The National Oilseed Processors Association hired Corey McCray as vice president of government affairs. He was a policy adviser at Chevron and at a Washington-based public affairs firm focused on energy sector advocacy.
Tucker Stewart, general counsel and a top agriculture aide to Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., left the office. He had been with Marshall since 2021. Prior to coming to Washington, Stewart worked for the Kansas Livestock Association.
Anthony Peña, National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG photo) The National Association of Wheat Growers hired Anthony Peña as policy manager. He was government relations manager at the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association and worked for Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.
Former Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., hired Morgan Orem as a legislative assistant covering agriculture. Orem previously worked for the Russell Group, an agriculture and food lobbying firm.
Mary Galey joined USDA as scheduling director. She worked for Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., as operations director for nearly five years.
The American Association of Swine Veterinarians installed new officers. Locke Karriker, director of the Swine Medicine Education Center and a professor at Iowa State University's Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine Department, is president. William Hollis is past president. Hollis became acting president after Angela Baysinger died in March 2024. Rebecca Robbins is president-elect and Chris Rademacher is vice president-elect.
Senate Agriculture Committee member Adam Schiff, D-Calif., hired several staff members. Michael Harris was named policy adviser for energy and environment. He was senior adviser of congressional affairs at the Environmental Protection Agency. Caitlin Balagula was named legislative assistant covering agriculture, food and animal issues. She worked for the House Ag Committee under ranking Democrat Rep. David Scott of Georgia. Balagula was a special adviser to then-Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack. Erin Sandlin joined the office as scheduling director. She was previously deputy director of scheduling at USDA.
Emily Tuttle-Millard is now deputy communications director at the National Republican Congressional Committee. She was deputy chief of staff for House Ag Committee member Zach Nunn, R-Iowa.
Tatum Brunkow joined the office of Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., as a legislative correspondent covering agriculture, food, public lands and animal issues. A Kansas native, she was a legislative assistant at the National Corn Growers Association and an intern at Torrey Advisory Group and the office of Rep. Tracey Mann, R-Kan.
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Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem appointed a former aide from her tenure as governor of South Dakota, Madison Sheahan, as deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Sheahan recently was secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Noem appointed Todd Lyons, former assistant director, as acting ICE director.
Ricki Schroeder left the House Agriculture Committee Republican staff to work for USDA.
Former White House environmental staffer Jonathan Black joined the office of Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., as senior policy adviser. He was senior director for chemical safety and plastic pollution prevention in the White House Council on Environmental Quality and Senate legislative affairs liaison in the Biden administration.
Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., hired Brennan Fiske as a press assistant and digital assistant. Fiske is a graduate of George Washington University and was an intern for Reps. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., and Mike Levin, D-Calif.
Mark White was promoted to senior regulatory policy manager at Syngenta. He has been with the company more than 11 years, recently as regulatory team lead for herbicides.
Jeff Miller, University of Arkansas (University of Arkansas photo) University of Arkansas professor of agricultural communications Jeff Miller has been named assistant dean for international programs in the university’s Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. He will continue his teaching duties in conjunction with his new responsibilities. He has been on the university faculty since 2001.
Allen Harim,, poultry integrator, appointed Mike Little chief executive officer. Little began at Allen Family Foods, rising through plant supervision and export sales to become executive vice president of sales. He succeeds Mickey Baugher as CEO. Allen Harim operates in Delaware and North Carolina. It processes 500 million pounds of chicken a year.
Elena Radding was promoted to communications director for Senate Ag Committee member Raphael Warnock, D-Ga. She was deputy communications director. Radding succeeds Michael Brewer.
The American Solar Grazing Association hired Stacie Peterson as executive director. She was director of the AgriSolar Clearinghouse and director of energy programs at the National Center for Appropriate Technology. ASGA says there were more then 130,000 acres of solar grazing in 30 states in 2024.
House Ag Committee member Don Davis, D-N.C., named Tommy Mattocks communications director. He was communications director for the North Carolina Democratic Party and previously press secretary for the House Agriculture Committee under Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn. Sara Potter was named press secretary/digital director.
Georgie Hilby joined the Waterloo district office of Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, as an aide. She was a district representative for Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa.
Cibus announced that Peter Beetham, the company’s president and chief operating officer, will serve as interim chief executive officer. He succeeds Rory Riggs, who resigned. Beetham co-founded Cibus Global with Greg Gocal, the company’s chief scientific officer, and Riggs, who remains chairman. The board will search for the next CEO from external and internal candidates.
Garrison McMurtrey left the office of Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., where he was district director. McMurtey is now a commissioner on the Ramsey County, Minnesota, board of commissioners. He was previously outreach director for Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
Jack Best joined the office of Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C., as a senior legislative assistant covering environmental protection, transportation and energy. Best previously worked for Reps. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis.
Bailey McCue joined the Biotechnology Innovation Organization as director of federal government relations. McCue worked for Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and John Boozman, R-Ark.
Ben DeMarzo left the office of Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill. He had been chief of staff since 2021.
Mark Carney was named Canada's prime minister-elect to replace Justin Trudeau, who announced his intention to resign on Jan. 6. In his acceptance speech, Carney spoke of President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canada, calling it the "greatest crisis of our lifetimes." Carney is an economist and was governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England.
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