In a January 20th memorandum, the USDA announced the following senior staff positions:-

• Dr. Gregory Parham as Interim Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration

Dr. Parham served in this position from 2013 to 2016 and was previously the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.  He holds baccalaureate and DVM degrees from the Ohio State University and a Master's degree from Johns Hopkins University.

• Katharine Ferguson as Chief of Staff in the Office of The Secretary

Ms. Ferguson served in the Obama Administration as Chief of Staff for the White House Domestic Policy Council and worked on the Senate Agriculture Committee.  She is a graduate of Tufts University and holds an MPA from the Maxwell School of Citizenship, Syracuse University.

• Robert Bonnie as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Senior Advisor for Climate Issues

During the Obama Administration Bonnie served as Undersecretary for Natural Resources and the Environment and as a Senior Advisor to USDA Secretary Vilsack for Climate and the Environment.  He holds a Master's degree in forestry and environmental management from Duke University and a baccalaureate degree from Harvard College.  He was most recently an Executive in Residence at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University.

• Dr. Sara Bleich as Senior Advisor for COVID-19 in the Office of the Secretary

Dr. Bleich was previously a professor of Public Health Policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.  Her baccalaureate degree is from Columbia University with a PhD in Health Policy from Harvard University.

• Kumar Chandran, Senior Advisor for Nutrition in The Office of the Secretary

Previously a Policy Director for Food Corp. Chandran served as Chief of Staff to the Undersecretary for Food and Nutrition and Consumer Services in the Obama Administration.

• Justo Robles, White House Liaison in the Office of the Secretary

Robles was previously Deputy Director and Chief of Staff for Energy Independence Now, a non-profit and served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in the Obama Administration.