The following are 14 leadership profiles of individuals working for the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The profiles include professional and educational backgrounds, as well as location, estimated age, race, gender and income level, where available. Most of the individuals mentioned are white, male, highly educated with long careers and between the ages of 50 and 70.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Gregory Ibach has been the Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Marketing and Regulatory Programs since 2017. His responsibilities include the overseeing of the health and care of animals and plants. In 1984, he received his BS in agriculture from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Ibach was the Nebraska Director of Agriculture between 2005 and 2017. He is approximately 60 years old, white, married with three children and lives on his mixed-use farm (residential and commercial) in Nebraska. According to his Ballotpedia page, "He is the owner and operator of a cow, calf, and grain operation".
- Kevin Shea has been the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) since 2013. Previously, he was the Associate Administrator, as well as the Head of the Policy and Program Development of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). He started his long career at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in 1978. He has a law degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law and the University of Maryland, and lives in Crofton, Maryland. According to Bloomberg, Kevin Shea is a member of the Huiesler Honor Society, the Prince George's County Executive's Committee for the Future and the St. Mark's School Board. Kevin Shea is a six-time winner of the American Jurisprudence Awards for Excellence. He is president of the University Hills Civic Association and the Prince George's County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. Kevin Shea is approximately 65 years old and white.
- Dr. Michael Watson has been the Associate Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) since 2018. His responsibilities include day-to-day operations and oversight of the activities of all APHIS programs. Previously, he was the Associate Deputy Administrator for the Agency’s Marketing and Regulatory Programs Business Services (MRPBS). He started his long career at the USDA in 1994, which included a position as a plant pathologist. Dr. Michael Watson holds a Bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the University of Maryland (1987) and a Doctorate in plant pathology from the University of California (1994). He is an African-American, estimated to be in his fifties., who lives in Riverdale, MD.
- Dr. Mark Davidson has been the Associate Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in Riverdale,
Maryland since 2019. His responsibilities include day-to-day operations and overseeing the activities of every APHIS program area. He started his career with the USDA in 1996. Between 2013 and 2018 he was the Veterinary Services’ Associate Deputy Administrator and as such he provided planning, policy, oversight and implementation for Veterinary Services’ National Import Export Services activities. Dr. Mark Davidson has a DVM and Master’s Degree in veterinary pathology from Auburn University and a Bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Western Kentucky University. He is white and approximately 50 years old.
- Dr. Jack Shere has been the Associate Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) since 2019. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations and the oversight of all activities and programs. He started his career at the USDA in 1990 as a field veterinary medical officer in Nebraska and Wisconsin. Dr. Jack Shere has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry (1981), a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (1987) and a Master of Science in Education (1988) from Iowa State University, as well as a PhD in Poultry Science (2001) and a PhD in Microbiology (2001) from the University of Wisconsin. He is married with grown children, white and is estimated to be in his sixties.
- Dr. Betty Goldentyer has been the Deputy Administrator of Animal Care within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) since 2019. One of her main responsibilities is the enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and the Horse Protection Act (HPA). According to Federal Pay, her annual salary is estimate to be around $173,293. She received her degree from the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in Medford, Massachusetts in 1983. She is estimated to be 63 years old, white, and lives in Washington, D.C.
- Bernadette Juarez has been the Deputy Administrator of the Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) since 2019. One of her main responsibilities is the safe import and transport of genetically engineered organisms. She started her career with the USDA in 2002 as a trial attorney. According to Federal Pay, her salary for the year 2018 was around $180,223. Bernadette Juarez received her Bachelor in Business Administration from the University of New Mexico in 1999 and her Juris Doctor from American University, Washington College of Law, in 2002. She is white, estimated to be in her forties, married with two children and lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.
- Cheryle Blakely has been the Deputy Administrator of International Services (IS) within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) since 2018. She started her career with the USDA in 2006 after she had been part of the U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense for 16 years. According to Federal Pay, her income in 2018 has been around $182,451. Cheryle Blakely obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in occupational education from Eastern Illinois University-Carbondale and her Master of Science in public administration from Russell Sage College, Albany, New York. She is an African-American woman with two children and is estimated to be in her fifties.
- Doug Nash has been the Deputy Administrator of the Marketing and Regulatory Programs Business Services (MRPBS) within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) since 2019. He has started his career with the USDA in 1991 and was previously a software engineer and a United States Army Reserve officer. According to Federal Pay his base salary for 2018 was around $187,000. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in management information systems from George Mason University in Virginia. He is white, estimated to be in his sixties and lives in Washington, DC.
- Osama El-Lissy has been the Deputy Administrator for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services’ Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) since 2013. He started his career with the USDA in 2000 and worked in pest control management the previous twelve years. According to Federal Pay, his base salary in 2018 was around $187,000. He received his master’s degree in international business administration from Georgetown University, a Master’s degree in public administration from American University, and a Bachelor of Science in agriculture production and entomology from Cairo University. Osama El-Lissy is estimated to be around 60 years old.
- Dr. Burke Healey has been the Deputy Administrator and Chief Veterinary Officer of the Veterinary Services (VS) within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) since 2019. He started his career with the USDA in 2004 as the Area Veterinarian in Charge for Oklahoma. According to Federal Pay, his base salary in 2018 was around $178,943. He has a veterinary degree from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Burke Healey is white, estimated to be in his fifties and lives in Washington, DC. He also runs his own farm in Colorado.
- Janet Bucknall has been the Deputy Administrator of the Wildlife Services (WS) within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) since 2018. According to Federal Pay, her base salary in 2018 was around $184,258. She has joined the USDA in 1987 and has a Master of Science degree in wildlife management from the University of Minnesota. Janet Bucknall is white, estimated to be in her sixties and lives in Riverdale, Maryland.
- Bethany Jones is the Deputy Administrator for the Legislative and Public Affairs (LPA) within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Her main responsibilities are media and communications. She started her career with the USDA in 1990 after she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Randolph Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia. According to Federal Pay her base salary in 2018 was around $186,047. Bethany Jones is white, estimated to be in her fifties and lives in Washington, D.C.
- Christine Zakarka is the Deputy Administrator for Policy and Program Development (PPD) within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Her main responsibilities include planning and budgeting. According to Federal Pay her base salary in 2018 was around $187,000. She received her Bachelor’s in urban planning from Fordham University and her Master’s degree from University of Maryland University College. Christine Zakarka is white, estimated to be in her fifties and lives in Riverdale, Maryland.
Research Strategy
To conduct our research, we searched numerous websites, including FDA, USDA, ERS, APHIS, US Customs and Border Protection, American Veterinary Medical Association and Iowa State University websites, as well as Bloomberg, Ballotpedia, The Fence Post, United Egg, National AWA, Walking Horse Report, Federal Pay, Bovine Vet Online, Service to America Medals and Linkedin. You will find the full list of sources and quotes below.
Detailed information on who exactly handles fresh food imports was not available on the FDA, USDA and the APHIS respective websites. Even searches for imports produced no results containing names or job titles. We also attempted searches by food group, including meat, dairy, fruit and found only generic information about rules and regulations, but no names, except one instance in which the name of a researches came up.
Nonetheless, it the USDA and its APHIS agency do handle imports and more than one of the individuals listed above handles all day-to-day operations and all programs and we are confident that this is a good place to start.