Dave Lyons

Dave Lyons is Vice President for Government Relations for Louis Dreyfus Commodities.  Louis Dreyfus is a global merchandiser and processor of agricultural and energy commodities with operations in more than 50 countries.  In this position for Louis Dreyfus, Dave is responsible for representing the company's interests with all levels of government including the various Executive Branch Departments, and Agencies, the Congress and foreign embassies.  He has held this position since December 1988. 

Upon Dave's employment with Louis Dreyfus, he opened the company's first Washington, DC office raising the company's image and profile in Washington DC from nearly unknown to well- known and well-respected.  Dave's experience with Louis Dreyfus has included all of the Louis Dreyfus businesses, including grains, oilseeds, cotton, rice, citrus, ethanol, biodiesel and other commodities. Over the years Dave has worked to resolve numerous problems affecting Louis Dreyfus export transactions including phyto-sanitary and biotechnology issues.

One of the more memorable and challenging tasks Dave took on for the company was successfully lobbying the US government during the 2008 financial crisis to persuade the New York Federal Reserve Bank to "open a window" for commercial paper when the market for commercial paper had dried up leaving Louis Dreyfus and many other businesses with limited access to short term operating capital.

Dave was also involved in many aspects of the development of the Louis Dreyfus Soybean Processing/biodiesel plant in Claypool Indiana.  This included the siting of the plant, the discussions with State and Local officials on incentives for locating the plant in Claypool and also the resolution of problems with state government agencies during construction and beginning stages of operation of the plant.

Dave has represented Louis Dreyfus in numerous leadership positions in the agricultural trade associations.  Dave has served as Chairman of the Commodity Markets Council (CMC), a trade association representing all of the US futures exchanges and the users of the futures exchanges including the major commodity trading and handling firms.  He has also served on the Board of Directors of the National Grain and Feed Association, the major association representing the US grain handling and merchandising industry, the Board of Directors of the US Grains Council, the market development group for the US feed grains industry, and the Governing Board of the National Biodiesel Board, the trade association representing the biodiesel industry. Dave has also served on the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Advisory Committee on Emerging Markets and the USDA Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee (ATAC) for Grains and Oilseeds.

Additionally, Dave has also served as Chairman of the North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA), the trade association representing the U.S. grain export industry.  He has also served as the Chairman of the Washington Agricultural Roundtable, a forum for the exchange of information and ideas on agricultural and trade issues.

From 1985 until joining Louis Dreyfus, Dave served in several positions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  He served as Executive Assistant to Richard Lyng, Secretary of Agriculture.  He also served as Executive Assistant to Peter Myers, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and as Confidential Assistant to Robert Thompson, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Economics.

Prior to joining USDA, Dave worked as an economist for the Indiana Budget Agency with responsibility for providing revenue forecasts to the Governor and the General Assembly of Indiana.

Dave’s first job in Washington DC was serving as Agricultural Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana.

He also has previous experience as a livestock market analyst, grain market analyst, and graduate research assistant and instructor for the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Dave received both his Bachelors (1974) and Master of Science (1977) Degrees in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University.  He completed his Law Degree from Indiana University and was admitted to the Indiana Bar in 1984.

He grew up on his family’s grain and livestock farm near Logansport, Indiana. Dave and his wife, Susan, currently live in Fairfax Station, Virginia.