Hillsdale alumnus Dominic Restuccia ’16 was recently appointed by President Donald Trump as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s state director for Michigan.
Restuccia said he plans to focus on rural, small towns like Hillsdale, and his hometown in Livingston County, where the economies have been left behind by technological advancement.
“The engine of the industry left,” Restuccia said. “The mill closed down. All the jobs have left. I drive through these communities, like the Irish Hills, and I just see all these neighborhoods and these small towns that used to be full of life that are dilapidated.”
Previously, Restuccia was the White House liaison to the United States Department of Agriculture and has also worked for former Rep. Mike Bishop, R-MI, Sen. Mike Lee, R-UT, and state Sen. Lana Theis, R-22nd District. He also served as the senior adviser for election integrity in Michigan for the 2024 Trump–Vance campaign.
Matthew Spalding, vice president of Hillsdale’s Washington operations and the dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government, was one of Restuccia’s professors. The two remained in contact while Restuccia worked in Washington, D.C.
“I’m very hopeful for him, very proud of him, and wish him the best,” Spalding said. “I always say, it’s one of the greatest things as a professor, to see students who go out and are very successful in keeping up the argument. That’s extremely rewarding.”
Restuccia said he wants to assist smaller Michigan communities with their economic opportunities and job growth which, he believes, will help the towns become vibrant and grow.
“This is indicative of so many of these communities where it’s predominantly retirees who moved there, where the jobs were good and whose children have left, except for some of those who either chose to stay behind and make sacrifices to do so, or who just didn’t have the economic opportunities elsewhere,” Restuccia said.
Trump’s presidential campaign message reflects the work Restuccia is planning at the USDA, Restuccia said.
“I think that for President Trump in particular, the almost central campaign promise was, ‘The forgotten men and women will no longer be forgotten,’” Restuccia said. “I think that rural development is one of the key tools to helping to fulfill that promise, because it serves a lot of the communities that would not otherwise perhaps have access to the kind of capital, grant money, or investments to maintain that municipality.”
Restuccia said he wants to use the taxpayers’ money responsibly, and that the money invested will be paid back to the government in payments feasible for the community.
“We do some grants, that’s a piece of the portfolio, but the majority of the dollars that go out are direct and guaranteed loans,” Restuccia said. “So, this really isn’t a handout, as it is a hand up.”
Restuccia said he saw this need when he helped found A Few Good Men, a Hillsdale College volunteering opportunity for students that allows them to “serve elderly, disabled, and low income households with yard work, home repair, and service tasks,” according to its website.
“I just remember leading crews into different folks’ homes and there was just a lot of need there,” Restuccia said. “It kind of emphasized how many people were isolated, alone in the community and fractured.”
Alumna Emma (Vinton) Restuccia ’16, Dominic Restuccia’s wife, said Hillsdale College formed her husband for the position he now holds. Emma Restuccia was an assistant features editor at The Collegian for two years.
“Dom loves our country, and he loves our state, and he knows policy very well, and a lot of that stuff he learned at Hillsdale,” she said. “Hillsdale really shaped him into the man he is, and gave him the relationships and friendships that have kind of carried him forward into his career.”
Restuccia will be moving back to Michigan after working the last year in Washington, D.C., away from his young family. He said he worked during the week and flew home to Michigan on the weekend when he was a White House liaison.
“The commute is a lot shorter now,” Restuccia said. “It was a privilege and an honor, honestly, to be able to serve out in D.C. the past year as White House liaison. I don’t think a lot of people get that kind of opportunity. And my wife, she’s a saint and by far the better and smarter half, and she put up with a lot for the past year for me to be able to have this opportunity.”
Emma Restuccia said she is excited to see her husband move home and still have the opportunity to serve the president.
“It has been challenging for our family, but obviously a great career step for him,” she said. “It’s great that he’s moving back to Michigan. He’ll be in Michigan full time. That’s great for our family, and obviously a great career step for him. I’m super proud of him.”
