The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming,forestry,rural economic development,and food. It aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production,promotes agricultural trade and production,works to assure food safety,protects natural resources,fosters rural communities and works to end hunger in the United States and internationally. It is headed by the secretary of agriculture,who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack,who has served since February 24,2021.
Ann Margaret Veneman is an American attorney who served as the fifth executive director of UNICEF from 2005 to 2010. She previously served as the 27th United States secretary of agriculture from 2001 to 2005. Veneman served for the entire first term of President George W. Bush,and she left to take the UNICEF position. Appointed by the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on January 18,2005,she took over the post on May 1,2005. A lawyer,Veneman has practiced law in Washington,DC and California,including being a deputy public defender. She has also served in other high-level positions in both the state and the federal government of the United States,including being appointed secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture,serving from 1995 to 1999,as well as United States deputy secretary of agriculture,serving from 1991 to 1993. Throughout her public career,Veneman was the first woman to serve in a number of positions,including secretary of agriculture,deputy secretary of agriculture,and California's secretary of food and agriculture. She was also just the second woman to lead UNICEF,following her predecessor,Carol Bellamy.
Eva McPherson Clayton is an American politician from North Carolina. On taking her seat in the United States House of Representatives following a special election in 1992,Clayton became the first African American to represent North Carolina in the House since George Henry White was elected to his second and last term in 1898. She was re-elected and served for five terms. In 2003,Clayton was appointed Assistant Director-General of the United Nations's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),based in Rome.
The United States National Agricultural Library (NAL) is one of the world's largest agricultural research libraries,and serves as a national library of the United States and as the library of the United States Department of Agriculture. Located in Beltsville,Maryland,it is one of five national libraries of the United States. It is also the coordinator for the Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC),a national network of state land-grant institutions and coordinator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) field libraries.
David Michael Satterfield is an American diplomat and ambassador,who has served extensively in the Middle East,including the Persian Gulf area,Lebanon,and Iraq. He later served as a senior advisor on Iraq for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and was director general of the Multinational Force and Observers,the peacekeeping force for the Sinai Peninsula from June 2009 until August 2017. He was chargéd'affaires to Egypt from August 2013 to January 2014 and was subsequently Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for Libya. From September 2017 to June 2019 he served as the acting assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs,and was confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Turkey on June 27,2019.
Catherine "Cathy" Bertini is an American public servant. She is the 2003 World Food Prize Laureate. She was the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program from 1992 to 2002. She served as the UN Under-Secretary for Management from 2003 to 2005. Currently she is a distinguished fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs,the Chair of the Board of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the Chair of the Executive Board of the Crop Trust.
The Under Secretary for Food,Nutrition,and Consumer Services is a position created within the United States Department of Agriculture in 1993,and is responsible for administrating the department's fifteen nutrition and food security programs and for promoting the dietary guidelines. <7 CFR §2.19>The food assistance programs have a combined budget of $170.5 billion and include the Food Stamp Program,the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,Infants and Children,the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs,and the Commodity Distribution Programs. In addition,the Undersecretary oversees the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion,which leads the development of dietary guidelines and which promotes the guidelines through the Food Guide Pyramid (MyPyramid.gov).
Josette Sheeran is an American non-profit executive and diplomat who served in the United States Department of State. Sheeran serves as the seventh president and CEO of Asia Society since June 10,2013. Sheeran was also the United Nations's Special Envoy for Haiti.
The Under Secretary for Research,Education,and Economics is a high-ranking official within the United States Department of Agriculture that provides leadership and oversight for the Agricultural Research Service,National Institute of Food and Agriculture,Economic Research Service,National Agricultural Library,National Agricultural Statistics Service.
E. Travis York,Jr. was an American agronomist,professor,university administrator,agricultural extension administrator,and U.S. presidential adviser. York was a native of Alabama,and earned his bachelor's,master's and doctorate degrees in agricultural sciences. He served as the director of the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service,the administrator of the federal Extension Service,the interim president of the University of Florida,and the chancellor of the State University System of Florida.
Elsa Alina Murano has been the Director of the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture &Development at Texas A&M University's Agriculture &Life Sciences program since 2012. She was the 23rd president of Texas A&M University from January 3,2008,until her effective resignation on June 15,2009.
In the United States,the Special Milk Program,sometimes known as the School Milk Program,offers federal reimbursements for milk served to children in an eligible participating outlet,which includes schools,child care institutions,settlement houses,homeless shelters,or summer camps. This federal aid program is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).
Earl Anthony Wayne is an American diplomat. Formerly Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs,Ambassador to Argentina and Deputy Ambassador to Afghanistan,Wayne served nearly four years as Ambassador to Mexico. He was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate in August,2011. He departed Mexico City for Washington July 31,2015 and retired from the State Department on September 30,2015. Wayne attained the highest rank in the U.S. diplomatic service:Career Ambassador. He is currently a Professorial Lecturer and Distinguished Diplomat in Residence at American University's School of International Service and works with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars,the Atlantic Council,the Center for Strategic and International Studies,. Wayne is co-chair of the Wilson Center's Mexico Institute Board. He is an independent consultant,speaker and writer and works with several not for profit professional associations. Wayne worked as an adviser for HSBC Latin America on improving management of financial crime risk from 2015 until 2019 and with the American Foreign Service Association from 2017 to 2019. He currently teaches courses related to diplomacy and US foreign policy at American University.
The Chief Agricultural Negotiator is an ambassador of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) responsible for conducting and overseeing international negotiations related to trade in agricultural products. The Chief Agricultural Negotiator is compensated at the rate payable for Level III of the Executive Schedule.
African-Americans in foreign policy in the United States catalogs distinguished African Americans who have and continue to contribute to international development,diplomacy,and defense through their work with the U.S. Department of State,the U.S. Agency for International Development,the U.S. Information Agency,and the U.S. Congress,and other notable agencies and non-governmental organizations. The creators acknowledge the presence of the interagency contributions to the foreign affairs realm,and welcome additional content to showcase the achievements of African-Americans in other relevant USG agencies.
Michael A. Hammer is an American diplomat who is serving as the United States Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa as of 2022. A career member of the United States Foreign Service,Hammer previously served as the United States ambassador to Chile from 2014 to 2016 and the United States ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2018 to 2022.
William Maurice “Mo”Cowan is an American lawyer who served as a United States Senator from Massachusetts from February 1,2013,to July 15,2013. A member of the Democratic Party,he previously served as legal counsel and chief of staff to Governor Deval Patrick. Patrick appointed him on an interim basis to fill the vacancy left by fellow Democrat John Kerry,who resigned to become U.S. Secretary of State.
Nancy Stetson is the former United States Special Representative for Global Food Security,responsible for leading all aspects of U.S. diplomacy related to food security and nutrition,appointed by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on June 23,2014. She is also the Deputy Coordinator for Diplomacy for Feed the Future - the US government's global hunger and food security initiative. In October 2016,Ambassador Stetson was the deputy head of delegation for the U.S. party to Habitat III - the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development.
Jerold Robert Mande is an American nutritionist,public policy expert,and civil servant who served as Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety at the US Department of Agriculture,in charge of the Food Safety and Inspection Service,from 2009 to 2011. He has held numerous other senior positions in executive branch agencies and universities.
