Conner

A Purdue graduate is the acting head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Chuck Conner, BS ’80, was named by President Bush to replace Mike Johanns, who resigned to run for the U.S. Senate. Conner has been deputy secretary of agriculture since 2005.

“Chuck has a long history of serving agriculture, and we at Purdue are proud that he will be leading the nation’s agricultural interests at a pivotal time for the industry,” says Randy Woodson, Purdue’s Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture.

Conner, who is a 1998 Purdue Distinguished Agricultural Alumnus, grew up on his family’s farm in Benton County, Indiana. His brother, Mike, still operates the family farm.

Before his tenure at USDA, Conner served on the National Economic Council as a special assistant to the president for agricultural trade and food assistance. He also has held several staff positions with the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Before that, he was an agricultural legislative assistant to Sen. Richard G. Lugar.