The Biden transition team for USDA will be led by Robert Bonnie, who was a senior adviser to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack during President Obama's first term and was undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment at USDA for Obama's second term.
Before joining USDA, Bonnie was vice president for land conservation at the Environmental Defense Fund, focused on incentives to reward farmers, ranchers and forest owners for stewardship activities on private lands.
The list also includes several volunteers such as Jonathan Coppess of the University of Illinois who was also Farm Service Agency administrator during the Obama administration.
Others include Nicholas Anthis, University of California; Sanah Baig, The Good Food Institute; Brooke Barron, Office of the Speaker, Maine State Legislature; Kumar Chandran, FoodCorps; Andrea Delgado, UFW Foundation; Debra Eschmeyer, Arizona State University; Meryl Harrell, Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards; LaQuita Honeysucker, The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union; John Padalino, Bandera Electric Cooperative; Gregory Parham, USDA (retired); Lisa Pino, State of New York, Department of Health; Amy Pitelka, Barker Pitelka PLLC; Jeffrey Prieto, Los Angeles Community College District; Audrey Rowe, self-employed; and Corey Then, Moneta Group.
Some on the transition teams can end up serving in roles in cabinet agencies under the new administration.