Project Description

Julia S. Clark

Julia S. Clark is the Executive Director for VA FAIRS, a 501c3 providing technical assistance services to producers in value added agriculture. Before assuming this role in 2018, Clark served as the VA FAIRS Project Manager for five years, working alongside the former Executive Director. She has years of agricultural business development experience and a background in agricultural business development across a variety of agricultural sectors, from traditional commodity crops to value added and direct marketing. Clark has a track record in facilitating agricultural value added entities through strategic planning and business capacity building, including organizing and developing farmer-owned start-up businesses. She possesses a range of planning, business creation and development skills, as well as strategic expertise.

Clark has proven experience in obtaining funding for projects, both through private and commercial lenders as well as private foundation and federal grants. She has conducted numerous training workshops to assist rural businesses in securing financing to start or expand operations. Clark has years of federal grant management experience and has written numerous successful grant applications, bringing considerable grant funding to Virginia producers.

Clark graduated with honors from Houghton College with a B.S. in Business Administration in 2012. As an undergraduate, she was recruited to join the Houghton College Student Consulting Group and was a recipient of the Reynolds-Santor Women in Business Scholarship.