The Animal Health Institute named Gene Harrington senior director of state affairs effective July 8. He joins the organization from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, where he worked the past 10 years, recently as senior director of agriculture and environment state affairs. Harrington earlier worked for the National Pest Management Association.
Bob Ellison, a trained broadcast journalist with decades of experience, joined Agri-Pulse as managing editor. He will oversee multimedia products and manage the team of journalists located from Washington to Sacramento. Ellison spent 16 years with USDA’s Creative Media and Broadcast Center, where he produced and edited TV features, video podcasts and other products. He spent the previous five years as a public affairs specialist with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service and earlier managed writers in the Farm Production and Conservation area.
Scott Bennett (LinkedIn photo)
Scott Bennett joined Ceva Animal Health in the newly created role as director of public affairs and market access. He worked for Boehringer Ingelheim the past three years as senior associate director of government affairs and public policy focused on animal health. Earlier, he worked for the American Farm Bureau Federation.
The American Egg Board made staff hires and promotions. Kate Karnas was named director of channel marketing. She previously worked for Porter Novelli for over a decade, leading campaigns for food and ingredient clients, including the Almond Board of California, Taylor Farms and Griffith Foods. Chris Bowers was named manager of consumer insights. He was recently an account manager at Circana, where he led insight generation and strategic analysis for PepsiCo, among other clients. Additionally, John Gallagher was promoted to associate director of industry affairs and engagement. He was recently manager of insights.
Hormel named new leaders to take effect July 14 in preparation for President and CEO James Snee’s retirement in January. John Ghingo, executive vice president for retail, was named president. He has earlier experience at Mondelez International and was president of Applegate Farms. Jeffrey Ettinger was named interim chief executive officer. He was president and CEO of the company from 2005-2016 and is chair of the Hormel Foundation board. His appointment will last 15 months before Ghingo will also become CEO.
Jay Ivey joined CropLife America as manager of federal government relations. He led Georgia state outreach at the USDA Farm Service Agency and worked as a legislative aide for the Georgia Agribusiness Council.
President Donald Trump nominated Ted Cooke to lead the Bureau of Reclamation, which manages water projects across the West and supplies water to 140,000 farmers on 10 million acres. He spent more than two decades at the Central Arizona Project, which distributes Colorado River water to Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties. Brenda Burman, who led Reclamation during the first Trump administration, is now the CAP general manager.
Ben Monticello was named legislative director for Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ill. He will cover energy and tax issues. Monticello was previously a senior legislative assistant for Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich.
Margaret Fogarty and Leigh Picchetti launched a consulting firm, Corkboard Communications. Both worked at Nutrien and Farm Credit Council, among numerous other roles.
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., hired Rylan Gray as a legislative assistant. He previously worked for Rep. Linda Sánchez, D-Calif.
Western Skies Strategies hired Jenna Stanton as interim federal policy director. She was a policy intern and fellow at the organization. Stanton completed internships with the Michigan Department of Agriculture, Senate Agriculture Committee and Michigan Cattlemen’s Association.
Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., hired new staff. Reagan Larkin is now a senior legislative assistant covering agriculture, food, energy and public lands. She was a policy analyst at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton. Alana Burdo was named a press assistant and legislative correspondent. She was an intern for Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas.
Ryan Tregaskes (ESMC photo)Emma Hoffschneider was promoted to press secretary for Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb. She joined the office as an intern in 2022.
Kaley Stidham joined the office of Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., as communications director. She was a press assistant on the House Energy and Commerce Committee Republican staff and worked for Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky.
Ecosystem Services Market Consortium named Ryan Tregaskes chief executive officer and leader of ESMC’s research and ecosystem services market program, Eco-Harvest. He founded and served as CEO of Grow Right Solutions, was chief operating officer of Evergreen Carbon Offsets, and carbon principal at Anthesis Group.
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Tori Teegarden was promoted to policy adviser for Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wy., covering agriculture, food, public lands and animal issues. She has been with the office since 2022, recently as legislative assistant.
Olivia Trusty was sworn in as a commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission. She joins FCC Chair Brendan Carr and Anna Gomez on the three-member panel.
The Foundation for Fresh Produce selected Jelena Gligorijević to fill the newly created role of chief medical officer. A practicing medical doctor and nutrition specialist, she was founding head of the Department of Nutrition at the University Clinical Center of Serbia. She focused on preventive medicine, nutrition therapy and global health promotion. "Fruits and vegetables have the power to prevent disease, extend lives, and promote equity,” she said.
USDA political appointees
Karl Elmshaeuser, Nebraska Rural Development director during the first Trump administration and executive director of the Nebraska Environmental Trust, was named administrator of the Rural Utilities Service. George Kelly was named administrator of the Rural Housing Service.
Courtney Stevens was named chief of staff for the Natural Resources and Environment mission area. She was a professional staff member on the House Appropriations Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee and chief of staff for Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss.
Payton (Englert) Manning was sworn in as a senior policy adviser in the Farm Service Agency. She was director of government affairs at the American Seed Trade Association and a legislative correspondent for Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.
USDA White House Liaison Dominic Restuccia swears in Mary Catherine Cromley, Farm Service Agency chief of staff. (USDA photo by Christophe Paul)Mary Catherine Cromley is chief of staff for the Farm Service Agency. She was executive director of the South Carolina Corn and Soybean Association and the state’s soybean and corn boards. She also was a legislative assistant on the Senate Ag Committee and for Rep. John Boozman, R-Ark.
Casey Conlee was named deputy chief of staff in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations. He worked for former Rep. Yvette Herrell, R-N.M., as district director and operations director.
Matthew Myers was sworn in as deputy director of external and intergovernmental affairs in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations. He was a public policy analyst at the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Brandon Borke is a new legislative adviser in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations. He worked at Young Americans for Liberty for five years and was a business consultant at Virtufex Ventures. Earlier, he was a Michigan FFA state officer.
Dominick Lombardi was named a confidential assistant in the Rural Business Cooperative Service. He recently completed an internship with Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J.
Kayla Roche was named special assistant in the Office of Tribal Relations. Ted Gutman was appointed acting deputy assistant secretary for civil rights. Anna Gregory has joined the Office of Congressional Relations as an intern.
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