April 3, 2023

Fred Clark, Former Chief Counsel on the Senate Agriculture Committee, Returns to Cornerstone Government Affairs as Senior Consultant

Clark brings more than 35 years of bipartisan agricultural policy expertise in the House, Senate and private sector to the firm

(Washington, D.C.) – Cornerstone Government Affairs announced today the return of Fred Clark, former Chief Counsel to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry under Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Senator John Boozman (R-AR), to its federal government relations team as a Senior Consultant. After working at Cornerstone from 2003-2013, Clark served on the Senate Committee from 2017-2022.

During his tenure with the Senate Agriculture Committee, Clark served as principal draftsperson for several bills enacted into law, including a number of titles in the $867 billion 2018 Farm Bill, the U.S. Grain Standards Reauthorization Act of 2020, and the $5.4 billion Agriculture Disaster Relief provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of FY 2021. Clark also helped lead the transition of the Committee Republican staff from Chairman Roberts to Ranking Member Boozman and directed the Committee Minority’s work to ensure the compliance of budget reconciliation legislation with Senate rules (aka Byrd Rule challenges).

As General Counsel and Managing Partner at Cornerstone from 2003-2013, Clark represented commodity, food, finance and international entities, providing legislative drafting, strategic planning, lobbying and analytical services for clients with interests in agriculture, trade and finance.

Prior to his time in the Senate and at Cornerstone, Clark spent 10 years as staff in the House of Representatives, including eight years as Counsel for the House Committee on Agriculture under Chairman Eligio “Kika” de la Garza (D-TX), participating extensively in the writing of the 1985 and 1990 Farm Bills, the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 and the Futures Trading Practices Act of 1992. Additionally, Clark was the principal draftsman of numerous bills considered by the Committee, working closely with the Committee Chairman and Members in every aspect of the legislative process and becoming a recognized expert in legislative drafting, parliamentary procedures and the rules and practices of both the House and Senate.

“I continue to believe that Cornerstone’s team-oriented culture and client-service model empowers its professionals to deliver strong results for Cornerstone’s clients,” Clark said. “I am excited to return and utilize my skills and experience to add further value to the firm and its collaborative approach.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Fred home,” Cornerstone CEO Geoff Gonella said. “He is synonymous with Cornerstone and our firm, and our clients will immediately benefit from his 35 years of experience and highly regarded expertise in and around the agriculture space on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers of the Congress.”

Upon arriving to Washington in 1983, Clark served in the office of former Rep. Richard Lehman (D-CA), where he was responsible for legislative activities on the House Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs. Fred earned a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center after graduating magna cum laude from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo with a B.S. in Agriculture Business Management.