Who We Are

Bill Lesher

Bill Lesher

A veteran of both the public and private sectors, Bill Lesher brings a wealth of experience to Lesher, Russell & Barron, Inc. In 1985, Bill and Richard Lyng co-founded the government relations firm Lyng & Lesher, Inc., which was to become Lesher & Russell, Inc. after Lyng joined the Administration as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Prior to his career in the private sector, Bill served as the Assistant Secretary for Economics in the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1981 to 1985. In this capacity, Bill broadly focused on all facets of food, agriculture and natural resource policies and more specifically, worked on farm program development and implementation. During this time, Bill traveled extensively overseas focusing on agriculture policy and trade, including the Soviet grain embargo, the Japanese beef market and the European Union's agriculture policy. Before joining the Administration, Bill worked for the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. As the Committees' Chief Economist, Bill oversaw the budget, farm policy and economic analysis from 1978 to 1980.

Bill's career in Washington began in 1977 when he served as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN). In this position, Bill handled all food, agriculture, natural resources and nutrition issues for the Senator. In addition, Bill worked extensively on the reauthorization of the Commodities Exchange Act as well as the reauthorization of FIFRA (Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act).

Prior to coming to Washington, Bill attended Purdue University (B.S.) and Oregon State University (M.S). After receiving his Masters degree, Bill served as an officer in the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1972 after which, he continued his formal education at Cornell University, where he received his Ph.D. in agricultural economics and public policy. While attending Cornell, Bill held numerous research and teaching positions before becoming an Assistant Professor in the Cornell University Department of Agricultural Economics.

A native of Indiana, Bill spent his early years on the family farm. Bill and his wife Joyce now reside in Arlington, Virginia and have four children.