Jewel Bronaugh, the first Black person to serve as Agriculture deputy secretary, said on Thursday that she would leave the USDA at the end of February “so I can spend more time with my family.” Bronaugh, who oversees the USDA’s day-to-day operations, would be the first high-level Biden appointee to depart the agency. The administration is waiting for Senate action on two nominees for executive posts.
Bronaugh is co-chair of the USDA’s Equity Commission, set up in 2021 to address racial discrimination within the agency and its programs. Sometimes called “the last plantation,” the USDA has acknowledged decades of racial bias and has paid $2.3 billion since 1999 in settlements with Black and Native American farmers.
“Through her work and leadership, Dr. Bronaugh has set a powerful example for the next generation of agriculture leadership,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Rep. David Scott, the Democratic leader on the House Agriculture Committee, pointed to Bronaugh’s history-making role as the first Black deputy secretary and said she had “uplifted American agriculture and our rural communities.”
There was no immediate word on a successor. Bronaugh was Virginia’s state agriculture commissioner when President Biden selected her, two days before his inauguration, for the No. 2 post at the USDA.
“To the people we serve, it is important that you know USDA’s commitment to becoming an agency that ensures all Americans have equitable access to USDA programs and services is truly sincere,” said Bronaugh in a statement. “I am the first one to admit the work to build and maintain trust among all we serve is no easy task. However, I have seen firsthand the intentional work being done each day to set USDA on a new and more inclusive path forward, working in close partnership with you and your local communities.”
The Equity Commission held its first meeting last Feb. 28, with the goal of issuing an interim report and providing “actionable recommendations” within 12 months. Commission member Ertharin Cousin, former director of the World Food Program, said she hoped the commission’s work could influence the 2023 farm bill.
Soon after taking office, Vilsack appointed a racial equity adviser, the first at the USDA, giving the issue prominence.
In announcing her departure, Bronaugh said she would “look forward to taking some time off to spend more quality time with my mom, husband, and four children.” Before her tenure at the USDA and as Virginia agriculture commissioner, Bronaugh was state director for the USDA Farm Service Agency and dean of agriculture at Virginia State University. She has a doctorate in career and technical education from Virginia Tech.