Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services
Dr. J.B. Penn was sworn in as Under Secretary for farm and foreign agricultural services by Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman
Before his appointment to USDA, Penn had an extensive career in the private sector. Most recently, he was senior vice president and manager of Sparks Companies, Inc.'s Washington office for over a dozen years. Prior to joining Sparks, he was president of Economic Perspectives, Inc. from 1981 to 1988.
Penn has extensive international experience, having served on many foreign missions and task forces as well as conducting projects in numerous countries.
Penn's government experience includes service as deputy administrator for economics of the USDA's then Economics and Statistics Service and as senior staff economist for the President's Council of Economic Advisers.
Penn received a B.S. in agriculture from Arkansas State University in 1965. He earned a M.S. in agricultural economics from Louisiana State University in 1967 and a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Purdue University in 1973.
Penn is a member of several professional organizations including the American Agricultural Economics Association; Bennett Agricultural Roundtable; Council on Food, Agriculture, and Resource Economics; and the Farm Foundation. In 1988 he was a founding member of the Foundation for the Development of Polish Agriculture.
Penn has authored or co-authored numerous journal articles, technical reports, research monographs, book chapters and popular reports. He co-authored Agricultural and Food Policy (fourth edition), which is widely used in U.S. universities. He has been a frequent speaker before industry groups and associations. He also has received numerous awards, the most recent being Distinguished Alumnus from Arkansas State University and also from the College of Agriculture at Purdue University.
