Last summer, the White House announced that President Joe Biden intended to nominate Chavonda Jacobs-Young as Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Jacobs-Young received a bachelor's degree in pulp and paper science and technology from North Carolina State University, where she was a three-time ACC track champion.
She earned her master's and Ph.D. degrees in Wood and Paper Science, also from North Carolina State University, becoming the first Black woman in the country to receive a Ph.D. in this field.
Dr. Jacobs-Young is the administrator of the USDA Agricultural Research Service and currently serves as the acting undersecretary for research, education, and economics, and as acting USDA Chief Scientist. She is the first woman and person of color to lead this agency, which manages an annual budget of $1.82 billion.
During Dr. Jacobs-Young’s distinguished career, she has led the Office of National Programs and the Office of International Research as the agricultural research service associate administrator for research programs.
As the founding director of the Office of the Chief Scientist at USDA, she facilitated the coordination of scientific leadership across federal agencies within USDA, ensuring that the research and scientific information and data produced were held to the highest standards of scientific integrity.
As acting director for USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, she provided leadership and funding for programs that advanced agriculture-related sciences. And as acting deputy undersecretary for research, education, and economics mission area, she oversaw the Agricultural Research Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, National Agriculture Statistics Service, Economic Research Service, and the Office of the Chief Scientist.
Dr. Jacobs-Young has also served as a senior policy analyst for agriculture in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where she supported the President’s Science Advisor and others within the Executive Office of the President during the Obama Administration on high priority agricultural scientific issues.
She is also a graduate of American University’s Key Executive Program on Public Policy Implementation. In addition to her career, and community service, Dr. Jacobs-Young is committed to family.
