President Biden appointed Oscar Gonzales, an advocate for social justice, as immigration reform adviser at USDA on Monday. Gonzales, who worked at USDA during the Obama years, also will serve as deputy chief of staff for operations and as assistant secretary for administration.
“Oscar has dedicated his life and career to fighting for under-served and marginalized communities,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “He grew up in a working-class family in East Los Angeles and has worked at nearly every level in food and agriculture – from working on a horse farm to serving at the highest levels of leadership in state and federal government.”
In August 2014, Gonzales was named California state director of the Farm Service Agency, following a stint as deputy chief of staff for Vilsack. He worked for several years for the United Farm Workers Foundation. His wife, Christine Chavez, is the granddaughter of Cesar Chavez, a co-founder of the United Farm Workers union.