U.S. Department of Agriculture Announces Additional Farm Service Agency and Rural Development State Directors

Today, President Joe Biden appointed three U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regional positions, including two Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Directors and one Rural Development (RD) State Director.

“Here at USDA, we are grateful to have such a talented group of individuals to lead our state offices,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “I look forward to the invaluable contributions each of them will bring to our Department.”

FSA State Executive Directors oversee Farm Service Agency operations and agricultural policy implementation in the state. Each State Executive Director works with the State Committee to administer FSA programs and County office operations and develops and maintains stakeholder relationships with customers and other agencies and governments.

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.

Farm Service Agency:

William Bunce, FSA State Executive Director for Wyoming

William ‘Bill’ Bunce brings decades of agriculture production and agribusiness experience to USDA’s FSA, having managed multiple large-scale Wyoming ranches, including livestock, sheep, and cattle feedlot operations. A graduate of the University of Missouri, Bunce’s career has spanned ranch management, agribusiness, and livestock breed association management, including service as senior operational management with the American Quarter Horse Association, the Quarter Horse Journal, and the Quarter Racing Journal. He has also served as the Vice President of the American Polled Hereford Association and as the Executive Director of the New Mexico Livestock Board. Bunce served the State of Wyoming as the Marketing Director for the Wyoming Department of Agriculture and was a staff director for the Wyoming Business Council.

Ginger Sykes Torres, FSA State Executive Director for Arizona

Ginger Sykes Torres, a graduate of Stanford University’s interdisciplinary Earth System’s Program, joins USDA following a career as an environmental planner and civic leader who has worked to create a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable planet for future generations. Sykes Torres has extensive experience on land use planning, environmental impact assessment, and environmental policy for Federal agencies, utilities, and renewable energy developers in the western U.S. She served as the Vice Chair of the City of Phoenix Environmental Quality and Sustainability Commission, which advises the Mayor of Phoenix and the Phoenix City Council on environmental, sustainability, and climate resilience issues. She also served as Chair of the City of Phoenix’s Urban Heat Island Tree and Shade Subcommittee, Sykes Torres has played a pivotal role in developing innovative community-driven strategies to expand the city’s shade capacity and prepare vulnerable communities for the impacts of rising heat. Sykes Torres was born in Tuba City, Arizona, is a citizen of the Navajo Nation, and a passionate advocate for issues affecting Tribal communities.

Rural Development:

Maximiliano Trujillo, RD State Director in Puerto Rico

Maximiliano Trujillo joins USDA’s Rural Development with 20 years combined experience working in the U.S. Congress, the government of Puerto Rico, and the private sector. Most recently, Trujillo worked as a policy and strategic government affairs consultant in Washington, D.C. providing advice on federal telecommunications, health care, and economic development. He has also served as the Senior Policy Advisor for Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez on a broad portfolio of Puerto Rico related issues, among others. Prior to his work in Congress, Trujillo was the Advocacy Director for AARP in Puerto Rico. In this position, he educated policy stakeholders and the public on federal issues including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, as well as advocated on pro-consumer protection and utility regulatory issues. He also served as a Deputy Advisor to the Governor of Puerto Rico on economic security and the protection of citizens’ rights, and as Legislative Counsel at the Puerto Rico House of Representatives on economic development. Trujillo is a graduate of Marquette University and holds a law degree from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico School of Law and a Master of Laws in International Legal Studies from American University’s Washington College of Law.