WASHINGTON, D.C. (NAFB) – The Department of Agriculture last week announced the names of individuals who will hold senior positions in Washington, D.C.
Karama Neal was named Administrator for the Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Most recently, Neal served as president of Southern Bancorp Community Partners. Mike Schmidt was named senior advisor in the Office of the Secretary. Previously, Schmidt served as senior advisor for USDA’s Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area since January 20, 2021.
Lisa Ramirez was named Director of the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement. She most recently served as the Chief Innovative Officer for the Lubbock Independent School District in Lubbock, Texas.
Press release content from Globe Newswire. The AP news staff was not involved in its creation.
Big Idea Ventures Announces Appointment of Senior Advisors to Generation Food Rural Partners Fund
Big Idea Ventures, LLCMarch 2, 2021 GMT
NEW YORK, March 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) Big Idea Ventures LLC today announces the appointment of Bette Brand, former Deputy Under Secretary for USDA Rural Development and Bill Northey, former Under Secretary for USDA Farm Production and Conservation as senior advisors to the General Food Rural Partners (GFRP) fund.
Recently launched, GFRP is a $125 million target fund that will drive economic development in rural communities through the commercialization of university-developed intellectual property. North Carolina State University is the fund’s inaugural collaborator.
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
This report provides a snapshot of the US Executive Branch priorities via daily schedules and the prior day’s press releases.
POTUS’ Schedule
9:45 a.m. EST – The President receives the President’s Daily Brief | Oval Office
12:05 p.m. EST – The President makes an announcement related to small businesses | South Court Auditorium
6:00 p.m. EST – The President delivers remarks on the lives lost to COVID-19 | The White House
6:15 p.m. EST – The President, The First Lady, The Vice President, and THE SECOND GENTLEMAN hold a moment of silence and candle lighting ceremony | South Portico
VPOTUS’ Schedule
6:00 p.m. EST – The Vice President will join the President when he delivers remarks on the lives lost to COVID-19 in the Cross Hall
LumiNola / Getty Images
February 26, 2020, looms large for Carol Juel for a number of reasons. It was her twins’ seventh birthday, and the executive vice president and CIO of Synchrony was scrambling to get home to join the festivities. The day also took on new contours as a routine meeting exploring AWS Workspace technology subsequently laid the groundwork for the firm’s near-real-time transition to remote work as COVID-19 took hold as a global pandemic.
Synchrony sent its 4,000 knowledge workers home on March 13 and followed up with a plan that set up 12,000 call center employees with remote operations a scant two weeks later. Shortly thereafter, Juel and the executive leadership team formally launched an enterprise transformation effort to embrace the very agile business practices that got the remote work effort up and running so quickly. Their goal: to favorably position Synchrony to quickly adapt as it stared down a future of continuously changing scenarios
December 31, 2020
IARN IBM says it is one of the five businesses selected by the USDA’s Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area to provide support for USDA’s digital modernization efforts. Four other businesses were also selected to receive large business awards, with the combined worth of those five awards at $620 million paid out for work that will be completed over the next five years. More than 30 vendors competed for the five awards. IBM will help work with the Mission Area to help modernize legacy applications that support the conservation programs administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Farm Service Agency.