Dr. Jewel Bronaugh nominated for USDA Deputy Secretary

January 21, 2021

President Biden has nominated Dr. Jewel Bronaugh, USDA deputy secretary of agriculture. Currently, she serves as the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture. If confirmed, Bronaugh would be the highest-ranking African American woman to ever serve in USDA.

She previously was the Executive Director of the Center of Agriculture Research, Engagement and Outreach (CAREO) at Virginia State University (VSU), where she helped expand the impact of the 1890 Land Grant mission of VSU and provided oversight of the Agricultural Research and Extension Divisions.

Dr. Bronaugh also served as the Virginia State Executive Director for the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), the highest-ranking full-time FSA program administrator in the state. In that position, Bronaugh provided oversight for critical production stabilization, price support, compliance, farm loan, conservation, and environmental and emergency assistance programs. She was responsible for 41 field offices and the State FSA Office, comprising 186 employees.