Our Vision
The Office of External and Intergovernmental Affairs (EIA) builds trusted relationships with state, county and local elected and appointed officials, and external organizations (trade associations, philanthropic organizations, and faith-based organizations) throughout the nation to advance USDA and the Secretary’s priorities and to serve as the hub for elected and appointed officials and external organizations to communicate with the Secretary and USDA officials and access programs and services.
Please contact us at: EIA@usda.gov
Meet Our Staff
Rudy Soto
Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of External and Intergovernmental Affairs
Rudy Soto serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of External and Intergovernmental Affairs and responsible for the External and Intergovernmental Affairs team. Previously Rudy Soto served as USDA’s Rural Development State Director for Idaho since January 2021. In this role, Soto was instrumental in promoting economic development, increasing access to healthcare, and improving infrastructure in Idaho’s rural communities. Before that, Soto served as a legislative staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives, covering energy, environment, agriculture, and tribal affairs. Previously, he worked for Western Leaders Network, a nonprofit organization of local and tribal elected officials across the Interior West focused on protecting public lands, water, and air. Soto was born and raised in Nampa, Idaho, and is a proud member of the Shoshone Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation and a veteran of the United States Army National Guard. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Portland State University.
Contact Rudy:
rudy.soto@usda.gov
202-845-5452
Samantha Joseph
Director, Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Samantha H. Joseph serves as the Director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Samantha spent the first 10 years of her career in Corporate Social Responsibility leading community, diversity and environmental programs. Most recently, she led the outreach and engagement efforts for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Vaccine Equity Initiative. In partnership with faith-based and community organizations, Samantha helped administer over two million COVID-19 vaccines. A dedicated community leader, Samantha is chair of the board of directors of Samaritans, the largest suicide prevention agency in MA and vice-chair of the board of directors of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston. She is a graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Learn more about the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
Contact Samantha:
samantha.joseph@usda.gov
202-993-5110
Brian Sowyrda
Director, External Affairs
Brian Sowyrda joins USDA with years of strategic engagement and planning experience after serving in senior positions on Capitol Hill and campaigns across the country. He most recently served as Chief of Staff for Rep. Yadira Caraveo (CO-08), and before that for Rep. Xochitl Torres Small (NM-02), who is currently the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. In both roles, he helped establish offices for first-term members by building their teams, developing priorities, and creating outreach plans. As a campaign official, he worked in a leadership role at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), managing multiple federal, state, and local campaigns and advising congressional members and candidates on messaging, coalition building, and communications. Sowyrda holds a Master of Science in International Relations from Trinity College Dublin and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA.
Contact Brian:
brian.sowyrda@usda.gov
(202) 754-2872
Alysia Peters
Director, Intergovernmental Affairs
Alysia Peters currently serves as the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. Prior to joining USDA, Alysia held the role of Director of Gifts & Grants Management at Peace Corps. Alysia is a Native Nevadan and previously served the state of Nevada as the legislative and policy director in the office of Lieutenant Governor Kate Marshall and Executive Assistant to the Secretary of the Nevada Senate. Alysia’s professional experience also includes owning and operating a small business, serving as the director of policy and government affairs for Rowe Law Group, and staffing several local, state, and federal political campaigns. Alysia holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where she worked as a graduate research and teaching assistant and completed a legislative internship in the Office of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Alysia also holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from UNLV.
Contact Alysia:
alysia.peters@usda.gov
(202) 839-1133
Heather Garcia
Deputy Director, Intergovernmental Affairs
Heather Garcia currently serves as Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Office of External and Intergovernmental Affairs where she is interfaces with state, local, Tribal, and territories’ elected officials. She previously served as a Policy Advisor in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
Heather first joined USDA as a Presidential Management Fellow in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). She has held a variety of roles in the nonprofit space and in the offices of various federal, state, and local elected officials, where she fostered a passion for the direct, tangible impact that working toward the public good can have on individuals’ lives.
She holds dual Master of Public Administration degrees from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Contact Heather:
heather.garcia@usda.gov
(202) 839-0802
Nathaniel ‘Alex’ Córdova
Deputy Director, Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Nathaniel ‘Alex’ Córdova is a Community Development Specialist with the USDA Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, where he leads initiatives with a focus on outreach, technical assistance, and capacity building. He joined USDA in 2016 as a Presidential Management Fellow with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. He has also served as a Strategic Engagement Specialist and Promise Zone Desk Officer with USDA Rural Development, and as a Business Development Specialist with the Agricultural Marketing Service.
Alex brings over 15 years of experience in agricultural development and food system resilience. He is a member of the Prince George's County Food Equity Council and the Council of Development Finance Agencies' Food Systems Finance Advisory Council. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, and Religious Studies, with a minor in American Ethnic Studies, from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Alex obtained a Master’s in Public Administration from the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs with a concentration in public and nonprofit management in 2015.
Contact Alex:
alex.cordova@usda.gov
202-422-2751
Maria Espinoza
Special Assistant
Maria Espinoza serves as a Special Assistant in the Office of External and Intergovernmental Affairs. Maria grew up in Immokalee, Florida and is from a Farmworker family. She began her career at the National Opinion Research Center, where she worked on various national research projects evaluating the health and wellbeing of migrant farmworker families. She co-authored a law review article analyzing the environmental health policies of the H-2A Visa program. She then worked at Farmworker Justice as a Project Coordinator working with grassroot organizations across the country implementing workplace sexual harassment intervention and prevention programs. In addition to her policy and research work, she has dedicated extensive efforts to grassroots labor organizing over the course of her career. She is an honors graduate from the University of Florida where she obtained a B.S. in Agricultural Education and Communications and a B.A. in Criminology.
Contact Maria:
maria.espinoza@usda.gov
(202) 948-3578