He was also CEO of the ASA for 21 years prior to his tenure as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture.

Censky was raised on a soybean and corn farm near Jackson, Minnesota and received a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture from South Dakota State University.

He won the Truman Scholarship while at South Dakota State University in 1980, the first winner in the school's history.

[2] Censky served as a legislative assistant to United States Senator James Abdnor before holding several appointments in the United States Department of Agriculture, eventually rising to become Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service.

[3] He returned to the American Soybean Association, serving as chief executive officer, starting on November 9, 2020.