Ted McKinney
Ted McKinney | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs | |
| Assumed office October 10, 2017 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture | |
| In office January 7, 2014 – October 5, 2017 | |
| Governor | Mike Pence Eric Holcomb |
| Preceded by | Gina Sheets[1] |
| Succeeded by | Melissa Rekeweg[2] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Tipton, Indiana |
| Spouse | Julie |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Purdue University |
Ted McKinney is an American government official who currently serves as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. Prior to assuming his current position, McKinney served as director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture from 2014 to 2017.[3]
Early life and education
McKinney grew up on a family farm in Tipton, Indiana. He was active in 4-H and the National FFA Organization. In 1981, he received a B.A. in agricultural economics from Purdue University. At Purdue, McKinney received the G.A. Ross Award as the outstanding senior male graduate. In 2002, he was named a Purdue Agriculture Distinguished Alumnus, and in 2004, he received an honorary American FFA Degree.[3]
Career
McKinney worked for 19 years with Dow AgroSciences, and 14 years with Elanco, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, where he was Director of Global Corporate Affairs. He has served on the National FFA Conventions Local Organizing Committee, Indiana State Fair Commission, International Food Information Council, the U.S. Meat Export Federation, International Federation of Animal Health, and the Purdue Dean of Agriculture Advisory Committee.[3]
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs
In July 2017, President Donald Trump nominated McKinney to be the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. At the time of his nomination, McKinney had been serving as director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. He was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate on October 3, 2017. McKinney is the first person to hold the post of Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs since the position was created by Congress in 2014.[4]
At his confirmation hearing, McKinney said he anticipated "investing significant time in many foreign countries...building trust, opening doors for farmers and processors, removing trade barriers, and otherwise being what I hope to be known as: a high-trust and high-delivery person of our ag portfolio." United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said McKinney will "wake up every morning seeking to sell more American agricultural products in foreign markets."[5][6]
In November 2017, McKinney traveled to India on his first international trade mission. The 50-person trade delegation, which sought to advance the trade policy relationship between the U.S. and India, held over 465 business to business meetings while abroad.[7][8]
References
- ^ "Gina Sheets". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
- ^ "Melissa Rekeweg". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
- ^ a b c "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts". The White House. July 19, 2017. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
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- ^ Groppe, Maureen (September 19, 2017). "Indiana's McKinney pledges to be `happy warrior' for agriculture as USDA official". USA Today. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
- ^ McGowan, Dan (October 4, 2017). "Senate Confirms Ted McKinney For New USDA Role". Inside Indiana Business. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
- ^ Groppe, Maureen (July 19, 2017). "Trump picks Indiana Agriculture Director Ted McKinney for USDA post". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
- ^ Rich, Doug (November 14, 2017). "Undersecretary McKinney travels to India for his first trade mission". High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
- ^ Truitt, Gary (November 3, 2017). "McKinney Finds Optimism and Opportunity on India Trade Mission". Hoosier Ag Today. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
