Karen Ross has been re-appointed as secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
She served in that role for eight years under previous Gov. Jerry Brown, and before that was chief of staff for Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, starting in 2009.
She has been president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers and vice president of the Agricultural Council of California, according to a news release.
“I am humbled and honored to be able to serve our new governor, Gavin Newsom, and work with the great team he is putting together,” she said in the release. “And I am thrilled to be able to continue to serve California agriculture and work with the outstanding employees at the California Department of Food and Agriculture.”
Ross grew up in western Nebraska, and she and her husband Barry have 800 acres of wheat from the family farm. A Democrat, she was a field representative for U.S. Sen. Edward Zorinsky.
