USDA Records Regarding the Titles and Resumes of Political Appointees Since 2018
Records from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reflecting titles and resumes of political appointees and position changes in 2018.
In these records:
Pages 5–7: A 2018 list of select positions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Pages 18 and 136:Resume and recusal letter for William Northey, under secretary of agriculture for farm production and conservation. The letter details his involvement and ownership of his family’s farm, WM Northey Farms, as well as plans to divest from the ethanol company Green Plains Inc.
Pages 77–79: Resume and cover letter for Michael Beatty, director of the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement at USDA. In his cover letter, Beatty wrote, “It is my desire to work with you President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue.”
Also in the application, Beatty said, “I believe the next 8 years with President Trump as our President will fundamentally change the direction of our nation.”
Pages 127 and 133: An ethics waiver and ethics recusal for Kenneth Barbic, assistant secretary for congressional relations and former lobbyist for the Western Growers Association.
Page 195:Ethics waiver for Jim Eichhorst, Farm Service Agency state director in Maryland, who previously worked for the state of Maryland.
Page 200:Ethics waiver for David Lavway, Farm Service Agency state director in Maine, who previously worked at the Maine Department of Agriculture.
Page 205:Ethics waiver for Jason Allen, rural development state director in Michigan, who previously worked at the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
These records also include several resumes for USDA officials:
Jamie Clover Adams, chief of staff for Farm Production and Conservation and former director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
ScottAngle, director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and former president and CEO of the International Fertilizer Development Center
Martin R. Barbre, administrator of USDA’s Risk Management Agency and formerly of the National Corn Growers Association
Barry Bushue, state executive director for the USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Oregon and former president of the Oregon Farm Bureau Federation
Ed Davidian, state executive director for the USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Massachusetts, and former president of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation
Michael L. Foster, state executive director for the USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Montana
Hailey Ghee, special assistant to the secretary and former chief of staff/executive assistant to the CEO of Politico
Kenneth D. Isley, administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service and former adviser at the agriculture division at DowDuPont
Courtney Knupp, chief of staff at the USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics and former director of international trade policy at the National Pork Producers Council
Anthony C. Linardos, state director of rural development in New Hampshire and Vermont, formerly worked in the pharmaceutical industry
Matthew J. Lohr, chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, former member of the Virginia House of Delegates
James W. Mago, state executive director of the USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Arizona, and former operations consultant for Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.
Richard Mayfield, state director of rural development in New York, and former director of the Office of Community Development at Orange County, New York
Sean R. McKeon, state executive director for the USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Delaware, and former director of communication and community relations at Mountaire Farms
Grant D. Menke, state director of rural development in Iowa, and former policy director for the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association
W. Michael Sullivan, state director for the USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Rhode Island
Lorren E.S. Walker, chief of staff at for marketing and regulatory programs at the USDA and former agriculture lobbyist for Schramm, Williams & Associates, Inc.