The Republican chairmen of the Senate and House Agriculture committees each appointed a new staff director as Congress begins its two-year session. Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts said Jame Glueck succeeds Joel Leftwich as staff director. On the house side, Chairman Michael Conaway named Matt Schertz as staff director, replacing Scott Graves.
A former aide to Sen Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Glueck, a Texan, was the committee’s senior policy advisor on biotechnology and risk management since 2015. Besides work in the Senate, Glueck previously held posts with Bunge North America and the USDA. In a statement, Roberts said Leftwich would leave the committee staff “later this month to pursue other interests.” A former lobbyist for PepsiCo, Leftwich was part of the Trump transition team at USDA.
The new staff director for the House Agriculture Committee, Schertz, previously was the committee’s policy director for two years. He has worked in various posts on the committee since 2002. Conaway also named Bart Fischer as deputy staff director. Fischer will continue work as the committee’s chief economist.