On Friday, April 29, USDA announced that Roger Beachy, Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), will leave his post on May 20 of this year.  USDA Undersecretary for Research, Education and Economics, Cathie Woteki, announced Beachy’s resignation today in a memo to her staff.  Beachy intends to return to St. Louis.

In the memo, Undersecretary Woteki states, “[Beachy’s] leadership contributed to increasing the visibility of science and innovation at USDA so that American agriculture can continue to be the economic engine our nation needs, and help our country keep providing a safe and healthy food supply to the world.”

Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young will serve as Acting Director of NIFA until Beachy’s replacement is found.  Jacobs-Young  is currently in the Office of the Under Secretary and has previously served as agriculture analyst at the White House Office of Science and Technology Chief Scientist and as a National Program Leader under the National Research Initiative, a precursor to the current Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.