Robert Farrell Bonnie is an American government official who served as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation from 2021 to 2025. He previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Senior Advisor, Climate, in the Office of the Secretary in the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

. He was appointed on Jan. 20, 2021. In November 2020, Bonnie was selected by the

Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

presidential transition team to lead an initiative concerning

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

. During the Obama administration, he was

Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment The under secretary of agriculture for natural resources and environment, or USA(NRE), is a high-ranking official in the United States Department of Agriculture and the principal advisor to the secretary of agriculture on policy to promote the c ...

at the

and as a Senior Advisor to Secretary

Tom Vilsack Thomas James Vilsack (; born December 13, 1950) is an American politician. He served as the 30th and 32nd United States secretary of agriculture from 2009 to 2017, during the Obama administration, and again from 2021 to 2025 during the Biden admi ...

for climate and the environment at the

. He worked at the Environmental Defense Fund for 14 years. Bonnie holds a master’s degree in forestry and environmental management from

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

, and a bachelor’s from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

. On April 16, 2021, Bonnie was nominated by President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

to be the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation. Bonnie's confirmation hearing was held on July 29, 2021, and favorably reported by the Senate's Agriculture Committee on August 10, 2021. He was confirmed by the entire Senate by a vote of 76-19 on November 16, 2021. Bonnie started at his new position on November 19, 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonnie, Robert Environmental policy in the United States Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Duke University alumni Harvard College alumni United States under secretaries of agriculture Obama administration personnel Biden administration personnel