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A USDA Staffing Update

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Oct 20, 2009 at 19:44:48 PM PDT


Since Obama took office, I've been trying to keep up with the many appointments in the executive branch, particularly at the USDA. Here's a recap on who's who in the Obama USDA (the people I like a lot are in BOLD):

Secretary: Tom Vilsack
Chief of Staff: John Norris
Deputy Chief of Staff: Carole Jett
Senior Advisor: David Lazarus

(Vilsack and the folks in his office all have political backgrounds. Both Jett and Lazarus were on the Obama transition team, for example. Norris first rose in the Iowa Democratic Party and then served as Vilsack's chief of staff while he was Governor.)

Deputy Secretary: Kathleen Merrigan
Chief of Staff: Doug O'Brien

(Merrigan and O'Brien are both good picks for sustainable food & ag advocates.)

More below...

Jill Richardson :: A USDA Staffing Update
Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services: Jim Miller
Deputy Under Secretaries: Bud Philbrook and Michael T. Scuse
Confidential Assistant to the Under Secretary: Elisabeth Reiter
Confidential Assistant, Risk Management Agency: Miles Patrie
Administrator for Farm Service Agency: Jonathan Coppess
Administrator for Risk Management Agency: William J. Murphy
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service: Michael Michener

(Miller is a major pro-status-quo, pro-big-ag force in the USDA. I hear he tries to make things difficult for anyone who is for sustainable ag.)

Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services: Kevin Concannon
Deputy Under Secretary: Janey Thornton
Administrator for Food & Nutrition Service: Julie Paradis
Special Assistant to the Under Secretary: Nathan Blake
Special Assistant to the Under Secretary: Norah Deluhery

(Concannon's from Iowa's Health & Human Services Dept and Thornton's from the School Nutrition Association.)

Under Secretary for Food Safety & Inspection Service: Nobody
Deputy Under Secretary: Jerold R. Mande

Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs: John Ferrell
Deputy Under Secretary: Ann Wright
Administrator for Agricultural Marketing Service: Rayne Pegg
Administrator for GIPSA (Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Agency): J Dudley Butler
Special Assistant to the Under Secretary: Lisa Bertelson
Confidential Assistant to the Under Secretary: Luke Knowles
Special Assistant for Horticultural Crops: Livia Marques
National Organic Program Deputy Administrator: Miles McEvoy

Under Secretary for Natural Resources & Environment: Nobody
Deputy Under Secretaries: Ann Mills and Jay Jensen
Chief of U.S. Forest Service: Tom Tidwell
Administrator for National Resource Conservation Service: Dave White

Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics: Rajiv Shah
Deputy Under Secretary: Molly Jahn
Counselor to the Under Secretary: Rachael Goldfarb
Senior Advisor for Energy & Climate: Maura O'Neill
Senior Advisor for International Affairs Ann Tutwiler
Administrator for National Institute for Food & Agriculture: Roger Beachy

(This is a part of the USDA that I worry about. Shah came directly from the Gates Foundation, and Roger Beachy is Monsanto's boy.)

Under Secretary for Rural Development: Dallas Tonsager
Deputy Under Secretaries: Victor Vasquez & Cheryl Cook
Chief of Staff, Rural Business Service: Curt Wiley
Administrator for Housing and Community Facilities Programs: Tammye Trevino
Administrator for Business and Cooperative Programs: Judith Canales
Deputy Administrator, Rural Utility Service: Jessica Zufolo
Confidential Assistant, Rural Utility Service: Katie Yocum
Director of Economic and Community Development: Stacey Brayboy
Confidential Assistant to the Administrator of Housing Programs: Tim Gannon
Confidential Assistant to the Administrator of Rural Business and Cooperative Services: Shayna Cherry
Confidential Assistant to the Administrator of Rural Business and Cooperative Services: Liz Purchia

(FYI, you can see the USDA org chart here)

Tags: , (All Tags)
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wow!!! (4.00 / 3)
that's alot of work, jill. thanks!!

www.wiserearth.org   go, join, act

I thought John Norris left (4.00 / 3)
as Vilsack's chief of staff in order to serve on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Maybe he hasn't been confirmed for FERC yet, though.

did he? (4.00 / 2)
maybe I got it wrong then? It's too bad the USDA website is so easy to navigate so I can't just look it up on there really quickly.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

[ Parent ]
Norris (4.00 / 1)
Norris nomination placed on the Senate executive calendar just a couple of weeks ago.

[ Parent ]
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