United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development South Dakota Acting State Director Bruce Jones recently announced that Austin Claeys has joined the South Dakota USDA Rural Development team as a loan assistant and will be stationed in the Mitchell Office.
“Claeys has joined the USDA Rural Development team under the Pathways Recent Graduate Program. I’m excited for the opportunity to bring new faces to the agency and help them to succeed in making South Dakota a better place through the many programs we offer,” said Jones.
Claeys is a recent graduate of South Dakota State University (SDSU) and holds a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Consumer Affairs/Business. He was raised in Huron and is looking forward to life in Mitchell. Claeys hobbies include golf, piano, tennis and bowling. Claeys spends his weekends spending time with his girlfriend Lindsey, who he met at SDSU.
“I am really excited to start this new experience. This is an amazing opportunity that I am glad to be a part of. I look forward to learning as much as I can and in turn doing my part to help improve and enhance the quality of life for all of rural America,” said Claeys.
USDA Rural Development in South Dakota has offices in Aberdeen, Huron, Mitchell, Pierre, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Watertown, and Yankton. For more information, visit the USDA Rural Development website at http://www.rd.usda.gov/sd.
The Administration’s plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. These investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way – strengthening America’s economy, small towns and rural communities. USDA’s investments in rural communities support the rural way of life that stands as the backbone of our American values.