New FSA, Rural Development state directors announced

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced in early November a slate of Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Rural Development (RD) state directors, all serving as appointees of President Donald J. Trump.  

FSA state directors help implement U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) policies in planning, organizing, and administering FSA programs in their respective states. They are also responsible for running the day-to-day activities of the state FSA office.  

Similarly, RD state directors work to help improve the economy and quality of life in rural America.

“These state directors will help ensure that USDA is offering the best customer service to our farmers, ranchers, foresters, and agricultural producers across the country,” Secretary Perdue said.

FSA state directors

• Ohio: Leonard Hubert served as the Director of External Affairs and Economic Opportunity in Ohio Governor John Kasich’s Office and also as the Chairman of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.
• Pennsylvania: Gary Groves returns to the USDA having previously served as the state director for Rural Development in Pennsylvania.  He is a graduate of Purdue University School of Agriculture, lives on a farm in Wyoming County and raises Belgian Draft Horses.

Rural Development state directors

• Ohio: Dave Hall’s experience in agriculture began in the late 1960s when he started working on his grandparents’ farm and has since served as a commissioner for the Ohio Exposition Commission for the Ohio State Fair and chairman of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee in the Ohio House of Representatives.
• Pennsylvania: Curt Coccodrilli has been involved in numerous efforts to address the needs of rural Pennsylvania, promoting rural economic development and leading campaigns to ensure state and federal regulations recognize the need for such development.
• West Virginia: Kris Warner has more than 25 years of leadership in West Virginia business development and is also a charter member of the state-wide program Leadership Monongalia, which is designed to educate and sustain community leaders.