RALEIGH, N.C.– President Joe Biden announced the appointment of Reginald Speight, to the office U.S. Department of Agriculture North Carolina Rural Development State Director Tuesday afternoon.
Speight was raised in Wilson North Carolina where he currently resides. Speight most recently served in the office of Congressman G.K. Butterfield and has more than 20 years of nonprofit management experience in North Carolina. He has served on numerous local, state, and national boards and his career has been dedicated to the promotion of equity, inclusion, and economic mobility for residents of eastern North Carolina.
The President announced the appointment of six other Rural Development State Directors in Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.
“These individuals are incredible public servants who have a proven track record when it comes to their commitment to advance their states and communities,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Each will serve on the frontlines, carrying out USDA’s mission at the state level and ensuring the voice of each and every USDA customer is heard. We are fortunate to have each of these talented individuals at this critical time for farmers and producers and rural communities across America.”
RD State Directors serve as the chief executive officer of Rural Development in the states and territories and are tasked with carrying out the mission of rural development to the benefit of everyone in rural America.
In conjunction with the guidance and support of the National Office, State Directors are responsible for promoting the mission and strategic goals of Rural Development and provide key leadership to develop and support a productive, diverse, and inclusive state workforce.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, promoting competition and fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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