U.S. Department of Agriculture Announces Important Staff Appointments

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the names of individuals who will hold senior staff positions in Washington, D.C. 

The Farm Service Agency has nominated Scott Marlow as Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs 

Marlow joins USDA after most recently serving as the founder and CEO of Long Rows Consulting, where he oversaw the analysis of risk management, credit, and disaster assistance programs and provided training for farm service organizations on how to work with farmers in financial distress and the mental health effects of farm transitions.  He worked with the Rural Advancement Foundation International for more than 20 years, holding numerous positions including Project Director, coordinating and managing farmer-focused networks aimed at establishing new initiatives to Senior Policy Specialist, where he developed and delivered educational programs for farm families on farm financial management and disaster assistance programs. Marlow graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Science in Crop Science from North Carolina State University. 

Tim Gannon has been appointed to the position of Chief of Staff for Farm Production and Conservation 

Recently, Gannon was the Biden-Harris campaign's Iowa Coalitions Advisor, where he was in charge of outreach and communications with farm, agricultural, rural groups and activists with a special focus on policy proposals and their impact on rural America. During the Obama-Biden administration, Gannon worked as the Director of Advance in the Office of the Secretary and Associate Administrator at the Risk Management Agency. Gannon is a graduate of the University of Iowa where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Global Studies. 

Andrea Delgado has been appointed to the position of Chief of Staff for Natural Resources and Environment 

Delgado was most recently the United Farm Workers Foundation's Government Affairs Director, where she planned and implemented legislative and administrative strategies focused at improving the living and working circumstances of agricultural workers across the country. Delgado formerly worked at Earth justice as a Senior Legislative Representative and as the Legislative Director for the Healthy Communities Program. She also worked with the National Latino Coalition on Climate Change as a policy fellow. Delgado graduated from the State University of New York (SUNY) in Geneseo with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations. 

The Food and Nutrition Service has nominated Sara Bleich, PhD as Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity 

Bleich has worked as Senior Advisor on COVID-19 in the Office of the Secretary since joining the Biden-Harris Administration in January 2021. She previously worked at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health as a Professor of Public Health Policy. Her research focuses on food insecurity and racial inequity in the social safety net. She has almost 150 peer-reviewed articles to her credit. She worked as a Senior Policy Advisor for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services at the USDA as a White House Fellow in the Obama Administration from 2015 to 2016.

Bleich holds a PhD in Health Policy from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Columbia University. 

"Tim, Andrea, Scott, and Sara's combined expertise will help us continue to successfully serve people in communities across the country - and around the world.  They are valuable assets to the Department's mission," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.