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Caren Wilcox
Caren Wilcox is a Senior Counselor to Prism Public Affairs, providing strategic public policy and crisis management counsel concerning food and agriculture policy, food safety, and health care issues. Wilcox is also President of Caren Wilcox & Associates LLC, advising the business, association and domestic and international government sectors on food, agriculture and health care. Wilcox, a former deputy under secretary for food safety for the U.S. Department of Agriculture who has also worked on Capitol Hill.
Wilcox provides clients of Prism with unique insights into a wide range of communications and crisis management issues as well as legislative and regulatory matters.
As the deputy under secretary for food safety at USDA from 1997 to 2001, Wilcox directed policy and exercised management oversight of the department's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and its approximately 10,000 employees and budget of almost $1 billion. While at the department, she was responsible for HACCP and Pathogen Reduction programs in over 6000 plants, nationwide recalls, labeling, and preparations for food safety events such as potential bacterial contamination or animal disease incidents, and for counter-bioterrorism issues. She also advised top department officials on strategic response mechanisms for critical food safety emergencies and represented the U.S. in meetings of the European Commission and member states, and meetings of the Quad countries.
Most recently Wilcox served as executive director of the Organic Trade Association, one of the fastest growing segments of domestic agriculture. Wilcox managed the entire bi-national association with special emphasis on strengthening public affairs, regulatory programs and representing the organic sector during the 2008 U.S. farm bill debate. She created the Organic Institute, which is dedicated to education about organic agriculture.
Wilcox has also served as a food safety advisor to the current chair of the agriculture subcommittee of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee. Her work in Congress included advising on legislative strategies and approaches concerning the integrity of public health regulatory agencies; food; agriculture; prescription drugs and Medicare; and issues related to the Congressional Caucus on Food Safety.
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