USDA announces appointments, staffing changes
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a series of new political appointees, job changes and hires on Tuesday:
Katie Yocum has been named deputy chief of staff for rural development. Yocum has served as a special assistant in the Rural Utilities Service since her appointment to USDA in 2009. She previously served as confidential assistant and director of outreach under RUS Administrator Jonathan Adelstein at the Federal Communications Commission.
Before that, Yocum worked as the campaign coordinator for the Media and Democracy Coalition, a national coalition of nonprofit organizations committed to amplifying the voices of the public in shaping media and telecommunications policy.
Jenny Montoya Tansey has been named senior adviser in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. In April 2009, Tansey was appointed as a special assistant for the rural development mission area and moved to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights a year later.
Before her appointment at USDA, Tansey worked for a number of legal organizations, including the Young Citizens Center; the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights; Hughes, Hubbard & Reed, LLP; the Center for Constitutional Rights; and the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice.
Julianna Grogan-Brown has been appointed as a special assistant for the People’s Garden Initiative in the Office of Assistant Secretary for Administration Pearlie Reed. Brown was appointed to USDA in April 2009 as a confidential assistant to Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Dave White. In that role, she represented USDA’s interests on the interagency Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force and also helped launch the outreach component of the People’s Garden Initiative.
Before joining USDA, Julie was a field organizer for the Campaign for Change in Pahrump, Nev.
Ashley Martin has been appointed as the senior legislative analyst for the Office of Congressional Relations. Martin has been a legislative assistant for Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and former Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D.
Martin worked on energy, environmental and telecommunications policy for Matheson in his role as a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and also managed his work as co-chair of the Blue Dog Energy Task Force and Congressional Rural Caucus.
Rebecca Shively has joined the Farm Service Agency as a special assistant in the office of FSA Administrator Bruce Nelson. Shively has spent the past year as a Bill Emerson Fellow at the Congressional Hunger Center. Shively’s fellowship was divided between work for the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and field work with Community Food Advocates in Nashville, Tenn.
From 2008 to 2010, Shively worked for Food for People, the Food Bank for Humboldt County, Calif., coordinating a network of 16 rural food pantries. Before that, she served as a William J. Clinton Fellow at the Mann Deshi Foundation in Maharashtra, India, where she worked on rural economic development issues.
Nita Contreras has joined the Rural Utilities Service as a staff assistant. Contreras recently graduated from Connecticut College in New London, Conn., with a bachelor of arts in international relations. Earlier this year she was a student activist with Powershift 2011 and a student advocate for Green Dot, a program that provides education and training on preventing sexual assault.
She has also served as an intern for the Pan Himalayans Grassroots Development Foundation in Ranikhet, India, and as treasurer for Sprout, an organic sustainable farming initiative.
Katie Yocum has been named deputy chief of staff for rural development. Yocum has served as a special assistant in the Rural Utilities Service since her appointment to USDA in 2009. She previously served as confidential assistant and director of outreach under RUS Administrator Jonathan Adelstein at the Federal Communications Commission.
Before that, Yocum worked as the campaign coordinator for the Media and Democracy Coalition, a national coalition of nonprofit organizations committed to amplifying the voices of the public in shaping media and telecommunications policy.
Jenny Montoya Tansey has been named senior adviser in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. In April 2009, Tansey was appointed as a special assistant for the rural development mission area and moved to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights a year later.
Before her appointment at USDA, Tansey worked for a number of legal organizations, including the Young Citizens Center; the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights; Hughes, Hubbard & Reed, LLP; the Center for Constitutional Rights; and the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice.
Julianna Grogan-Brown has been appointed as a special assistant for the People’s Garden Initiative in the Office of Assistant Secretary for Administration Pearlie Reed. Brown was appointed to USDA in April 2009 as a confidential assistant to Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Dave White. In that role, she represented USDA’s interests on the interagency Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force and also helped launch the outreach component of the People’s Garden Initiative.
Before joining USDA, Julie was a field organizer for the Campaign for Change in Pahrump, Nev.
Ashley Martin has been appointed as the senior legislative analyst for the Office of Congressional Relations. Martin has been a legislative assistant for Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and former Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D.
Martin worked on energy, environmental and telecommunications policy for Matheson in his role as a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and also managed his work as co-chair of the Blue Dog Energy Task Force and Congressional Rural Caucus.
Rebecca Shively has joined the Farm Service Agency as a special assistant in the office of FSA Administrator Bruce Nelson. Shively has spent the past year as a Bill Emerson Fellow at the Congressional Hunger Center. Shively’s fellowship was divided between work for the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and field work with Community Food Advocates in Nashville, Tenn.
From 2008 to 2010, Shively worked for Food for People, the Food Bank for Humboldt County, Calif., coordinating a network of 16 rural food pantries. Before that, she served as a William J. Clinton Fellow at the Mann Deshi Foundation in Maharashtra, India, where she worked on rural economic development issues.
Nita Contreras has joined the Rural Utilities Service as a staff assistant. Contreras recently graduated from Connecticut College in New London, Conn., with a bachelor of arts in international relations. Earlier this year she was a student activist with Powershift 2011 and a student advocate for Green Dot, a program that provides education and training on preventing sexual assault.
She has also served as an intern for the Pan Himalayans Grassroots Development Foundation in Ranikhet, India, and as treasurer for Sprout, an organic sustainable farming initiative.
