Doud talks trade negotiations with CRMER Student Fellows
Gregg Doud, Agricultural Economics alum and former Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, recently spoke to Center for Risk Management and Education and Research (CRMER) fellows. As one of the primary architects of the U.S.-China "Phase One" trade agreement, Doud provided students a glimpse into the complexity of the negotiation process.
“Ambassador Gregg Doud was the Chief Agricultural Negotiator for trade in agricultural products from 2018-2021. During his tenure, major new U.S. export markets, most noteworthy with China, expanded in ways that had never previously been accomplished. Negotiating trade deals with major trading partners is immensely complex from numerous perspectives. Ambassador Doud was the ideally suited to successfully navigate all aspects of new lucrative trade deals for U.S. agriculture,” Ted Schroeder, agricultural economics professor and CRMER director, said.
“Greg’s presentation opened my eyes to the complexities of trade negotiations in U.S. agriculture. I appreciated that he recognized the importance of science and economic insights in his career. I am grateful that he shared his past experiences and roles that led him to be a successful trade negotiator,” Amber Oerly, CRMER student fellow said.
In addition to sharing his experiences in trade negotiation, he also offered students several pieces of office:
- “Read, read, read. Read all that you can. You are exposed to more ideas and viewpoints by reading. This will help you see issues from different perspectives.
- Learn how to communicate. Students can find information about anything on a smart phone, but don’t know how to communicate/explain it. Learn how to clearly communicate the information you look up.
- Work on your relationships and value your peers. Build and maintain relationships with your peers and mentors throughout your lifetime.”
“Greg’s presentation opened my eyes to the complexities of trade negotiations in U.S. agriculture. I appreciated that he recognized the importance of science and economic insights in his career. I am grateful that he shared his past experiences and roles that led him to be a successful trade negotiator,” Amber Oerly, CRMER student fellow said. “He also emphasized the importance of building relationships with peers and mentors and relying on them throughout your career.”
Doud earned a Bachelor of Science degree in animal science and a Master of Science in agricultural economics from Kansas State University. In 2012, Doud was awarded the Outstanding Young Alumnus of the Kansas State University Agriculture Alumni Association and also received the Outstanding Alumnus award from the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State in 2017. As a K-State alum, he maintains a close relationship to the Department and University.
“Gregg has always been an incredible supporter of K-State and especially students. He generously gives his time often to visit with K-State students about his experiences and he has done this for at least a couple of decades. Gregg is one of the most sought after speakers in agricultural trade, so his schedule is packed full. Despite that, he continues to donate his travel and time to engage with K-State students. We are proud of Gregg's accomplishments and ever grateful he continues to share his experiences and wisdom with K-State students,” Schroeder said.
Doud is currently the Vice President of Global Situational awareness & Chief Economist at Aimpoint Research. He works closely with members of the Executive Intelligence Network (EIN) and plays a major role in the development of its thought leadership priorities.
Prior to Ambassador Doud’s nomination, he was the President of the Commodity Markets Council, where he had served since 2013. He also served as a Professional Staff member of the Senate Agriculture Committee for Senator Pat Roberts and Senator Thad Cochran, and held various roles in the agriculture industry for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the U.S. Wheat Associates and the agricultural commodity consulting firm World Perspectives. Ambassador Doud was raised on a dry-land wheat, grain sorghum, soybean, swine and cow-calf operation near Mankato, Kansas – which he is still involved with today. Ambassador Doud and his family live on their horse farm in Lothian, Maryland.
