Joe Biden Announces Key Regional Appointments for U.S. Department of Agriculture

Regina Black has been promoted to Senior Advisor for Trade and National Security in the Office of the Secretary: Since August 2021, Regina Black has served as Chief of Staff for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. She was the Director of the Executive Office at the United States Dairy Export Council before joining the Department. Black previously worked at USDA in various capacities during the Obama Administration, including Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary and Acting Deputy Chief of Staff for the Foreign Agricultural Service.  

She graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in International Relations and Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Silvia Fabela has been appointed Senior Advisor for the Office of the Secretary: Fabela is joining USDA from Local Progress, where she was Program Director. Fabela oversaw member education and mobilisation on a wide range of issues, including economic justice, public safety, immigrant protections, housing, and more in this role, which she supervised and managed.

She previously worked for the Center for Popular Democracy, the AFL-CIO, and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). Silvia graduated from Monmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

Jason Lumia has been appointed Chief of Staff for the Rural Utilities Service: Lumia previously worked as the Chief of Staff for Congressman Jim Cooper. For more than a decade, he served as the Congressman's primary political and policy adviser, assisting him in responding to the needs of his district, including securing COVID-19 relief funds to save Nashville's music venues. Lumia previously worked as the Legislative Director and Rules Associate for former Congressman Dennis Cardoza, as well as on the Budget Committee of the United States House of Representatives. He has an MBA from Syracuse University and a bachelor's degree from Binghamton University.

Malikha Daniels has been appointed Legislative Advisor for the Office of Congressional Relations: Daniels most recently worked as the Subcommittee Staff Director for Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research (BHR) at the United States House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, where she was in charge of biotechnology, agricultural research, and all issues falling under the BHR policy jurisdiction.

Prior to that, she worked at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's office, Congressman Al Lawson's office, Congressman Dwight Evans' office, and the USDA's Agricultural Research Service. Daniels holds a Master of Public Policy from the American University School of Public Affairs, as well as two bachelor's degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago in Biological Sciences and Spanish.

Clare Sierawski has been appointed Senior Energy Counselor in the Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development: Sierawski was most recently Special Assistant to the President for Climate Change Finance. She previously worked at the US Trade and Development Agency as the West Africa Regional Manager and Climate Team Lead. Sierawski advanced rural electrification and clean energy development in this capacity by utilising solar mini-grids and battery storage, as well as grid-scale solar, wind, and hydropower projects. She graduated with honours from Princeton University and the University of Pittsburgh. USDA is a provider, employer, and lender that values diversity.