Michael Boren was confirmed by the Senate Tuesday as USDA's undersecretary for natural resources to oversee the Forest Service. Devon Westhill was confirmed as assistant agriculture secretary for civil rights. "Their leadership will be critical in delivering on President Trump’s priorities for rural America, strengthening farm communities and managing our natural resources," said Senate Ag Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark.
Andrew Rogers, a labor and employment attorney, was confirmed as administrator of the Wage and Hour Division in the Department of Labor. He has been acting general counsel at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Scott Cameron will take over as acting head of the Bureau of Reclamation. He will maintain his role as lead official in negotiations over the future of the Colorado River while serving as acting head of Reclamation. The shift comes after President Donald Trump withdrew the nomination of Ted Cooke to be Reclamation commissioner. Cooke was a former top official at the Central Arizona Project.
John Hollay will replace Michael Marsh as president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers. Marsh, who is retiring, has led the group since 2017. Hollay has been director of government relations for the International Fresh Produce Association. He was also vice president of government relations at the National Milk Producers Federation and worked on Capitol Hill with Rep. Joseph Courtney, D-Conn.
World Ag Expo, the largest annual outdoor agricultural exposition in Tulare, California, named Ron Clark as the 2026 show chairman. The event will take place Feb. 10-12 at the International Agri-Center. A Tulare native, Clark has managed his own farming operation while providing custom farming and farm management services. He has served as vice chairman of Mid Valley Co-op and as a board member of numerous Kaweah Water Associations and the Tulare Joint Union High School District Ag Advisory Committee.
Scott Cameron (University of Colorado photo)Grimmway Produce Group announced two key executive appointments: Kirsten Anderberg was hired as chief financial officer, and Katie Diesl was named president of the organic vegetable category. Anderberg will oversee all financial planning and analysis for Grimmway Produce Group, which oversees five produce brands: Grimmway Farms, Cal-Organic Farms, RPE, San Miguel Produce and Tasteful Selections. She previously held executive roles at Fresca Foods, Fantasy Cookie Corporation and Rudi’s Organic Bakery. Diesl, who has been with Grimmway since 2007, was tapped to be president of the organic vegetable category. She was most recently chief information officer and interim president of the organic division, and will now lead the overall performance and strategic growth of the organic category.
Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero will retire at the end of the year. He has been leading operations at the national’s second-largest port since 2017. Earlier, he was appointed by then-President Barack Obama to serve on the Federal Maritime Commission.
Sam Kieffer will be the next chief executive officer of the National Association of Wheat Growers, effective Nov. 1. He has been vice president of public policy at the American Farm Bureau Federation since 2021. A Pennsylvania native, Kieffer held roles at the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau for 16 years earlier in his career. He succeeds Chandler Goule, who left NAWG in July.
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Paul Iskajyan was named communications director for the New Democrat Coalition. He was previously communications director for Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif.
Aleksi Knepp is now a senior policy analyst for the House Agriculture Committee’s Democratic staff. She was previously an agriculture policy adviser for Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill. Knepp obtained bachelor’s and master's degrees in ag economics from the University of Illinois.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association hired Claire Anderson as associate director of registration for meetings and events. A recent graduate of California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, Anderson worked at KCPR FM Cal Poly Radio and as a social media intern at Iron Diamond Media.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., hired Ella Derke as director of scheduling. She was previously a deputy scheduler and executive assistant for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.
The America
Cheslie Stehouwer (ABI photo)n Butter Institute elected new leadership. Cheslie Stehouwer, vice president of sales and marketing at Continental Dairy Facilities in Michigan, begins a two-year term as president this fall. She succeeds past president Catherine Fox, who serves as vice president of enterprise marketing at Land O’ Lakes. Additional elected officers include Molly Costaris of Michigan Milk Producers Association as first vice president, and Michael Burdeny of California Dairies Inc. as second vice president.
American Butter Institute Executive Director Christopher Galen announced he will step down from his role managing the association at the end of 2025. Galen said earlier he would retire from the National Milk Producers Federation, which oversees ABI, at the end of the year. Galen is being succeeded by David West, who has served as chief administrative officer at the National Milk Producers Federation since 2023.
Heritage Grocers Group promoted Justin Besyk to interim vice president of grocery to lead grocery merchandising efforts. He has been with the company for 15 years in a variety of roles spanning a bagger to most recently director of grocery.
Winrock International hired Lisa Phillips as vice president of development. She was previously senior director of institutional partnerships at the Columbia Climate School, and earlier was director of development at RMI.
The Consumer Brands Association added new staff. Laura Rich was named vice president of regulatory affairs. She was previously counsel at Venable LLP and earlier held multiple senior policy adviser roles at the Food and Drug Administration. Ayani Momin was named director of state regulatory affairs. She worked for The Coca-Cola Co. for the past 24 years, recently as senior food contact material safety and compliance manager. Holly Riley was named manager of member programs. She was a meeting coordinator at Rose Li & Associates. Liz Grier was named director of meetings and events. She was recently senior meetings manager at the National Pest Management Association.
Katie Kingsley joined the National Mining Association as director of government and political affairs. She was previously a senior legislative assistant to Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho.
The In
Constance Cullman (LinkedIn photo)ternational Feed Industry Federation elected Constance Cullman as chair for the 2026–27 term. Cullman has been president & CEO of the American Feed Industry Association since 2019. She will succeed Ruud Tijssens, who served as chair from 2022 to 2025. The IFIF represents the global feed industry by working with partners like the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization to promote safe, sustainable and affordable animal nutrition.
Pesticide maker Albaugh hired Melissa Duncan as group deputy general counsel. She will lead the legal function across the global organization, provide strategic legal guidance and serve as chief compliance officer. She previously worked at Syngenta as legal head of global seeds and North America.
Ag technology company The Semios Group appointed Amie Thesingh as chief executive officer. She was previously president of ag solutions and chief technology officer at Wilbur-Ellis and earlier held a senior vice president position at Cargill.
Sean McMahon was promoted to global sustainability lead at Farmers Edge. He has been with the company nearly a year. Earlier, he was executive director of the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance and worked for The Nature Conservancy.
National Association of Wetland Managers Executive Director Marla J. Stelk will step down at the end of the year. She has been with the organization since 2013. Portia Osborne, currently NAWM’s assistant director, will be promoted to executive director.
The Beer Institute hired Doug Sarasin as government affairs coordinator. He was previously a policy fellow at Public Strategies Washington.
Suzy Friedman was promoted to senior director of Great Plains policy at the World Wildlife Fund. She has been with the group for three years, recently as senior director of food policy. Earlier, she was vice president at the National Alliance of Forest Owners.
Kate Owens joined Lewis-Burke Associates as a legislative research assistant. A recent University of South Carolina graduate, Owens completed the Sustainable Carolina Leadership Program and an internship with the Arlington County Government’s Department of Environmental Services in Virginia as a recycling outreach specialist.
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology presented Kenneth M. Quinn with the inaugural CAST Lifetime Achievement Award. Quinn is president emeritus of the World Food Prize Foundation and a former U.S. ambassador to Cambodia. He will be honored at the CAST breakfast at the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue in October.
Are you changing jobs, getting promoted or receiving an award? Know someone who is? Email Lydia@Agri-Pulse.com to be featured in next week’s edition of Farm Hands on the Potomac.
