Senior Policy Advisor, Assistant Administrators Office, Telecommunications, Rural Utilities Service, Rural Development, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Robert Tse is a recognized expert on the rural economy and broadband in California and currently serves as the senior policy advisor on broadband in the USDA Rural Utilities Service. During his 30 years of public service, his focus areas have included agriculture technology, health-food-agriculture systems, goods movement, international trade, water, and energy. He created the first Apps for Ag Hackathons. As the USDA lead for President Obama’s Strong Cities-Strong Communities White House Initiative in Fresno, he developed a high-speed broadband and agriculture technology strategy.
Prior to this position, he served as the Deputy Director for International Trade for the State of California, the highest-ranking state official for trade, and represented California’s agricultural priorities on the Governor’s trade missions. As the Deputy Secretary for the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Robert developed and executed California’s Farm Bill strategy, which resulted in significant changes to the 2008 US Farm Bill, benefiting California’s agriculture sector, particularly in the area of specialty crops, invasive species, and air quality conservation programs.