Agriculture Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh announced Thursday her intention to step away from her role at USDA.
Bronaugh says, “It is with mixed emotions that today I am announcing that I will step away from my role as Deputy Secretary in the coming weeks so I can spend more time with my family.”
President Biden nominated Bronaugh to USDA in January of 2021 and was confirmed by the Senate in May of that year.
Bronaugh, in 2018 was appointed as the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner. She previously served as the Virginia State Executive Director for the USDA Farm Service Agency during the Obama administration.
She was the first Black woman to hold the second-in-command position at USDA. Bronaugh thanked Secretary Tom Vilsack for his support, adding, “I now look forward to taking some time off to spend more quality time with my mom, husband and four children."