The USDA Rural Development Business Center is a centralized business hub focused on customer service and business administration. The primary responsibilities of the Business Center include supporting Rural Development’s mission-critical operations, streamlining key business functions and reducing costs through team-based and cross-functional approaches. As a centralized business hub, the Business Center is comprised of seven core offices:
Office of the Chief Operations Officer
Address: USDA Rural Development
Chief Operations Office
United States Department of Agriculture
1400 Jefferson Dr., S.W. Rm 240-E
Washington D.C. 20024
Operations Office
Chief Operating Officer
Angilla Denton currently serves as Rural Development’s (RD’s) Chief Operating Officer (COO). In this role, Ms. Denton provides enterprise-wide leadership and management oversight for information technology, financial management, human resources, procurement and acquisition, property management, and related business administrative processes.
Ms. Denton has more than 30 years of management experience in both the public and private sector. Prior to her role as COO, Ms. Denton served as the Civil Rights Director with responsibility and oversight of RD’s nationwide Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) programs. Since her arrival to RD in 2002, she has served in multiple roles including: Loan Specialist, Area Director, and Administrative Program Director at the State level. Ms. Denton graduated with honors from the University of Phoenix, and holds a Master’s Degree in Management and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business with an emphasis in Management. Ms. Denton was raised on a still active family farm in Twin Falls, Idaho, and has two adult daughters and five grandchildren, who reside in Nevada.
Deputy Chief Operating Officer
James Brent, Jr. currently services as Rural Development’s Deputy Chief Operating Officer. Prior to his assignment to Rural Development, Mr. Brent worked in Departmental Administration’s (DA) Office of Operations and served as the Deputy Director of Operations. In this role, he was responsible for all aspects of Security at USDA Headquarters Complex, George Washington Carver Center and the Yates Building. He also managed Safety, Sustainability and Emergency Operations, Facilities Management and USDA’s TARGET Center. Additionally, Mr. Brent worked in the DA Office of Human Resources Management and served as USDA’s Employee Engagement Program Manager and the Director of the Diversity Program. Preceding his tenure at USDA, he served as the Deputy Associate Director of Currency Manufacturing at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing where he was responsible for the production, quality inspection and delivery of approximately 4 billion US currency notes annually to the Federal Reserve Board.
James has worked at USDA since 2013, and for the Federal Government for more than 29 years. He graduated from the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and Management. He and his wife Tansey have two children.
Financial Office
Tony Bainbridge, Chief Financial Officer
Scott Williams, Deputy Chief Financial Officer
Chris Mechtly, National Finance & Accounting Operations Office Director
Peggy Javery, Compliance Operations Director
Linda Hamel, Administrative Budget Division Director
Technology Office
Mia Jordan, Assistant Chief Information Officer
Michael Gardner, Deputy Chief Information Officer
Human Resources Office
Eric Dilworth, Human Resources Director
Christine Murray, Human Resources Deputy Director
Helene Saylor, Employee Services Division Chief
Arana Petty-John, Human Capital Management Division Chief
David Root, Employee and Labor Relations Chief
Enterprise Office
Moraima Rivera, Chief Enterprise Officer
Angela Prioleau, Enterprise Office Chief of Staff
Julie Henderson, Enterprise Services Division Director
Ruth Lodder, Security and Emergency Management Division Director
Pam Younger, Management Services Division I Director
Sharon Randolph, Management Services Division II Director
Procurement Management Office
Lori Lloyd, Procurement Office Director
Scott Beckstrand, Strategic Acquisitions Division Manager
Brian Johnson, Contracting Operations Division Manager
Heather Mackenzie, Regional Acquisition Division Manager
Civil Rights Office
Dr. Sharese C. Paylor, Civil Rights Director