- Pritzker Fellows
- Current Fellows
- Xochitl Torres Small
Xochitl Torres Small
Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
Biography
Xochitl Torres Small grew up in the Land of Enchantment (New Mexico for those who don’t know the joys of green chile). She’s served as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Under Secretary for Rural Development, and U.S. Representative for her home in southern NM. She’s spent her career working towards solutions for water in the West, making sure everyone can get high speed internet at home, and fighting for rural health care, affordable housing, and economic opportunity.
Seminars
“Losing, Listening & Living One’s Values: A Starter Kit for a Satisfying Life in Public Service”
Xochitl Torres Small was working as a new attorney in water law when she decided to run to represent her home in Congress. Serving a sprawling district in New Mexico –which made up almost half the state’s land mass – Xoch (as she likes to go by) leaned into complex conversations within her own party, colleagues across the aisle and constituents who identified with no party at all.
The granddaughter of farmworkers, Torres Small embodies a diverse array of views and values that are shared by many rural Americans. She put that perspective to use as the first Latina to serve as Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture. Come talk through the value of loss, listening and maintaining your values in service.
Fellows seminars are off the record and open to current UChicago students only.
I started my career as a field organizer in New Mexico’s colonias and decided to run for Congress in 2018, a year when many women and young people chose to take on powerful politics in Washington. Navigating the rural/urban divide, border policy, impeachment and COVID-19, I was suddenly inside the machine I’d grown up criticizing. Then, in 2020, I lost. What were the key lessons I gained from that loss, and how did I strive to apply them while serving in the Biden administration? What are the secrets of resiliency? And, can losing help us step back and consider the challenges and opportunities for a political system that relies on loss to preserve freedom?
What have I learned from rural leaders and ag pioneers? What does “rural” look like? Who’s doing interesting things in rural places? Do you think Congress listens to people in rural places well? What about federal agencies? Come participate in a mock Field Hearing to see for yourself whether an existing tool for engagement outside of Washington can help identify better ways to serve rural people.