Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young: Leadership at the USDA in Producing Safe, Nutritious Food to Feed Everyone

Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young is the Administrator for the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the Acting USDA Chief Scientist. Dr. Jacobs-Young recently served as the Acting Deputy Under Secretary of the REE mission area.  Previously, she served as ARS Associate Administrator for National Programs, where she led the Office of National Programs which manages the research objectives of the Agency. Dr. Jacobs-Young also led the Office of International Research Programs which is responsible for ARS’ liaison with its international partners.

Prior to moving into her role at ARS, Dr. Jacobs-Young served as the Director of the Office of the Chief Scientist in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where she was responsible for facilitating the coordination of scientific leadership across the Department to ensure that research supported by, and scientific advice provided to, the Department and external  stakeholders were held to the highest standards of intellectual rigor and scientific integrity. She also served as the Acting Director for USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Dr. Jacobs-Young was a senior policy analyst for agriculture in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy where she supported the President’s science adviser and others within the Executive Office of the President on a variety of agricultural scientific activities and worked across the Federal Government to improve interagency cooperation and collaboration on high-priority scientific issues.

Dr. Jacobs-Young is a native of Georgia. She holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Wood and Paper Science and a B.S. degree in Pulp and Paper Science and Technology from North Carolina State University. She also is a graduate of American University’s Executive Leadership in Public Policy Implementation Program.

For more information, please visit:
https://www.ars.usda.gov/docs/biographical-sketch-of-the-administrators-office/