Virginia Houston is the Director of Government Affairs at the American Soybean Association, where she leads ASA efforts on issues pertaining to trade policy, market access, and international biotechnology and crop protection. She also handles tax policy, livestock, and aquaculture issues for the association. She joined ASA in June 2020 after six years as the Director of Government Relations at the American Seed Trade Association, where she was responsible for implementing ASTA’s federal legislative initiatives.  

Prior to joining ASTA, Virginia held previous positions at the National Pork Producers Council, the Animal Agriculture Alliance and the Agriculture Marketing Service at USDA. 

A native of east Tennessee, Virginia grew up on a diversified cow/calf operation, and her family owns and operates the oldest livestock auction market in Tennessee. Virginia holds a B.S. in political science from the University of Mississippi and a master’s degree in political management with a specialization in advocacy politics from The George Washington University.