The Heart of the Matter: A Conversation with Charles Green, the Deputy Commissioner with the VDACS

In the Tall Grass

The summer of 2022 became known as the “mystery summer” for Charles Green. After eating a cheeseburger, Charles experienced chest pain that lasted throughout the night and sent him to the ER. Tests confirmed that he in fact had a heart attack, but it would take another five months for his ongoing symptoms to be identified as alpha-gal syndrome. Tune in now to hear Charles’s incredible story, his tips for living with AGS, and how he refuses to let his diagnosis become who he is.
Charles Green has served as the Deputy Commissioner with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) since 2014. Previously, Charles served as Director of the Marketing and Development Division within VDACS and prior to joining VDACS, Charles served as head of the International Marketing Office at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA) and as the Corporate Logistics Manager for Coastal Lumber Company in North Carolina.
Charles holds an undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech and a Masters in Business Administration from Campbell University. He and his family live in Henrico County on a small family farm in King William County, Virginia. He contracted Alpha-gal Syndrome from a tick bite while working at the farm in 2022.