Lilley
The annual Sampson County Friends of Agriculture Ag Rally returns this year on March 18.
The rally is a long-held tradition for people to gather, fellowship and remember the importance that agriculture has on the Sampson County community.
The 2025 Ag Rally is scheduled to begin with a dinner at 6:30 p.m. in the Sampson County Agri-Expo Center.
This year’s guest speaker is North Carolina’s Secretary of Commerce Lee Lilley. Appointed to the office by Governor Josh Stein, Secretary Lilley brings extensive economic development experience to the role.
Prior to joining the department, Lilley served as the Director of Economic & Pandemic Recovery for Governor Roy Cooper. In that position, he coordinated statewide pandemic recovery efforts, served as State Infrastructure Coordinator, and led economic development initiatives for the Cooper Administration. He also advised Cooper Administration leadership on strategy and communications.
Lilley joined the Governor’s Office in 2018 as the Director of Legislative Affairs, where he led all Gubernatorial and Executive Branch engagement with the North Carolina General Assembly and served as the principal advisor to the Governor on policy and legislative strategy. He was previously senior vice president and deputy director of federal practice at McGuire Woods Consulting, LLC, based in Washington, D.C. There, he represented a diverse group of clients including Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, trade associations, and non-profits before Congress and the federal Executive Branch. He led public affairs strategies for clients facing political and regulatory scrutiny of international mergers and acquisitions, litigation, and trade disputes.
Prior to joining McGuire Woods, Lilley served as legislative director for Congressman G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), a member of U.S. House Democratic leadership and the Energy & Commerce Committee, and the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. He served as the member’s senior legislative strategist and policy advisor. He is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, where he serves on the Board of Visitors