Elanor Starmer has been named Administrator of the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Dr. Jack Shere has been named USDA’s Chief Veterinary Officer and Deputy Administrator for Veterinary Services at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Both served in these positions as “acting” for several months, but Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has now formally named them to their respective positions.
Starmer joined U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2011, first to support the Deputy Secretary and then as a Senior Advisor to Secretary Tom Vilsack. She has coordinated the department’s work on local and regional food systems, including running the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative; acted as liaison to U.S. Food Drug Administration (FDA) on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and developed department-wide strategy to support industry on FSMA implementation; and handled a variety of other issues, including specialty crops and value-added agriculture. Across this portfolio, Starmer’s focus has been the creation of new market opportunities for farmers, ranchers and food business of all sizes.
Prior to joining USDA, Starmer worked in the non-profit sector on rural development, agriculture and water policy issues in the United States and Latin America, including consulting to the International Institute for Agricultural Cooperation (IICA). She holds an M.S. in Agriculture Science and Policy from Tufts University’s Friedman School, an M.A. in Development Economics from the Fletcher School, and a B.A. from Brown.
Dr. Jack Shere, as USDA’s Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) and Deputy Administrator for Veterinary Services (VS), leads the program’s many employees in protecting and improving the health, quality, and marketability of U.S. agricultural animals, animal products, and veterinary biologics. He also oversee VS’ national and international reference laboratory network.
Dr. Shere joined VS in 1990 as a field veterinary medical officer in Nebraska and Wisconsin and has held many leadership positions since and served as VS’ Associate Deputy Administrator since 2013. He has extensive experience with animal disease outbreaks, including salmonella enteritidis, foot-and-mouth disease in England, low pathogenic avian influenza, Exotic Newcastle Disease (END), and highly pathogenic avian influenza.
During the extensive 2002-2003 END outbreak in California, Texas, New Mexico, and Utah, Dr. Shere served as the Joint Area Commander and Incident Commander, leading a massive federal and state eradication effort for nine months until the disease was eradicated from the United States.
Dr. Shere received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry in 1981, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1987, and a Master of Science in Education with a minor in Counseling in 1988 – all from Iowa State University. He received PhD’s in Poultry Science and Microbiology in 2001 from the University of Wisconsin.
