WASHINGTON, February 2, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the names of individuals who will hold senior staff positions in Washington, D.C.
Regina Black has been promoted to Senior Advisor for Trade and National Security in the Office of the Secretary
Black has served as Chief of Staff for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs since August 2021. Before joining the Department, she was the Director of the Executive Office at the U.S. Dairy Export Council. Black previously served in the Obama Administration at USDA in various roles, including Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary and Acting Deputy Chief of Staff for the Foreign Agricultural Service. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, she has her bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University and a master's degree in International Relations and Economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Silvia Fabela has been appointed Senior Advisor for the Office of the Secretary
Fabela comes to USDA from Local Progress, where she served as Program Director. In this role, Fabela supervised and managed the Policy and Program team and oversaw member education and mobilization on a broad array of issues including economic justice, public safety, immigrant protections, housing and more. Previously, she held roles at Center for Popular Democracy, AFL-CIO and United Food & Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). Silvia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Monmouth College.
Jason Lumia has been appointed Chief of Staff for the Rural Utilities Service
Previously, Lumia served as Chief of Staff for Congressman Jim Cooper. For more than a decade he served as the principal political and policy adviser to the Congressman and helped respond to the needs of his district, which included securing COVID-19 relief funds to save Nashville's music venues. Prior, Lumia served as Legislative Director and Rules Associate for former Congressman Dennis Cardoza and on the U.S. House of Representatives Budget Committee. He holds a Master’s in Economics from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University.
Malikha Daniels has been appointed Legislative Advisor for the Office of Congressional Relations
Daniels most recently served as Subcommittee Staff Director for Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research (BHR) at the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, where she oversaw biotechnology, agricultural research, and all issues in the BHR policy jurisdiction. Prior, she held roles at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Office of Congressman Al Lawson, Office of Congressman Dwight Evans, and USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. Daniels holds a Master of Public Policy from the American University School of Public Affairs and two bachelor’s degrees in Biological Sciences and Spanish from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Clare Sierawski has been appointed Senior Energy Counselor in the Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development
Most recently, Sierawski served as Special Assistant to the President for Climate Change Finance. Before her time at the White House, Sierawski served as the West Africa Regional Manager and Climate Team Lead at the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. In this role, Sierawski advanced rural electrification and clean energy development through solar mini-grids and battery storage as well as grid-scale solar, wind, and hydropower projects. She holds a master's from Princeton University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
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