Anne Hazlett serves as the Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development at the United States Department of Agriculture. An Indiana native, she has a deep and lifelong passion for rural America, small towns and the people who call them home.

Hazlett has worked on agriculture and rural issues for over fifteen years. Serving as legal counsel for the Agriculture Committees in both the U.S. House and Senate, Hazlett has been an advocate for rural communities on many issues important to rural America from Farm Bill legislation to broadband and nutrition programs.

In addition to her service on Capitol Hill, Hazlett also served as Director of Agriculture for her home state of Indiana and Chief of Staff for Indiana Lt. Governor Becky Skillman. In these key leadership roles, she worked to ensure that Indiana’s agriculture industry and rural business sector were a significant part of the state’s economic revitalization.

At USDA, Hazlett is leading the Rural Development mission area to create an environment for rural prosperity, from greater access to broadband connectivity and medical care to workforce training through distance learning. In this work, she is particularly passionate about helping families and community leaders touched by the opioid epidemic find hope and partnership in building a brighter future.

Hazlett is a graduate of Kansas State University and the Indiana University School of Law. She also holds a masters degree in agricultural law from the University of Arkansas.