Clark will begin in her new role on Monday, May 12, 2025.
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Contact: press@idfa.org
The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports more than 3.2 million jobs that generate $49 billion in direct wages and $794 billion in overall economic impact. IDFA’s diverse membership ranges from multinational organizations to single-plant companies, from dairy companies and cooperatives to food retailers and suppliers, all on the cutting edge of innovation and sustainable business practices. Together, they represent most of the milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and cultured products, and dairy ingredients produced and marketed in the United States and sold throughout the world. Delicious, safe and nutritious, dairy foods offer unparalleled health and consumer benefits to people of all ages.