WASHINGTON, January 12, 2021—The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), representing all products and segments in the U.S. dairy industry, announced today that Robert Rosado has been named Senior Director, Legislative Affairs within IDFA’s Legislative Affairs and Economic Policy team. In his new role, Rosado will develop and implement legislative strategies to support IDFA’s policy goals. 

Rosado comes to IDFA after serving the past four years with the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry as senior professional staff for nutrition and specialty crops policy. There, he drafted, managed, and led successful final bipartisan negotiations on the nutrition and specialty crops provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill and led the U.S. Senate COVID-19 policy response efforts impacting food assistance, nutrition, retail/foodservice supply-chain, and specialty crop agriculture. Rosado has extensive experience in advocacy on behalf of food trade associations in the nation’s capital, having worked in the policy shops at the Food Marketing Institute, Biotechnology Industry Association, and American Meat Institute. He also served in the Foreign Agricultural Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Bush and Obama administrations.

“Dairy plays an essential role in both the health of Americans and the health of our economy,” said Rosado. “I am excited to join a well respected IDFA team and advocate on behalf of the U.S. dairy industry with Congress.” 

IDFA’s Legislative Affairs and Economic Policy team, led by Senior Vice President Dave Carlin, manages the association’s legislative, political and economic policy activities, including engagement with lawmakers and policymakers at the federal and state levels; analyzing and developing positions for the industry on issues affecting dairy markets and economics; and overseeing IDFA’s advocacy on rules and policy shaping U.S. trade and exports.

“I am excited to have Rob join IDFA’s policy team,” said Carlin. “His years of experience in government at USDA and the Senate Agriculture Committee, combined with his time spent advocating on behalf of food trade associations will provide our members with a valuable perspective on the workings of government and strong representation for their interests on Capitol Hill.” 

Rosado holds an M.A. in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University in Arlington, Va., and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Economics from Drew University in Madison, N.J. He begins with IDFA on Tuesday, January 19. 

To learn more about IDFA’s work, visit www.idfa.org.

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The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports more than 3 million jobs that generate $159 billion in wages and $620 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 90 percent 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