On March 17, President Joe Biden announced plans to appoint nine people to regional positions within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The positions include three Farm Service Agency state executive directors and six Rural Development state directors.
“Our state offices are on the frontlines of providing critical USDA programs and services," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the March 17 news release, "I am thrilled to welcome these nine talented and dedicated public servants to the team as we continue to build back better for the American people."
According to the release, the function of FSA state executive directors is to supervise FSA operations and policy execution, as well as to collaborate with state committees to help implement programs and manage stakeholder relationships.
Meanwhile, RD state directors function as the chief executive officers of rural development within their respective states and jurisdictions. Their primary responsibility is to ensure RD accomplishes its role for the benefit of all those living in rural America.
FSA state executive director appointments include Julia Wickard for Indiana, Jeffrey Holmes for New Hampshire and Steve Dick for South Dakota.
RD statedirector appointments include Deidre Deculus Robert for Louisiana, Lucas Ingvoldstad for Nevada, Erin Oban for North Dakota, Nikki Gronli for South Dakota, Perry Hickman for Virginia and Ryan Thorn for West Virginia.
