U.S. Department of Agriculture declared Important Staff Appointments

The names of the people who will fill top staff jobs at the USDA in Washington, D.C., were released on 7^th June 2023.

Senior Advisor for Rural Engagement, Delivery, and Prosperity Cindy Axne has been appointed:

Axne held the office of U.S. House Representative for Iowa's 3rd Congressional District from 2019 to 2023 prior to joining USDA. She served as Co-Chair of the Congressional Rural Caucus and on the House Committees on Agriculture and Financial Services. Axne joined the Rural Broadband Task Force to guarantee that Iowans could access high-speed internet while she was a member of Congress and supported legislation that benefited Iowa's small producers and farmers. In 2021, her bill—the Sergeant Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act—was enacted into law, giving more rural veterans access to medical care.

She worked as a Principal at Axne Consulting Group before being chosen to represent a district in the US House of Representatives. Axne has previously held a number of top roles for the State of Iowa in the Departments of Natural Resources, Management, and Administrative Services. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University with a Master of Business Administration.

The Rural Housing Service's new chief of staff is Yvonne Hsu:

Hsu served as the National Asian-Pacific American Women's Forum's Chief Policy and Government Affairs Officer prior to joining USDA. She was in charge of creating and putting into action the organization's advocacy plan to increase the influence of Asian American and Pacific Islander women and girls. She has previously worked for representatives Katherine Clark (D-MA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), the National Council of State Housing Agencies, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Obama Administration. Hsu, a 1.5 generation immigrant, has worked in government, charity, and housing policy for fifteen years. She graduated from the University of California, Riverside with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and History.

The position of Acting Director of External and Intergovernmental Affairs has been given to Rudy Soto.

In Idaho's rural towns, Rudy Soto has played a crucial role in advancing economic growth, expanding access to healthcare, and enhancing infrastructure. He graduated with a bachelor's degree from Portland State University and was reared in Nampa.

Senior Advisor for the Natural Resources Conservation Service Tom O'Halleran has been appointed.

From 2017 until 2023, O'Halleran represented Arizona's 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House, where he developed water policy and backed legislation that financed health care, education, veteran services, and indigenous communities. He was grown and born in Chicago, Illinois.

Senior Advisor for Economics, Education, and Research, Carlton Bridgeforth:

Bridgeforth managed crop input costs, inventories, supply chain logistics, and company growth while working for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture and Bridgeforth Farms. Morehouse College awarded him a Bachelor of Arts degree.

The position of Senior Advisor for Regulatory Affairs has been given to Greg Jaffe:

Jaffe managed the Centre for Science in the Public Interest's Biotechnology Project, collaborated with the USDA, FDA, and EPA, and served as co-director of the Breakthrough Institute's Washington, D.C., office on food and agricultural policy. He graduated from Harvard Law School with a Bachelor of Arts and a Juris Doctor.