Aubrey Bettencourt

By Washington’s standards, Aubrey Bettencourt built her career backwards. As a fourth generation California farmer with a degree in History focused on the development of water law and the western movement in the United States, Bettencourt’s advanced degree was not at an Ivy League law school. It was literally in the field, meeting with trade organizations, state and federal regulatory agencies and municipalities, and often in the cab of a tractor. Bettencourt developed years of experience and expertise in the space where agriculture, resource management, policy, politics, and people meet; utilizing knowledge, insight, and relationships to develop holistic strategies on the basis of actionable ideas; resulting in clear, efficient opportunities and solutions to the many challenges facing farming, rural communities, and the environment. Bettencourt’s tenure as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Water and Science at the Department of the Interior further enabled her to work extensively with USDA, DOI, EPA, DOE, DOC AND DOD; developing excellent working relationships with policy and career officials with the goal to tighten and improve coordination and cooperation among agencies to share resources, and expertise thru strategic planning to solve state, federal and international challenges. She has also served as the California Director for the USDA Farm Service Agency, Director of the California Water Alliance, and Director of Sustainability – a position created in partnership by the California Cattle Council and Western United Dairies. Bettencourt is the Founder of Phronesis Strategic, an organization dedicated to serving clients nationwide as they lead and seek solutions for our communities’ and nation’s water, agriculture, economic, and environmental prosperity. The key to achieving solid well-planned and effective results has been communicating personally and, on all platforms, meeting those needs. Whether in the field, or the boardroom, Bettencourt is committed to the work of the farmer and the agricultural community – her community – and the collaborative energy it will take to assure sustainable and reliable food, fiber, fuel, and infrastructure sources to meet global need.