Organic Program's Jennifer Tucker takes a temporary Specialty Crops assignmentOrganic Program's Jennifer Tucker takes a temporary Specialty Crops assignment

Jennifer Tucker, who has been with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program since 2011, is starting a one-year rotational assignment with the agency’s Specialty Crop Division. She will remain the NOP Deputy Administrator during this time.

Tammie Wilburn, a public affairs specialist with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, wrote in an email that the temporary assignment is part of the department’s ongoing professional education program.

The new assignments "will promote idea sharing, offer new insights into efficient AMS program management and create new connections across agency programs and teams. Following the rotation assignment, the deputy administrators will return to their respective programs,” Wilburn wrote. 

“The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has exceptional leadership staff, and as an agency, we prioritize opportunities for professional growth and encourage all employees to continuously seek new skills and knowledge,” Wilburn wrote. “We offer AMS employees a broad range of professional development opportunities including leadership training, mentorship and detail assignments. This year, four AMS deputy administrators are participating in a rotational assignment, for a period up to one year, to serve the agency in a different leadership capacity.”

Related:New regulations enhance integrity of organic imports

Jennifer Tucker, deputy administrator of the National Organic Program since 2018. Credit: USDA

While leading the Specialty Crops Program, Tucker will help U.S. produce buyers and sellers efficiently market perishable products. The program partners with state agencies to support growers, shippers, retailers, food service providers and more, according to its website. Specialty crops are defined as “fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture.” Plants that are not listed in the definition of specialty crops can be included as horticultural crops.

The Specialty Crops Inspection Division, which is part of the program, provides "trusted, impartial, prompt and accurate quality assurance and food safety verification services" that support U.S. grade standards and commercial item descriptions. It also inspects specialty crops for the school lunch program and military rations, and manages the USDA's Child Nutrition Labeling Program.

Tucker joined the National Organic Program as associate deputy administrator in 2011 and became deputy administrator in 2018. She has been instrumental in expanding the oversight of the program and implementing key initiatives, including the Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) program, which was fully implemented this past year after going through the rigorous rule-making process for the previous five years.

Effective early February, three other deputy administrators will serve in temporary rotational assignments: