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Paul Souza of Sacramento will serve as acting director of Fish and Wildlife Service. Mac Marshall joined Apeel Sciences as Americas product director.

President Trump designated Jeffery Hall as board chairman and CEO of the Farm Credit Administration. Glen Smith of Iowa was elected chairman of the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation board of directors. 

Former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has been named CEO of the World Food Prize Foundation. The American Peanut Council hired Kate Maher as membership manager.

After serving 12 of the past 16 years leading the Department of Agriculture, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack has been named CEO of the World Food Prize Foundation to continue the legacy of global food security and sustainable agriculture leader, Norman Borlaug. 

Capitol Hill veteran Kristin Sleeper and former Idaho Department of Lands Director Tom Schultz will hold positions at USDA focused on forest management, wildfire prevention and natural resource conservation. 

Kahn, Soares & Conway hired Abby Taylor-Silva as managing director of regulatory affairs. The California Foundation for Commerce and Education hired Luis Quiñonez as president of the  CalChamber-affiliated non-profit research organization.

Nominees have been named for numerous USDA undersecretary and senior staff positions. 

President Trump is moving quickly to name senior leaders at USDA and other agencies while some Democrats, like Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who decided not to run again, are stepping into new roles.

The Agriculture Department announced the addition of Kailee Tkacz Buller, Jennifer Tiller and Audra Weeks, among others, to the agency’s senior staff to “implement President Trump’s America First agenda," the department said in a release Tuesday. 

Donald Trump launches his second term with what is promised to be a blizzard of executive orders and mass deportations, while Brooke Rollins gets her confirmation hearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee. She's expected to face questioning on a wide range of issuses, including biofuels and avian flu.

The International Fresh Produce Association will add Alexis Taylor to its staff as chief global policy officer after she completes her tenure as undersecretary of trade and foreign agricultural affairs at USDA. 

Circular Action Alliance hired Rachel Wagoner as California executive director. Nancy Skinner of Berkeley has been appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to the California Energy Commission.

Trinity Fruit Co. promoted Angela Hernandez to vice president of marketing. Maryam S. Brown, incoming CEO and president of the Southern California Gas Company, was elected as the 2025 chair of the California Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.