Heidi Hertz serves as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry for Governor Northam. Prior to her appointment, Heidi held roles in the Office of the First Lady of Virginia Dorothy McAuliffe, with the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth, and for the Virginia Department of Health.  She is passionate about making connections between agriculture and health. She focuses much of her time on convening stakeholders and developing strategies linking food production and solutions to hunger.  

Heidi is immediate Past Chair of the Board of Directors for Shalom Farms and is active on the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni Board. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and a Master of Science degree from James Madison University. She is a native of Lunenburg County and lives in the Northside of Richmond with her family.