J. David Carlin, senior vice president of legislative affairs and economic policy for the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), recently announced his plans to retire at the end of 2025 following nearly four decades in leadership positions across the food and agriculture sector, including 11 years with IDFA.

The association has begun a national search for Carlin’s successor to lead IDFA’s Government Relations team.

“It has been an honor to represent the dairy processing industry in Washington, D.C. As the son and grandson of dairy farmers, working at IDFA has been more than a job to me – it has been a true labor of love. I am proud of the work everyone on the IDFA team does to support our industry and I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to work with our members to improve health and nutritional outcomes for many Americans by increasing access to all varieties of dairy products in federal nutrition programs,” said Carlin. 

“Dave has led IDFA’s legislative affairs efforts with distinction for more than a decade, bringing the heart of a dairy farmer and the strategic thinking of a federal policy expert to our work every day. Under Dave’s direction, IDFA was instrumental in creating the SNAP Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives Program in the 2018 Farm Bill, expanding flavored milk options in schools through the federal appropriations process, and securing millions of dollars in federal funding to support our industry’s policy priorities while ensuring the safety and quality of dairy foods for consumers around the world.,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of IDFA. “His accomplishments with IDFA culminated in 2025 with the successful implementation of the first meaningful reforms to milk pricing in nearly two decades—a testament to his collaborative approach on one of the most challenging of dairy policy issues. On behalf of IDFA, our Board, and our members, we thank Dave for his years of service to U.S. dairy.”

Dave joined IDFA in 2014 to lead legislative and political affairs as well as the association’s economic policy work. Prior to joining IDFA, Carlin was a partner with the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP where he represented numerous food and agricultural companies, cooperatives and trade associations before the House and Senate Agriculture Committees and at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Carlin joined Akin Gump in 1988. In 1995, President Bill Clinton appointed him to serve as Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations under Secretary Dan Glickman at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As head of the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations, Carlin served as the primary USDA liaison with Congress and the White House Office of Legislative Affairs. He returned to Akin Gump in 1998 to focus his practice on public law and policy matters. In Washington, D.C., Carlin has been active in many community, civic and charitable organizations. He co-founded the Homeless Children’s Tutorial Project, Inc. (Project Northstar) and previously served as the president of that organization. He has chaired the board of directors of the Capitol Hill Day School and Video/Action, a D.C. based non-profit that helps other charities tell their stories to prospective donors. He also served on the board of directors of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) for more than a decade. He grew up on a Kansas dairy farm founded by his grandfather in 1940. His father, John William Carlin, ran the operation from 1962 until he became governor of Kansas in 1979.

Carlin will continue to lead the IDFA legislative affairs and economic policy team as the organization searches for his successor. He will retire at the end of the year following a successful transition in leadership.