HILO, HAWAII Feb. 24, 2022– Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to appoint eleven U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regional positions, including Chris Kanazawa as Rural Development (RD) State Director for Hawaii and the Western Pacific.
“I am thrilled to welcome these talented and experienced public servants to USDA at a critical time in the Biden-Harris administration,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “I look forward to working alongside these individuals to build a better America.”
Kanazawa is returning to the role 12 years after being appointed by President Barack Obama in 2010. “It’s an honor to serve under President Biden's Administration and USDA Rural Development. I look forward to rejoining the mission of improving the quality of life and increasing the economic opportunities for our rural communities in Hawaii and the Western Pacific,” he said.
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.
Media interested in interviews with Mr. Kanazawa should contact USDA RD Hawaii/Western Pacific Public Information Officer David Rush at (808) 315-1985.
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.
You can visit our website at www.rd.usda.gov/hi and follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RD_Hawaii
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