U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Announces Key Staff Appointments

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

Sanah Baig was named the Chief of Staff for Research, Education, and Economics. Baig most recently served as Chief of Staff at the Good Food Institute, a global non-profit & also served as program director at the National Association of Counties. During the Obama-Biden Administration, she served for nearly six years in a variety of capacities at USDA including serving as an advisor in the Office of the Secretary, special advisor in Rural Development, and confidential assistant in the Marketing and Regulatory Programs (MRP) mission area. Baig is a proud graduate of the University of Virginia and resides in Washington, D.C. 

Alyssa Charney was named Chief of Staff for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Formerly, Charney worked for U.S. Senator Bob Casey handling his agriculture and environmental portfolio. Prior to her time in the Senate, she led conservation policy at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, including work on the 2018 Farm Bill. Charney holds a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College, a master’s in Food and Agriculture Policy from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, and a master’s in public health from Tufts University. 

Meg Campbell was named Senior Advisor for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. For the last 10 years, Campbell has been passionate about urban agriculture and recently has focused on designing and building permaculture garden beds. She previously held roles at Campbell & Levine, where she practiced trust law, and Perkins Coie, where she practiced technology and cyber-security law. During the Obama-Biden administration, she served as Special Assistant to Dr. Jill Biden in the Office of the Vice President. Campbell was a law clerk for the United States Attorney’s Office, National Security Section, and held roles in the office of U.S. Senator Bob Casey and the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Juan Bautista Dominguez was named Advance Lead in the Office of the Secretary. Dominguez has several years of operational field logistics & communications experience and has held numerous leadership positions on Gubernatorial, US Senate and Presidential races. He has served in senior advisor capacities for national and international non-profit organizations focused on health-care reform, climate change and economic development. Dominguez is a first generation Spanish bilingual American of Argentine heritage who grew up in New Jersey. He will begin on June 14. 

“USDA continues to build our team with exceptional leaders in the agriculture sector and beyond,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Sanah, Alyssa, Meg and Juan are all welcomed additions to the Department.” 

Source: USDA