La. Attorney Sits On American Agricultural Law Association Board

The American Agricultural Law Association recently welcomed its new president-elect, Jake Parker of North Carolina, and directors, Marisa Bocci of Washington state and Whitney Ivey of North Carolina. They took office during the association’s annual educational symposium, Nov. 10–12 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

They join the association’s new president, Jeff Peterson of Minnesota; immediate past president, Tyler Buswell of Utah; and returning directors Ashley Ellixson of Arizona, Paul Goeringer of Maryland, Brandon Davis of Louisiana, and Brianna Schroeder of Indiana on the 2022–2023 board of directors.

Finishing their service on the board are past president Pat Dillon of Iowa and retiring directors Kimberly Bousquet of Missouri and Joe Miller of Indiana.

“Thank you to all the candidates who put up their names for consideration during this year’s election,” said Dillon, who chaired the nominations committee. “We appreciate the nominees, new and outgoing board members, and the many volunteers who devote service to AALA.”

As North Carolina Farm Bureau’s secretary and general counsel, Parker is the chief legal officer for North Carolina’s largest general farm advocacy organization and the North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. During his career at NCFB, he has served as the organization’s state legislative counsel and its national legislative director. In these roles, he helped shape various state and federal laws, including North Carolina’s right-to-farm statute.

Parker joined AALA in 2013 and jumped in with both feet. Since then, he has served a three-year term on the board of directors, as co-chair of the membership committee, and as board liaison to the marketing committee. He also helped plan several annual symposiums and has participated in various symposium panels regarding a variety of topics.

Parker holds an undergraduate degree from Appalachian State University, earned his law degree from North Carolina Central University’s evening law program, and clerked for two years at the North Carolina Supreme Court. In addition to volunteering with AALA, he is a member of the Appalachian State University Board of Visitors and a board member (and unofficial general counsel) to his youngest daughter’s youth soccer club.

“I’m humbled and honored by this opportunity to serve as the AALA’s president-elect,” Parker said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues on AALA’s board to carry on the organization’s tradition of excellence in legal education and professional development and to identify and execute initiatives that meet the needs of our members in ever-changing circumstances.”

Bocci is a partner at K&L Gates LLP. She works on a range of transactional matters, including the purchase, sale, financing and leasing of farmland. She also advises clients on the purchase and sale of vertically integrated farming and food-processing enterprises, working on joint-venture and M&A transactions.

Bocci represents asset managers and institutional investors on direct investing, co-investments, joint ventures, and other investment strategies relating to agribusiness assets. In addition to investor clients, she represents farm supply companies, wineries, seed tech companies, fruit and vegetable packers, CEA and greenhouse growers, grain elevators, and co-ops.

With her active interest in agriculture policy matters, Bocci advises clients on foreign and corporate farmland regulations (including AFIDA filings and state analog filings). She is familiar with farm management issues and assists clients on legal matters arising from day-to-day farm operations, representing owners and managers in the negotiation of property management agreements for farmland, grower agreements, and packing operations. She helps clients with water resource matters, including Bureau of Reclamation water arrangements. Finally, she works with clients on their sustainability initiatives and ESG-guided policies and compliance activities.

Bocci is a co-chair of the K&L Gates Agribusiness and Food & Beverage industry groups, and she regularly speaks and publishes on agribusiness topics. Since 2010 she has been a member of AALA. She participates in the annual Agricultural Law Educational Symposium and has worked with many AALA members on various organization committees.

“I look forward to working with agribusiness legal and policy leaders on matters of importance to this vital segment of the U.S. economy,” Bocci said. “AALA provides a framework for its members to discuss and debate laws, policy and business practices affecting supply chain concerns, the demand for sustainability in agriculture, food and beverage, and above all, the needs of the individuals in the industry.”

Originally from the Bluegrass state of Kentucky, Ivey graduated from Western Kentucky University with a degree in animal science and agriculture. She attended Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa, with a particular interest in agriculture law and became a member of AALA in 2005.

After graduating in December 2007 with her law degree and certificates in food and agriculture law and public service, Ivey and her husband, Brantley, moved to a farm in southwestern Virginia. She then was introduced to Edmund I. Adams, the founding partner of Adams & Ivey, PLLC, who brought her in to start practicing. She is licensed in both North Carolina and Virginia as the practice is located near the state line. Her practice is focused on real estate and other agricultural business-related transactions, as well as estate planning and administration.

In addition to private practice, Ivey serves as the attorney for the Town of Sparta, North Carolina. She is on the boards of the local hospital and the community foundation and is actively involved with AALA and the North Carolina Bar Association Real Estate Section. In her spare time, she and her husband are busy at the farm, raising cattle, horses, berries and kids in Grayson County, Virginia.

“I’m excited and honored to serve on the AALA board. I am fortunate to have been involved with the organization since my first year of law school,” Ivey said. “Our organization has made great progress over the past 17 years in being able to offer resources and support to not only the corporate ag law counsel but also the rural country lawyers like me. Agriculture in the United States is always changing, and it is priceless to have experts in almost every type of agriculture in this organization to connect with, which gives greater access to attorneys like me in order to better serve our clients.”

The American Agricultural Law Association (https://www.aglaw-assn.org) serves as the premier association for agricultural law and policy professionals. Its mission is to inform and engage the law and policy professionals who serve all facets of the agricultural and food communities.