Episode 5: Bill Ashton (USN)

My guest today is Bill Ashton, the USDA’s Military and Veterans Agricultural Liaison Program Manager. Bill was born and raised in New York City where he joined the Navy right after high school and spent the next 10 years as an enlisted sailor. Most of his career was spent either onboard or supporting the submarine community.  Following active duty service, Bill continued to service the Navy, this time as a civil servant where he was the Program Manager for the Navy’s Pay and Personnel Program.  After 14 years in this capacity, he then became the Director of Security for Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington DC before joining the USDA in January 2018.  This position was established by Congress in the 2014 Farm Bill with Mr. Ashton serving as the first full-time government employee to hold this job.

We covered a lot of ground in this interview, from how skills Bill learned in the submarine community were brought forward into the ag sector to an overview of the impressive amount of veteran and career-focused initiatives at USDA. This episode is filled with stories of how Bill was plucked from different professions to turnaround and lead groups in completely different fields; a skill set he attributes to his time in the service.

Be sure to listen through to the end of the interview where Bill describes his thoughts on hydroponics aboard submarines; it’s really fascinating.