Senator Murray’s Statement on Washington State USDA Appointments

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement after the USDA officially announced the appointments of Judith Olson and Mario Villeneuva to Washington state positions.

“I am very excited that President Obama has selected Judith Olson as USDA Farm Service Agency State Executive Director for Washington and Mario Villeneuva as USDA Rural Development State Director for Washington.

“Judy Olson has served the families and communities of Washington state for the last twelve years as my office’s Eastern Washington Director, and as a working farmer has always been closely attuned to the needs of the Washington state agricultural community.

“Mario Villeneuva has developed close connections to Washington state communities over two decades of work helping families afford homes. For the last nine years he served at Catholic Charities Housing Services in Yakima, where he worked closely on agricultural worker housing, single-family ownership and senior housing.

“I joined with Senator Cantwell in recommending Olson and Villeneuva for these positions, and I commend President Obama for his excellent choices. The USDA and Washington state will benefit greatly from their hard work and commitment to Washington state families and communities.”