Accelerating Rural Opportunities

Zachary N. Carpenter

As President and Chief Executive Officer, Zack leads the vision, development, and strategy for all Farmer Mac products, businesses, operations, loan servicing, and customer support. He oversees Farmer Mac’s mission-focused work to provide financial institutions and lenders across the country with financial solutions and risk mitigation tools that allow farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses, and rural infrastructure borrowers access to flexible and affordable credit.

In this role, Zack is responsible for guiding day-to-day operations and business strategy while continuing to shape the company’s long-term growth. He oversees the company’s extensive portfolios and develops customer, operations, and business strategies, product innovation and standardization, and business line strategy, research, and analytics.

Zack has devoted much of his career to facilitating dependable credit and financial solutions for American agriculture and rural communities. A respected executive with a reputation for building high-performing teams who share his same passion for and dedication to rural America, Zack has accumulated deep expertise developing and innovating financial solutions across the agribusiness value chain while developing strong relationships with other providers of capital. Before joining Farmer Mac, Zack spent nearly a decade in various management positions at CoBank, most recently as a Managing Director and Sector Vice President of its Corporate Agribusiness Banking Group, and previously as Executive Director of its Capital Markets division. He has also served as a vice president in finance and corporate strategy at Goldman Sachs.

Zack earned a bachelor of science degree in economics with a concentration in corporate finance from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA with specializations in corporate finance, accounting and business law from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

Matthew M. Pullins

Matt leads Farmer Mac’s finance organization in advancing the company’s mission through strategic financial management and operational excellence. He oversees all aspects of Farmer Mac’s finance functions, including treasury, asset/liability management, financial planning and analysis, pricing, investor relations, financial reporting, and accounting. Matt is responsible for ensuring the company’s financial integrity and regulatory compliance, guiding the development and execution of capital and liquidity strategies, and communicating financial goals and performance to stakeholders.

Matt brings more than two decades of experience in corporate finance, accounting, capital markets, and regulatory reporting. Before joining Farmer Mac, he served as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer – Capital Markets at PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., where he led strategic planning, budgeting, accounting, and financial reporting for a $1 billion revenue business. His career reflects a deep understanding of financial strategy, risk management, and enterprise reporting functions, developed through progressively senior leadership roles. Earlier in his career, Matt served as Chief Financial Officer of PNC’s institutional asset management division and subsequently oversaw PNC’s regulatory reporting and loan accounting activities supporting a $290 billion loan portfolio during his tenure. Raised on a family farm in western Ohio, he remains passionate about agriculture and actively involved in the management of his family’s farming enterprise.

Matt holds an M.B.A. in Corporate Financial Management and a B.S. in Agribusiness and Applied Economics from The Ohio State University; he is a licensed CPA in Pennsylvania. He has completed advanced leadership programs, including the PNC Accelerator and Dynamic Leadership, and is committed to fostering innovation and purpose-driven leadership in finance.

Brian M. Brinch

Brian is Farmer Mac’s Executive Vice President – Chief Risk Officer and oversees risk monitoring, reporting, and governance functions across the organization. He is responsible for the maintenance and continuous evolution of a robust enterprise risk management framework that supports the strategic goals of the organization. He works closely with senior leaders across the organization and with the Board’s Enterprise Risk Committee to build upon Farmer Mac’s strong and conservative culture of risk management and sets the vision and strategy for enterprise-wide risk management. Brian joined Farmer Mac in 2000, and most recently served as Senior Vice President – Enterprise Risk Officer. Prior to that, he served as Senior Vice President of Rural Infrastructure, where he was responsible for the division’s business development and customer success strategy. He also previously served as Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis, where he led the development of the company’s strategic planning initiative and guided its financial projections, stress testing, and data analytics.

Brian’s interest in Farmer Mac began while he was attending Pennsylvania State University for his Master’s in Agricultural and Applied Economics. He won the Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award for his thesis titled “An Analysis of Farmer Mac Prepayment Penalty Designs.” Brian is a CFA Charterholder, is FRM Certified, and has completed Carnegie Mellon University’s Chief Risk Officer certificate program.

Geraldine I. Hayhurst

With more than two decades of practicing law in dynamic financial services environments, Geraldine brings a strong track record of fostering ethical governance and aligning legal operations with business strategy. She provides counsel to Farmer Mac’s Board of Directors, executives, and cross-functional teams and plays an integral role in supporting the company’s long-term growth by overseeing legal and corporate governance matters.

Prior to joining Farmer Mac, Geraldine served as Associate General Counsel, Corporate and Compliance, at CoStar Group, Inc., where she supported the company in all aspects of corporate governance, including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and managing M&A transactions and Compliance and Privacy teams. She was previously General Counsel and Secretary at NewPoint Real Estate Capital, where she provided strategic advice, developed products, and executed corporate strategy while implementing innovative solutions for the company’s financing products. During her tenure at Freddie Mac, Geraldine provided legal counsel to the president, CEO, division heads, and the board. She helped develop the company’s strategic plan and priorities scorecard, played a key role in the creation of the multifamily K-deal securitization product, and actively managed and developed a team of 30 attorneys and legal professionals. Prior to her time at Freddie Mac, Geraldine worked at the SEC as an Attorney-Advisor in the Division of Trading and Markets. She also gained experience at A&O Shearman and Clifford Chance. Geraldine earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and holds a BBA in Finance from Loyola University, Chicago.

