President Biden Announces Key Regional Appointments for USDA

WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden appointed the following individuals to serve in key regional leadership roles at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA):

• Ginger Sykes Torres, USDA State Executive Director, Farm Service Agency, Arizona
• William Bunce, USDA State Executive Director, Farm Service Agency, Wyoming
• Maximiliano J. Trujillo, USDA State Director, Rural Development, Puerto Rico

These regional appointees will be critical to the President’s efforts to rebuild communities most impacted by the pandemic, the economic recovery, and climate change. They bring deep expertise in their issue areas as well as critical relationships with federal, state, tribal, and local leaders. And, consistent with the President’s commitment to building an administration that looks like America, these regional appointees represent the diversity of America and the communities they serve.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA)

The USDA’s Farm Service Agency implements agricultural policy, administers credit and loan programs, and manages conservation, commodity, disaster, and farm marketing programs in each U.S. State. Its mission is to equitably serve all farmers, ranchers, and agricultural partners through the delivery of effective, efficient agricultural programs for all Americans. State Executive Directors oversee this work, ensuring the needs of local constituents are met and that USDA resources are distributed equitably and fairly.

USDA’s Rural Development mission area is committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in rural America. State Directors lead offices that offer grants, loans, and loan guarantees to help create jobs and support economic development and essential services.

Ginger Sykes Torres, USDA State Executive Director, Farm Service Agency, Arizona

Born in the small town of Tuba City, Arizona, Ginger Sykes Torres is a registered member of the Navajo Nation. She is an environmental planner and a civic leader who has spent her professional career working to create a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable planet for future generations. Sykes Torres graduated from Stanford University with a degree in the Earth Systems Science Program. Previously, she worked as a consultant on land use planning, environmental impact assessment, and environmental policy for Federal agencies, utilities, and renewable energy developers in the western U.S. She serves as the Vice Chair of the City of Phoenix Environmental Quality and Sustainability Commission which advises the Mayor and Phoenix City Council on environmental, sustainability, and climate resilience issues. She has led the charge to develop innovative community-driven strategies to expand the city’s shade capacity and prepare vulnerable communities for the impacts of rising heat as the chair of the City’s Urban Heat Island Tree and Shade Subcommittee. She also serves on the City’s Executive Committee of the proposed $500 million 2023 General Obligation Bond Program, and is helping shape Phoenix’s critical infrastructure investments in projects that would reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions and ensure future environmental and economic livability in the region. Sykes Torres and her husband Javier have three young children and live in Phoenix.

William Bunce, USDA State Executive Director, Farm Service Agency, Wyoming

William “Bill” Bunce brings decades of agriculture production and agribusiness experience to USDA’s Farm Service Agency, having managed multiple large-scale Wyoming ranches, including livestock, sheep, and cattle feedlot operations. A graduate of University of Missouri – Columbia with a Bachelor’s of Science in Animal Science, he’s had a distinguished career in ranch management, agribusiness, and livestock breed association management, including serving as senior operational management with the American Quarter Horse Association, The Quarter Horse Journal and The Quarter Racing Journal, Vice-President of the American Polled Hereford Association, and Executive Director of the New Mexico Livestock Board. Bunce has served the State of Wyoming as Marketing Director of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture and as one of the foundational staff directors of the Wyoming Business Council serving in dual roles as Wyoming’s Director of International Business and Agribusiness for 7 years. He actively served on the Board of Directors of United States Livestock Genetics Export Inc, Wyoming Rural Development Council, University of Wyoming-College of Agriculture Advisory Committee, and Governor Jim Geringer’s Sub-Cabinets on Natural Resources and Economic Development.

Maximiliano J. Trujillo, USDA State Director, Rural Development, Puerto Rico

Maximiliano J. Trujillo is a senior government affairs and policy professional with 20 years of experience working in the U.S. Congress, the government of Puerto Rico, and the private sector. He was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Trujillo most recently served as a policy and strategic government affairs consultant in Washington, DC, providing advice on federal telecommunications, health care, and economic development. He served as a Senior Policy Advisor in the House of Representatives on a broad portfolio of Puerto Rico-related issues, among others.

Prior to his work in Congress, he was the Advocacy Director for AARP in Puerto Rico. Trujillo educated policy stakeholders and the public on federal issues including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, as well as advocated on pro-consumer protection and utility regulatory issues. He has also served as a Deputy Advisor to the Governor of Puerto Rico on economic security and the protection of citizens’ rights and as Legislative Counsel at the Puerto Rico House of Representatives on economic development. A graduate of Marquette University, Trujillo holds a law degree from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico School of Law and a Master of Laws in International Legal Studies from American University’s Washington College of Law.

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