U.S. Department of Agriculture Announces Key Staff Appointments

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2022 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the names of individuals who will hold senior staff positions in Washington, D.C.

Scott Marlow was named Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs in the Farm Service Agency

Marlow joins USDA after most recently serving as the founder and CEO of Long Rows Consulting where he oversaw the analysis of risk management, credit, and disaster assistance programs and provided training for farm services organizations on working with farmers in financial crisis and the mental health impacts of farm transitions. He spent over 20 years in the non-profit sector with the Rural Advancement Foundation International where he held various roles during his tenure – starting as a Project Director overseeing and managing farmer-focused networks aimed at developing new programs, to Senior Policy Specialist, where he developed and delivered educational programs for farm families on farm financial management and disaster assistance programs. Marlow holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Duke University and a Master of Science in Crop Science from North Carolina State University.

Tim Gannon was named Chief of Staff for Farm Production and Conservation

Recently, Gannon was the Coalitions Advisor for the Biden-Harris campaign in Iowa where he was responsible for outreach and communications with farm, agricultural, and rural groups and activists with particular focus on policy proposals and their impact on rural America. Gannon returns to the Department after previously serving as the Director of Advance in the Office of the Secretary and Associate Administrator in the Risk Management Agency during the Obama-Biden Administration. Gannon is a graduate of the University of Iowa where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Global Studies.

Andrea Delgado was named Chief of Staff for Natural Resources and Environment

Delgado most recently served as the Government Affairs Director at the United Farm Workers Foundation, where she developed and implemented legislative and administrative strategies aimed at improving living and working conditions for agricultural workers across the country. Previously, Delgado held roles of Legislative Director for the Healthy Communities Program and Senior Legislative Representative at Earthjustice. She also spent time as a policy fellow with the National Latino Coalition on Climate Change. Delgado received her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo.

Sara Bleich, PhD was named Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity for the Food and Nutrition Service

Since joining the Biden-Harris Administration in January 2021, Bleich has served as Senior Advisor for COVID-19 in the Office of the Secretary. Previously, she served as a Professor of Public Health Policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her research centers on food insecurity, as well as racial injustice within the social safety net. She is the author of more than 150 peer-reviewed publications. From 2015-2016, she served as a White House Fellow in the Obama Administration, where she worked in USDA as a Senior Policy Advisor for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. Bleich holds a PhD in Health Policy from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Columbia University.

“The collective expertise of Tim, Andrea, Scott and Sara will continue our efforts to effectively serve people in communities across the country – and around the world. They are valuable assets to the work being done at the Department,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.