Two months after getting the job on an interim basis, Jack Shere was named USDA chief veterinarian. “Today, I’m pleased to announce his appointment is permanent,” said Kevin Shea, head of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in a notice to stakeholders. Shere succeeds John Clifford, who was chief veterinarian for 12 years.
Shere started work for USDA as a field veterinarian for Wisconsin and Nebraska in 1990. Shea said Shere “has extensive experience with animal disease outbreaks,” including foot-and-mouth disease in England and as the joint area commander of USDA’s response to an outbreak of Exotic Newcastle Disease, a highly contagious and deadly poultry disease, in 2002-03. The disease has been eradicated in the United States.