Driscoll’s named Gaëlle Le Meur as chief people officer leading the company’s talent strategy, organizational effectiveness, leadership development and inclusion efforts. She joins the company from The Estée Lauder Cos. where was vice president, human resources business partner, global supply chain.
Kristina Thayer was appointed director of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. She was previously director of the Integrated Risk Information System Division at the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Thayer also worked for the National Toxicology Program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences from 2003 to 2017. She is a member of the Society of Toxicology.
Mission Produce added a ninth seat to the company’s board of directors and appointed Michael Sims to fill the open role. He was named an independent class I director and will serve on the audit committee with a term expiring at the Company’s 2028 annual meeting of stockholders. Sims most recently served as executive vice president and CFO of TruGreen, where he led the company through critical financial restructurings, oper
Michael Sims (Misson Produce photo)ational improvements and strategic capital deployment. He has also worked for AdvancePierre Foods and Chiquita Brands International.
Davina Hurt was appointed to the California Water Commission. She was most recently the California Climate Policy Director at Pacific Environment. Before taking that role in 2025, she was an attorney/civil advocate at Davina Hurt Esq.
The Controlled Environment Agriculture Alliance added David Einstandig to its board of directors. He currently serves as senior vice president and general counsel at Mastronardi Produce.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the appointment of some state executive directors of the Farm Service Agency and USDA Rural Development, including Bryan Anguiano as head of Rural Development and Connie Conway as state FSA director in California. Anguiano had been California state director for the Republican National Committee. Conway served in the same FSA position during President Donald Trump's first term. She recently served as chair of the World Ag Expo.
Cut through the clutter! We deliver the news you need to stay informed about farm, food and rural issues. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse here.
USDA’s Farm Production and Conservation mission area added new staff. Kaytlin Bemis is now a policy adviser. She was manager of public policy and regulatory affairs at the National Corn Growers Association and public policy specialist at the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation. Matthew Wininger was hired as special assistant. He was legislative correspondent
for Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. Kelli Evans was named senior adviser and Kyle Allen special assistant.
Kenneth Selzer was sworn in as associate administrator of the Risk Management Agency. He has served on the Federal Reserve Board’s Insurance Policy Advisory Council and as a USDA Federal Crop Insurance Corp. board member. He was executive managing director of Aon for 28 years and was previously insurance commissioner for the state of Kansas.
Connie Conway (LinkedIn photo)Russell Laird was sworn in as a special assistant in USDA’s Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement. He has worked in a variety of Republican political support roles, including most recently supporting advance preparation for Vice President JD Vance and President Trump’s campaign. He also has been chief strategist at Inside Track Advisory. Adrienne Garza was sworn in as a senior adviser, also in the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement.
Halee Fisher was sworn in as senior adviser in Research, Education and Economics at USDA. She was a legislative assistant on the House Agriculture Committee Republican staff.
Michelle Bekkering was named USDA deputy undersecretary of trade and foreign agricultural affairs. During the first Trump administration, she worked at USDA for three years as acting assistant administrator and assistant administrator of the Bureau for Economic Growth, Education and the Environment. Earlier Bekkering worked at the International Republican Institute in governance and global initiatives roles.
Trevor Benson was named special assistant in the Office of Tribal Relations at USDA. He was a field staff member for the National Right To Work Committee.
Jeremy Adamson joined PepsiCo as director of global agriculture policy. He will focus on regenerative farming, resilience and sustainable food systems in the company’s global value chain. During the Biden administration, Adamson was chief of staff for USDA’s Research, Education and Economics mission area and led USDA’s international climate portfolio at the Foreign Agricultural Service. He has worked for Corteva, Nutrien and Certis Biologicals.
The Meat Institute hired Jesse Fulton as director of animal health and welfare. He worked for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and directed the Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for five years. He will oversee the institute’s animal welfare guidelines and be staff liaison to the institute’s Animal Welfare Committee.
The International Dairy Foods Association hired Elena Clark as manager of trade and economic policy. She worked for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization as the legislative affairs and economics specialist for North America. Earlier in her career, Clark managed agriculture, trade, energy and environment policy issues in two Capitol Hill offices. She will report to Becky Rasdall Vargas, senior vice president of trade and workforce policy.
Shannon Hauf, senior vice president and head of North America, Australia and New Zealand product supply at Bayer Crop Science, joined the National 4-H Council board of trustees. Hauf, a Minnesota 4-H alumnus, said, “I’m exactly where I want to be, at the crossroads of innovation and the farm and 4-H helped me get there.”
Emelie Englehart has left the office of House Agriculture Committee member Rick Crawford, R-Ark. She worked for Crawford for two years. Englehart will be associate professional staff member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence assigned to the committee’s Cartel Task Force.
