Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on June 16 named three individuals who will fill leadership roles as the USDA continues the reorganization announced May 11.
USDA created a new Under Secretary of Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs as part of a realignment of several mission areas.
The reorganization also included a reconstituted mission area reporting to a newly-named Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation.
The U.S. Forest Service, given its size and importance, will be the only agency to report to the Under Secretary for National Resources and Environment.
For these three mission areas, Perdue has named Acting Deputy Under Secretaries, who will serve in their roles until the Senate confirms permanent presidentially-nominated appointees.
Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs
Jason Hafemeister, until now serving as the Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, will now be Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. He has been involved in agricultural farm and trade policy for over 25 years, including almost 20 at USDA and with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Hafemeister’s responsibilities have included serving as the lead U.S. negotiator on agriculture in the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Doha Round negotiations, the Central America Free Trade Agreement, and China’s accession to the WTO.
Farm Production and Conservation
Dr. Robert Johansson will serve as the Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, while also concurrently remaining USDA’s Chief Economist, a position he has held since July 2015. Since 2001, he has worked as an economist at USDA, in the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget, and at the Congressional Budget Office.
Natural Resources and Environment
Dan Jiron will fill the role of Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment. With more than 29 years of public service and natural resources management, Jiron was appointed Associate Chief of the Forest Service in July 2016.
Source: content.govdelivery.com