June 30
President Obama in April nominated Kevin Concannon to serve as undersecretary of agriculture for food, nutrition and consumer services. Concannon was director of Iowa’s Department of Human Services from 2003 to 2008, and previously held several state government jobs in Maine and Oregon.
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Obama’s pick as undersecretary for research, education and economics at USDA, Rajiv Shah, was confirmed in mid-May. Shah was director of the agricultural development program for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and served as the health care policy adviser for Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign.
