Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue Thursday announced the selection of senior leaders in several U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies. Perdue appointed Ken Isley as Foreign Agricultural Service Administrator, Joel Baxley as Rural Housing Service Administrator, and Martin Barbre as Risk Management Agency Administrator. In addition, Perdue announced the appointment of Tommie Williams as Minister-Counselor for Agriculture at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome. Ken Isley most recently served as a Special Adviser for Corteva Agriscience. Joel Baxley comes to USDA with 23 years of real estate finance experience. Martin Barbre is an Iowa farmer and past president of the National Corn Growers Association and a member of the Illinois Corn Growers Association. Tommie Williams of Georgia started his career as a farmer and later founded several successful businesses. Secretary Sonny Perdue says the new appointees “will be key” in helping USDA advance towards President Trump’s goal of increasing prosperity in rural America.