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 Dr. Jewel Hairston Bronaugh has been nominated to serve as the Deputy Secretary of USDA. The position is the second-highest executive official in the USDA and involves responsibility of running the day-to-day operations of the Department.
Dr. Bronaugh is currently the 16th Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, a position she has held since 2018. Dr. Bronaugh earned a Baccalaureate degree in education from James Madison University and completed both Master’s and Doctoral degrees in technical education from Virginia Tech. During her career she served as the Dean of the Virginia State University College of Agriculture before being appointed to her current position by Governor Ralph Northam.
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Dr. Jewel H. Bronaugh
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In commenting on the appointment, Gov. Northam noted, “as Commissioner of the VDACS, Dr. Bronaugh has been a true leader - promoting the Agency’s core mission while taking on new challenges including our COVID-19 pandemic response and farmers’ mental health, focusing economic development to improve food access in underserved communities and engaging youth in the field of agriculture.”
Matt Lohr of Virginia, who previously was the Director of the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service under the outgoing Administration, observed, “America’s farmers and ranchers can be sure they have a true friend, an advocate working for them in DC.”
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In remarks announcing the appointment, President Elect Biden stated, “Our Administration will hit the ground running to deliver immediate, urgent relief to Americans; confront the overlapping crises of COVID-19, the historic economic downturn, systemic racism and inequality and the climate crisis, and get this Government working for the people it serves.”