VILSACK ANNOUNCES MORE SENIOR USDA APPOINTMENTS
News Date July 15, 2009
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on July 9 announced several senior level appointments at USDA. Jonathan Coppess was named Administrator for the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Previously, Coppess worked for Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) and practiced law in Chicago.
William J. Murphy was named Administrator of USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA). Murphy most recently served as RMA Acting Administrator during the transition to the Obama Administration. Before that, he served RMA as the Deputy Administrator for Insurance Services; Director of the Regional Office in Davis, Calif., overseeing crop insurance operations in California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii.
Jerold R. Mande, M.P.H., was appointed Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety. Most recently, he was Associate Director for Public Policy at the Yale Cancer Center, Yale University School of Medicine, where he developed a national model to increase support for cancer prevention and control, including diet, exercise, and obesity.
Vilsack also announced several staff positions in the Farm & Foreign Agriculture Services, Research, Education & Economics, Rural Development and Office of Communications. More details and staff biographies are posted on the USDA website at: www.usda.gov. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)