Basil Gooden
Visiting Scholar, Sustainable Food Access Core of the Institute for Inclusion, Inquiry and Innovation, Virginia Commonwealth University; former Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry
Basil I. Gooden is a visiting scholar in the Sustainable Food Access Core of the Institute for Inclusion, Inquiry and Innovation (iCubed) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). His interests are in community and economic development, inclusive and equitable food systems, food and agriculture policy, public health, and asset building in underserved communities.
He served as secretary of agriculture and forestry for the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2016–2018, cultivating diverse and inclusive leadership and promoting healthy, sustainable, and economically viable communities. Prior to this post, he served as Virginia state director for rural development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), implementing policies to support asset accumulation, homeownership, and wealth development in economically distressed communities. From 2002—2014, he served as chief deputy director of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), implementing comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategies that rehabilitated existing houses, upgraded community infrastructure, removed blighted structures, and increased new affordable housing opportunities.
He is a native of Buckingham County, VA, where his family owns and operates a cattle farm, raising Black Angus beef. His family farm also participates in tree farming and land conservation efforts.
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