The Trump administration has made some staff announcements at USDA, including an acting secretary for the department while waiting for the Senate confirmation vote of Brooke Rollins.
The confirmation hearing for Brooke Rollins, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Agriculture secretary, was set for Jan. 23 by the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, ahead of WLJ press time. As DTN highlighted recently, 427 agricultural groups co-signed a letter backing Rollins’ nomination.
A hearing date has not been set for Judge Stephen Vaden, Trump’s nominee for deputy USDA secretary and former general counsel for the department.
USDA also announced the following appointees:
Kailee Tkacz Buller was named as chief of staff at USDA. Buller had been the president & CEO of the National Oilseed Processors Association and the Edible Oil Producers Association. Buller also had previously served as chief of staff for the deputy USDA secretary in the first Trump administration. Buller holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University at Buffalo.
Buller’s appointment also will likely help USDA push back against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s desire to ban oilseeds for cooking food, one of several goals Kennedy would like to see for food and agriculture. Kennedy is Trump’s nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services. His nomination hearing hasn’t been scheduled.
Preston Parry was appointed as deputy chief of staff at USDA. Preston most recently served as strategic assistant to Rollins at the America First Policy Institute. During the first Trump administration, he also was the executive assistant to the director of the Domestic Policy Council under Rollins. A native of Tucson, AZ, Preston holds a degree in political science from Utah Valley University.
Jennifer Tiller was named as chief of staff to the deputy secretary and senior advisor to the secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. Tiller served as the deputy staff director for the House Committee on Agriculture and holds graduate degrees from Marist College and Syracuse University.
Ralph Linden was appointed as principal deputy general counsel for USDA. Linden served in various capacities in the Office of the General Counsel from 1982 until 2021, including serving as an acting deputy general counsel during the first Trump administration. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame School of Law.
Audra Weeks was named as deputy director of communications for USDA. Weeks previously served in the first Trump administration as deputy press secretary at USDA before joining the national press team for Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign. Weeks later served as press secretary to Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) and most recently specialized in crisis and issues management for food and agricultural clients in the private sector.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in agricultural education and communication from the University of Florida, a Master of Science in agricultural economics from Purdue University and a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University.
Dominic Restuccia was appointed as White House liaison for USDA. Restuccia previously served as a legislative assistant for Rep. Mike Bishop (R-MI-08) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT). Restuccia is from Michigan and is a graduate of Hillsdale College.
Trump’s transition team also had named a slate of undersecretary nominees: Richard Fordyce as Agriculture undersecretary for farm production and conservation, Dudley Hoskins as undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, Luke Lindberg as undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, and Michael Boren as undersecretary for natural resources and environment. — Chris Clayton, DTN ag policy editor
