Deputy Nominations Made

President Obama has announced his nomination of Kathleen Merrigan to the deputy secretary of agriculture post. Merrigan is currently an assistant professor and director of the agriculture, food and environment master of science and Ph.D. program at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston, Farm Progress reports.

From 1999 to 2001, Merrigan was administrator of USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. She has also served as an expert consultant at the Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and as a staff member on the Senate Ag Committee.

In other positions of interest to agriculture, Obama plans to nominate Joe Cannon as deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and Tom Strickland as chief of staff and nominee for assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks at the Department of the Interior.