USDA Announces Several Senior Staff Positions
With the arrival of the Trump administration, USDA this week announced people who will fill senior staff positions in that food safety and agricultural agency. “These appointees have been selected to implement President Trump’s America First agenda, ensuring that the needs of America’s farmers, ranchers and producers remain a top priority,” the announcement said.
Before we get to those, Brooke Rollins is undergoing Senate hearings today (Jan. 23) toward her confirmation as Secretary of Agriculture. She was a member of Trump's Economic Advisory Council during his first term and currently is CEO of America First Policy Institute think-tank.
Among the second-tier appointments:
Kailee Tkacz Buller will serve as USDA’s chief of staff. Most recently, she was president/CEO of the National Oilseed Processors Assn. and the Edible Oil Producers Assn. She was Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and held several management roles across the department in the first Trump administration.
Preston Parry will be deputy chief of staff. He most recently was strategic assistant to the President/CEO at the America First Policy Institute – Brooke Rollins, who is Trump’s nominee for Agriculture Secretary. During the first Trump Administration, Parry was the executive assistant to the director of the Domestic Policy Council.
Jennifer Tiller will serve as chief of staff to the Deputy Secretary and Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. Most recently, she was the Deputy Staff Director for the House Committee on Agriculture.
Ralph Linden is new principal deputy general counsel. He served in various capacities in the Office of the General Counsel from 1982 until 2021, including serving as an Acting Deputy General Counsel during the first Trump Administration.
Audra Weeks will be deputy director of communications. In the first Trump administration, she was USDA’s deputy press secretary before joining the national press team for President Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign.
Dominic Restuccia will serve as the White House liaison to USDA. He previously served as a legislative assistant for U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop and U.S. Senator Mike Lee.
About the Author
Dave Fusaro
Editor in Chief
Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.