U.S. Department of Agriculture Announces Key Staff Appointments

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the names of individuals who will hold senior staff positions in Washington, D.C.

Malcom A. Shorter has been appointed to serve as Acting Assistant Secretary for Administration

Shorter was reappointed as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration at USDA in June 2021. He previously served as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Administration from January 2017 to August 2017, as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration from June 2013 to January 2017, and as the Associate Deputy Chief for Business Operations in the U.S. Forest Service. He is an accomplished administrative and financial professional with combined expertise in government relations and operational management having served as the Democratic Staff Director for the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. Shorter retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the United States Army after a distinguished military career of more than 20 years. He graduated with a bachelor’s of science from Rutgers University and has a master’s of science from Central Michigan University. He resides with his family in Bowie, Maryland.

Victoria Maloch will be appointed Special Advisor in the Office of Communications

Maloch comes to USDA from the House Committee on Agriculture, where she most recently served as Communications Director. Prior to joining the Committee, Maloch worked in the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy at the Department of Health and Human Services and served as a national officer for the National FFA Organization. She also completed a Wallace-Carver Fellowship in USDA’s Office of Communications during the Obama-Biden Administration. Maloch holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences from the University of Arkansas and Master’s Degrees in policy from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Tracy Fox has been appointed Legislative Advisor in the Office of Congressional Relations

Fox has served on detail as a Legislative Advisor in the Office of Congressional Relations at USDA for the last six months. In this role, she works on issues involving the Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Service (FNCS). Fox has over 30 years of experience in nutrition policy, analysis, advocacy, Executive Branch and Congressional relations. She was the founder and past president of Food, Nutrition, and Policy Consultants, served as President of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior, and is a nationally recognized expert in the field of nutrition policy. Prior to starting her company, Fox held positions with USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and in the government relations branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Currently, she serves on the boards of the Healthy Eating Research Advisory Committee, the Marshall County, Indiana Board of Health, the United Way of Marshall County, the Marshall County Food Council, and co-manages the Culver, Indiana Farmers’ Market. Fox is a retired Commander in the US Navy.

Nathaniel West will be appointed Senior Oversight Counsel in the Office of General Counsel

West joins USDA from the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served as Counsel for the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis Chaired by Representative James Clyburn. In this role, he developed and planned investigative agendas, carried out oversight investigations, and took transcribed interviews of senior federal government officials and private sector individuals involved in the federal pandemic response. West also held roles at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in New York, NY, and with the Hon. Vernon S. Broderick and David J. Hale at the U.S. District Court. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Northwestern University and Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School.

Prescott Martin III will be appointed Senior Counsel in the Office of General Counsel

Martin comes to USDA from the U.S. House of Representatives where he served as Chief Counsel of the Committee on Agriculture. He has extensive experience writing legislation and advising Members of Congress on legal, procedural, and policy matters related to agricultural commodity production, soil and water conservation, forestry, livestock production, pesticide registration and use, and biotechnology. Before joining the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, Martin worked in both private and public practice, including serving in the Office of the District Attorney for North Carolina’s 5th Prosecutorial District. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of North Carolina and holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs.

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