WASHINGTON, DC, US — The US Department of Agriculture on March 1 announced appointments to two senior staff positions. The appointees include a former Monsanto employee who conducted research on Southern US row crops and a senior fellow at the Center for Economic Progress.

Dewayne Goldmon, Ph.D, was named senior adviser for racial equity to the secretary of agriculture.

Goldmon, who received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agronomy from the University of Arkansas and his Ph.D. in agronomy from Iowa State University, was for the past year executive director of the Washington-based National Black Growers Council, which he helped form. The council advocates for improved efficiency, productivity, and sustainability of Black row crop farmers.

Previously, Goldmon worked as a field researcher with American Cyanamid (acquired by BASF), before joining the technology development wing of Monsanto Co. (now Bayer Crop Sciences) in 1995, where he conducted research on all southern row crops and managed research and development trials in soybeans, rice, and cotton.

Also at Monsanto, Goldmon worked on the government affairs team and in human resources, retiring as the outreach lead for Bayer Crop Sciences in 2019.

“We need to accelerate a transformation of our food system, and that begins with embracing a call for racial justice and equity across food, agriculture and rural America,” said Tom Vilsack, secretary of agriculture. “With Dewayne’s guidance, we will build a USDA that represents and serves all Americans — a USDA that is committed to ensuring equity across the Department, removing barriers to access and rooting out systemic discrimination, and building a workforce that reflects all of America.”

Also on March 1, the USDA announced Andy Green’s appointment as senior adviser for fair and competitive markets.

A former corporate lawyer in Hong Kong and Shanghai, Green received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Harvard University and a juris doctorate from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Green was a senior fellow for economic policy at the Washington-based Center for American Progress. Green has frequently written and spoken about financial markets and regulation; corporate governance and competition; international trade; and the economy and middle class.

Previously, Green served as counsel to Kara Stein, commissioner of the US Securities and Exchange Commission and as counsel to Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon and staff director of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee’s Subcommittee on Economic Policy.

“We must create a more level playing field for small and medium producers and a more balanced, equitable economy for everyone working in food and agriculture, including immigrants and seasonal farmworkers,” Vilsack said. “We are grateful to have Andy join the team to help us build a fairer, more transparent food system.”