Robert J. Maines

As Executive Vice President – Chief Operations Officer, Rob oversees key operational functions for Farmer Mac, including loan operations, loan administration, USDA guarantees, servicing oversight, and IT. He was appointed to the role in March 2021, after having served as Vice President – Enterprise Risk Officer since joining Farmer Mac in December 2018. In his current role, he focuses on creating process efficiencies and execution strategies supporting the growth of Farmer Mac’s product set and portfolio. Rob also oversees Farmer Mac’s servicing strategy, working with internal and external partners to ensure a consistent customer experience while business is conducted in a safe and sound manner.

Rob has a wealth of knowledge in financial services from over 30 years of experience in a variety of executive positions. Prior to joining Farmer Mac, he served as Executive Vice President – Chief Risk / Operations Officer for 8 years at Beneficial Bank, where he chaired one management committee and was a member of three additional committees. He oversaw multiple areas at the bank, including enterprise risk, credit, and loan operations. Rob spent two years prior to this as a Director at Accume Partners, where he oversaw audit and risk management engagements at a variety of community banks and credit unions. He also spent 16 years at MBNA America and Bank of America in a variety of management roles in Credit, Workout, Loan Review, Internal Control, Audit, Information Security and Compliance. Rob graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Science in Economics.

Nader Pasdar

As Executive Vice President – Chief Business Officer, Nader leads the vision, development, and strategy for all Farmer Mac products, businesses, operations, loan servicing and customer support. He oversees the company's agricultural finance and infrastructure finance business, serving crucial sectors across rural America. In this role, Nader works across the organization to strengthen customer relationships, drive strategic growth, advance product innovation, and position Farmer Mac to continue meet the evolving needs of rural lenders, businesses, and communities.

Nader brings more than 25 years of experience in agricultural finance, lending, capital markets, and business leadership. Prior to joining Farmer Mac, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Rabo Securities and Head of Markets North America for Rabobank, where he led capital markets, sales, trading, business development, and compliance activities across North America. During his nearly three decades with Rabobank, Nader held a series of increasingly senior leadership positions spanning relationship management, debt capital markets, syndications, and wholesale banking. 

Known for his collaborative leadership style and commitment to developing high-performing teams, Nader has dedicated his career to connecting financial institutions, agricultural producers, agribusinesses, and rural businesses with capital and financial solutions that support long-term growth and resilience. His experience spans strategic business development, capital markets leadership, underwriting, syndications, and client management, giving him a broad perspective on the opportunities and challenges facing the agricultural and rural economies. 

Nader earned an M.B.A. in finance from Boston University's Questrom School of Business and a bachelor's degree in economics from Temple University.

Kerry T. Willie

Kerry Willie is the Executive Vice President – Chief Human Resources Officer for Farmer Mac. She brings over 20 years of human resources and operations experience to this executive position.

In this role, Kerry is charged with evolving the firm’s strategic human capital function, delivering solutions that attract, retain, and engage the company’s most valuable resource-its people. She also leads Farmer Mac’s   philanthropic activities, employee giving, and volunteerism. Kerry is focused on ensuring Farmer Mac has the talent and leadership capabilities necessary to deliver exceptional business results, amplifying the Company’s commitment to the mission and culture

Prior to joining Farmer Mac, Kerry served as a global human resources leader for both Blackboard and Northrop Grumman, where she provided talent management strategies for up to 3,000 employees. Kerry also served as Executive Vice President, Administration for SBLI USA, where she led human resources, customer operations, and facilities during a time of transformational growth. Kerry’s early human resources career includes work at the Boston Public Health Commission and Hertz Car Rental.

Kerry holds a Master of Business Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey, and a Bachelor of Science from Ithaca College, New York. Her community service activities focus on education, the arts, and women’s health.

Todd A. Batta

As Farmer Mac's Senior Vice President - Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Todd leads the company's corporate affairs strategy, overseeing communications, government relations, stakeholder engagement, and social impact initiatives that strengthen trust in Farmer Mac and advance its mission in rural America. He brings more than two decades of leadership experience at the highest levels of government, public policy, and agricultural finance, including Senate-confirmed service as Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), senior advisory roles at USDA and the Farm Credit Administration, and key policy positions in the United States Senate. Throughout his career, he has helped advance policies and partnerships that support agriculture, rural communities, and agricultural finance.

He previously served as Executive Assistant and Senior Policy Advisor to Farm Credit Administration Chairman Dallas Tonsager, advising the Chairman on regulatory policy, congressional affairs, and issues affecting agricultural credit markets and rural America. In that role, he worked closely with Farm Credit System institutions, Farmer Mac, industry stakeholders, and policymakers, helping strengthen relationships across the agricultural finance community while supporting FCA's efforts to ensure safety and soundness, advance its statutory mission, and build confidence among key stakeholders in rural America.

Prior to joining FCA, he was confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations at USDA. In that role, he served as the principal political adviser to the Secretary and USDA leadership on legislative, budget, and regulatory matters. He directed congressional relations and strategic engagement efforts to advance the Administration's policy priorities, advising senior officials on stakeholder engagement, congressional communications, and testimony related to agricultural, rural development, and budget issues. He also served as Senior Policy Advisor to Secretary Tom Vilsack, where he led work on rural economic development initiatives, coordinated the White House Rural Council's policy agenda, and helped guide development of the Department's annual budget.

Before joining USDA, he spent more than a decade in the United States Senate, where he served in policy advisory roles for Senator Herb Kohl and Chairman Tom Harkin of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Throughout his congressional service, he helped shape federal policy while building relationships across industry, government, and stakeholder communities to advance legislative priorities and public policy solutions.

A native of Iowa, he has dedicated much of his career to advancing policies that strengthen agriculture, rural communities, and rural finance. He is a graduate of Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History.