The Trump administration on Monday announced a handful of appointments to Agriculture Department posts overseeing research, conservation and communications.
Aubrey Bettencourt recently started as chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which runs most of USDA’s conservation programs.
Bettencourt was a deputy assistant secretary of Interior during the first Trump administration. Most recently, she worked as global director of government relations and external affairs for Netafim, an irrigation and precision agriculture company that touts its products for saving water and building resilience to climate change.
Jaye Hamby is the new director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA’s research grant agency that works with universities and other partners. Hamby, from Tennessee, holds master’s and doctorate degrees in agricultural economics from Oklahoma State University and most recently worked on a contract basis with the Tennessee Farmers Cooperative’s Training Department on strategic planning and other projects.
