The inbox tells me that Kathleen Merrigan will be heading to the Department of Agriculture to serve as Tom Vilsack's Deputy Secretary. I don't know a lot about Merrigan save that she's a professor at Tufts whose CV says all the right things. Research interests are "sustainable development, negotiation theory, policy implementation, interest group politics." She'll get plenty of experience with that last one in her new job. Merrigan was getting buzz back in November, when Samuel Fromartz of Chews Wise (dreaming small, they put Merrigan up for undersecretary for marketing and regulatory affairs. She's been put up for deputy secretary of the agency.) began pushing her with a post detailing Merrigan's government background.I first heard about Merrigan while working on Organic Inc., looking into the origins of the Organic Food and Production Act of 1990 and sustainable agriculture policy. She was mentioned repeatedly by people I talked to, because as a senate staffer for Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Merrigan had drafted the organic law. She then went on to work at the USDA's agricultural marketing service (AMS), which runs the organic program. Even before then, she was involved in sustainable agriculture policy and has been ever since -- in organics, conservation, food access, and small farm issues. While Pollan helped put these issues onto the national agenda, people like Merrigan have long been doing the wonky policy work.Outside government, she has worked for the Henry A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture, served on a the Pew commission on biotechnology and has been active in the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture. She now heads the Agriculture, Food and Environment Program at Tufts School of Nutrition and Policy. As marketing and regulatory undersecretary, she would oversee AMS, GIPSA (Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration), and APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) - touching virtually every aspect of agriculture.In short, this is a real shot for a major position at the USDA by someone who has pursued the change mantra in agriculture for nearly two decades.
Much more information on Merrigan in the comments. Particularly this one. All in all, Merrigan looks like a solid choice. I was skeptical of Vilsack's appointment, but he's doing a damn good job proving me wrong.
