August “Gus” Schumacher, Jr., has had a lifelong career serving agriculture both in the United States and abroad. In his 30-year career at the World Bank, he has served Massachusetts, U.S. and foreign agriculture around the world. He led teams to Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Eastern Africa resulting in a series of World Bank loans for the development of beef cattle sectors in each nation. He also led agri-project teams to Mexico, Egypt and Mauritius, and served as senior rural development officer responsible for rural development and lending in Yugoslavia.

A Harvard graduate with an MBA from Harvard Business School, he served as Commissioner of Food and Agriculture from 1984 to 1990 as well as chairman of the Pesticide Board and the Agriculture Preservation Restriction Board for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

He was instrumental in increasing the number of farmers markets from 8 to 89 and founding the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and Seniors Farmers Market coupon programs.

In 1994, then President Clinton named Schumacher Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S.D.A. and a board member of the Commodity Credit Corporation. Between 1997 and 2000, the United States Senate confirmed Schumacher as undersecretary of Farm and Foreign Agricultural Service for the U.S.D.A., president of the Commodity Credit Corporation and chairman of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and third ranking official for the U.S.D.A. As undersecretary, he oversaw some 17,000 employees located in 2,450 offices domestically and 76 offices in 72 countries.

Currently, Schumacher is the managing director for the Washington, DC, operations of SJH & Company of Danvers, Mass. He advises clients on Federal and State initiatives that impact client operations.