STEVENS POINT, Wis., November 5, 2021 – Following a press release from President Joe Biden announcing several regional appointments, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the appointments of two Rural Development (RD) State Directors and two Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Directors.
“We are very fortunate these four individuals are choosing to dedicate their talents and expertise to USDA,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Each will be an incredible asset to our Department and carry out our mission at the state and local level as we work to improve the lives of the American people.”
Julie Lassa has been appointed RD State Director for Wisconsin. Julie grew up on her parents’ small dairy farm in northern Portage County and most recently worked for a Wisconsin-based property and casualty insurance company. She represented a district in central Wisconsin in the state legislature for 18 years, both in the Assembly and Senate. In addition, Lassa served on the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation where she focused on enhancing private-sector job creation and promoting small business. Julie authored the Green to Gold Fund to assist small and midsized businesses improve their energy efficiency and create new green energy products and services. Before being elected, she served as a Supervisor for the town of Dewey and as Executive Director for the Plover Area Business Association.
RD State Directors serve as the chief executive officer of Rural Development in the states and territories and are tasked with carrying out the mission of rural development to the benefit of everyone in rural America. In conjunction with the guidance and support of the National Office, State Directors are responsible for promoting the mission and strategic goals of Rural Development and provide key leadership to develop and support a productive, diverse and inclusive state workforce.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal and high-poverty areas.
To learn more about investment resources for rural areas, interested parties should contact our Wisconsin USDA Rural Development office at 715-345-7600 or wi-rd-stateoffice@usda.gov and visit our website www.rd.usda.gov/wi. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
#
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.