Namandjé Bumpus will step into the role of principal deputy commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration following the retirement of Janet Woodcock early next year, and Michael Rogers has been named associate commissioner for regulatory affairs.
In a letter to FDA staff, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said Bumpus, who joined FDA in August 2022 to serve as the agency’s chief scientist, will “work closely with FDA leadership to develop, advance and implement key public health initiatives as well as to oversee the agency’s day-to-day functions.”
Before coming to FDA, Bumpus was director of the department of pharmacology and molecular sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
In the letter, Califf said Bumpus' top priorities will include “creating a new model” for FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs, along with the proposed reorganization unifying the Human Foods Program and "strengthening the entire agency."
“Namandjé has played an integral leadership role in the implementation and Change Management Group and will provide seamless transition for this critical modernization effort,” Califf wrote.
In a post on X, Califf thanked Woodcock for her “unwavering commitment to FDA and public service, and a lifetime of achievements for public health.” Woodcock first joined FDA in 1986 and has served under multiple administrations in leadership positions at the agency.
After the announcement, Alliance for a Stronger FDA Executive Director Steven Grossman wrote to Bumpus to congratulate her on her appointment. “Those are big shoes to fill … but we know you are up to the challenge and will succeed. You do make the FDA stronger,” Grossman told Bumpus.
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Califf also named Michael Rogers, acting associate commissioner for regulatory affairs in FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA), to the role permanently. Rogers oversees inspections, compliance, enforcement, field laboratory operations, import operations, and strategic planning, among other areas for all FDA regulatory programs.
Rogers previously served as a deputy director in ORA’s Office of Regional Operations, where he directed all field activities, and director of ORA’s Division of Field Investigations.
Roberta Wagner, senior vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs at the International Dairy Foods Association and co-chair of the FDA Foods Coalition, said IDFA is pleased with the appointments.
“I believe the appointments of [FDA Deputy Commissioner of Human Foods] Jim Jones and Michael Rogers will complement each other well and demonstrate a step in the right direction,” Wagner said in an email to Agri-Pulse. “IDFA values FDA’s oversight and we remain hopeful that the structural changes and new leadership at FDA will result in a stronger, more unified and modernized FDA that works closely with stakeholders including industry to facilitate innovation, growth and the production of safe, nutritious foods that are accessible and affordable for all consumers.”
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