Karen Ross of Sacramento has been reappointed Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), the state cabinet-level department established in 1919 to promote and protect a safe, healthy food supply, local and global agricultural trade, and environmental stewardship.
Ross successfully served as CDFA Secretary under Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. for 8 years. She has unmatched leadership experience in agricultural issues nationally, internationally, and here in California.
Prior to joining CDFA, Ross was chief of staff to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a position she accepted in 2009. Prior to that appointment, she served as President of the California Association of Winegrape Growers from 1996 to 2009,and as Vice-President of the Agricultural Council of California from 1989 to 1996.
Secretary Ross: “I am humbled and honored to be able to serve our new governor, Gavin Newsom, and work with the great team he is putting together. And I am thrilled to be able to continue to serve California agriculture and work with the outstanding employees at the California Department of Food and Agriculture.”
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