New Position Created at Louisiana Farm Service Agency, Pittman Named Deputy State Executive Director
By Avery J. Davidson and Andy Brown
Louisiana Farm Bureau News
The United States Department of Agriculture has created a new position in state Farm Service Agency offices designed to keep continuity of services during changes of Federal administrations. That new position is the Deputy State Executive Director (DSED) and serves in a direct supervisory line over all Federal FSA positions in the state. The position would also serve as the State Executive Director’s (SED) proxy in their absence and participates fully with the SED in managing state programs to further the agency’s mission.
Monday, Louisiana SED Ronald Guidry announced the appointment of Dewanna Pittman as DSED for Louisiana. Pittman comes to the role as Louisiana State Office Farm Program Division Farm Program Chief. Pittman worked closely with Louisiana Farm Bureau while in that position and will continue to help members understand the programs they use every day.
“Through a thorough search we identified a number of qualified candidates to better serve the farmers, ranchers, and citizens of Louisiana in this new Deputy SED role,” Guidry said. “Mrs. Pittman ultimately rose to the top and was selected due to her selfless nature and experience across Farm Service Agency mission areas. As Farm Program Chief, Mrs. Pittman knows the programs that reach our customers most directly forwards and backwards. She has also shown great ability to lead staff internally and serve our customer externally. I am confident she’ll carry that same skill set to the full suite of program areas USDA-FSA offers in Louisiana in this new and expanded role.”
Louisiana Farm Bureau President Richard Fontenot praised the decision both in creating the position and Pittman’s selection.
“The Farm Service Agency is one of the most, if not the most, farmer engaging segments of the USDA,” said Fontenot. “Farm safety net programs, disaster assistance, farm loans, and other key areas of farmer support run through our local service centers. By having a career professional in this new deputy role, we as farmers can find comfort in knowing there will be constant leadership at the agency regardless of political appointment timelines in the future.”
Fontenot added, “In terms of Dewanna being selected, we couldn’t be more thrilled. Hats off to Mr. Ron Guidry and folks at USDA-FSA national office for recognizing Mrs. Pittman’s talents and the need to put someone in this position that knows the stakeholders of the FSA’s core mission. We look forward to continuing to work with Mr. Guidry, Mrs. Pittman and all the state and local staff to support one another in navigating these challenging times in farm country. Congratulations to Dewanna on this new role.”
Learn more about the Louisiana FSA office here: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/Louisiana/index