Department of Agriculture Announces Key Staff Appointments

The Department of Agriculture today announced the names of individuals who will hold senior staff positions including:

• Farah Ahmad was named Chief of Staff in the Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development. Most recently, Ahmad served as the Senior Program Coordinator in the Office of Consumer Education and a Senior Advisor to the Chief Operating Officer at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Prior to her time at CFPB, she served as the Program Manager on the Community and Economic Development team in the Rural Business Cooperative Service at USDA and Senior Policy Analyst at Center for American Progress. She holds a master’s from Princeton University and a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University.
• Olugbenga Ajilore was named Senior Advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development. Previously, Ajilore served as a senior economist at the Center for American Progress and former president of the National Economic Association. Before joining CAP, he worked as an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Toledo. He holds a PhD in economics from Claremont Graduate University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley.