VENEMAN SWEARS IN SUB CABINET MEMBERS

WASHINGTON , October 2, 2001- Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman announced that three of the four members of her subcabinet, who were recently confirmed by the U.S. Senate have been officially sworn into office. During a private ceremony today, Veneman administered the oath of office to Elsa A. Murano, as under secretary for food safety; Mark Rey, under secretary for natural resources and environment; and Hilda G. Legg, as administrator for the Rural Utilities Service. Edward R. McPherson, who was also confirmed as the chief financial officer, will be sworn in later this week.

"I am pleased that the U. S. Senate has confirmed these nominees," said Veneman. "Each of these individuals bring outstanding credentials and experience to their positions. I am proud to welcome them to the USDA team."

Complete biographical sketches and photographs of each subcabinet member are available at http://www.usda.gov

Dr. Elsa A. Murano

As the under secretary for food safety, Murano is USDA's top food safety official and oversees the policies and programs of the Food Safety and Inspection Service. She has extensive public and private experience in the field of food safety as both a manager and an educator. From 1995 until her recent swearing-in, Murano held several positions at Texas A&M University at College Station, Texas. Since 1997, she served as the director of the university's Center for Food Safety within the Institute of Food Science and Engineering. During this time she also served on the university's Department of Animal Science Research Advisory Committee and the Food Safety Response Team of the Texas Agriculture Extension Service, and served from 1999-2001 as the Chair of the Food Safety State Initiative Committee of the Texas Agriculture Experiment Station. In 2000 she was appointed professor in the Department of Animal Science, after having been an associate professor in that same department from 1995-2000. In addition, in 2000 Murano was awarded the Sadie Hatfield Endowed Professorship in Agriculture. Murano served as a professor-in-charge of research programs at the Linear Accelerator Facility at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa from 1992 to 1995. She was an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Preventive Medicine at that university since 1990.

A native of Havana, Cuba, Murano holds a B.S. degree in biological sciences from Florida International University in Miami, and a M.S. degree in anaerobic microbiology and a Ph.D. in food science and technology, both from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va.

Mark Rey

As the under secretary for natural resources and environment, Rey oversees the programs of the Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Rey has been directly involved in virtually all of the forestry and conservation legislation considered during the past several sessions of Congress, with principal responsibility for a number of public lands bills. Since January 1995, Rey served as a staff member with the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. He was the lead staff person for the committee's work on national forest policy and Forest Service administration. In addition, he worked on the Herger/Feinstein Quincy Library Act of 1998 and the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. For 18 years Rey served in a variety of positions with several forest product associations including the American Forest and Paper Association, the American Forest Resource Alliance, the National Forest Products Association, and the American Paper Institute/National Forest Products Association, a consortium of national trade associations. From 1974-75 he worked as a staff assistant for the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management in Billings, Mont., and Washington, DC. Rey is a native of Canton, Ohio. He holds a B.S. degree in wildlife management, a B.S. degree in forestry, and a M.S. degree in natural resources policy and administration, all from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Hilda Gay Legg

As the Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service, Legg oversees financing for rural electric cooperatives, telecommunications, water programs, and administers the distance learning and telemedicine loan and grant program. Since 1994 Legg has served as executive director and CEO of The Center for Rural Development in Somerset, Kentucky. She was responsible for management of the facility as well as program development and outreach. Legg was the alternate federal co-chairman for the Appalachian Regional Commission in Washington, DC, from 1990-1993. She represented and promoted economic policies and assisted in the management of a $190 million budget for job creation, building infrastructure, education and work force training, as well as research programs for economic development. She assisted in the development and implementation of a telecommunication program designed to maximize technology hardware in rural communities. From 1987-1990 Legg served as the director of admissions for the Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky. From 1985-1987 she worked as a field representative in the Bowling Green, Ky. office of U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell. From 1981-1983 she served as the acting executive director of the National Council on the Handicapped with the U. S. Department of Education in Washington, DC. A native of Adair County, Ky., she received a B.S. degree in sociology from Campbellsville College in Campbellsville, Ky., and a M.A. degree in education from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky.

Edward R. McPherson

As USDA's chief financial officer, McPherson oversees all financial management activities relating to the programs and operations of USDA. He brings to USDA over 30 years experience in leadership, organizational enhancement, business strategy, and corporate finance. From 1989 until this appointment, McPherson served as the founder, president, and chief executive officer for InterSolve Group in Dallas, Texas. Within that period, in 1991 he served as chief financial officer for SunAmerica Corporation. From 1973 to 1988 McPherson served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of First RepublicBank Corporation in Dallas. From 1971 to 1973 he served as a management consultant in the Washington, DC office of Booz, Allen and Hamilton. In 1988 McPherson received the Financial Analysts Federation Award for Excellence in Corporate Reporting and Investor Relations. A native of Gettysburg, Pa., McPherson holds B.A. degree in American Civilization from Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. and a M.S. degree in administration from George Washington University in Washington, DC.