U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced this week that he has named Doug McKalip as acting chief of staff while he searches for a successor to Brian Baenig, who has resigned to take a job in the private sector.
“Doug is a civil servant with a long history of service to American agriculture and the department,” a spokeswoman said. “Secretary Vilsack expects to permanently fill the role of chief of staff soon, and he appreciates Doug’s service in the interim.”
McKalip returned to USDA in February as a senior adviser to Secretary Vilsack after several years on detail to the White House Domestic Policy Council and coordinator of the White House Rural Council. In the White House, McKalip also handled biotechnology policy.
He began his career at USDA in March 1994 with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). He served in many leadership capacities for NRCS, including director of legislative and public affairs from 2000 to 2008. He served as confidential assistant to Vilsack from 2009 to February 2011.
