Loyola University Maryland Communications Professor Kevin Atticks was recently appointed as the new Secretary of Agriculture for the state of Maryland. In this role, Atticks will be the governor’s top advisor on agriculture, participating directly at the table and helping to enact policy change.
Atticks says his goals as Secretary of Agriculture are to make farms more profitable in the state.
“The reality of the situation is farms feed people; farms are the number one economy in the state and the number one industry. Farms pay a lot of taxes; farms pay a lot of people for employment; so if farms go away, they don’t come back,” Atticks said.
What started with an interest in the topic of wine became the seed for Atticks’ passion for advocating and promoting Maryland agriculture. It took time for Atticks to stumble upon a career that represents, safeguards, and preserves Maryland’s local agriculture.
The Loyola University Maryland alum did what most journalists do best – he took his wine story and ran with it. After his time as a freelancer, writing stories about the local wine industry, Atticks founded Grow & Fortify, a consulting company built to support and represent agricultural organizations. Nearly 20 years of work brought Atticks to where he is now.
“I got on the radar of candidate Wes Moore and had an opportunity to speak with the soon-to-be governor-elect about the importance of this type of agriculture and the importance of agriculture in general in the state. Later, I was offered a spot in the administration,” Atticks said.
Despite his newfound role, Atticks plans to continue teaching at Loyola University Maryland and leading the Apprentice House Press.
“I had the endorsement of Loyola to do this, and I had the endorsement of the state and the governor to continue teaching. And because I’ve invested so much in both, I love both so much. And I see both in my future,” Atticks said. Lorena Ercoline ’23 is currently working for Atticks as a managing intern at the student-run publication company.
“It was very surprising to see, but from what I’ve heard, it’s well deserved,” Ercoline said.
Ercoline talks about how she was raised near farms in rural New Hampshire, being “sandwiched” between a dairy farm and a corn farm. As a child, she grew up running through the corn mazes, going blueberry picking, and picking apples at orchards during the fall.
Ercoline said, “That was like one of my favorite things about growing up in New Hampshire. So I don’t know, it’s exciting to see that someone’s going to be in charge of that, who cares about that, and will ensure the longevity of all these fun little farm things that I enjoy.”
Featured Images Courtesy of Kevin Atticks and Elle White.
