Inauguration Day and the New Administration

By Dr. Angela Demaree, Assistant Director of the GRD

January has been a flurry of activity as a record 1.8 million visitors descended upon Washington, D.C. for the historic inauguration of our 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. The Inaugural weekend kicked off with the President-elect's train tour, from Philadelphia to D.C. , reminiscent of President Lincoln's arrival in Washington many decades ago. Next up was the "We Are One" Concert at the Lincoln Memorial—what an experience!

Then, Inauguration Day; I count myself among the lucky few who made it through the tight security along the parade route. The temperature had dropped to the 20's for most of the day, and I decided to attend an office party overlooking the parade route in lieu of joining friends on the Mall. Little did I know that it was going to take me 5 hours to get through a security check point after my brisk two mile walk at 6 a.m. With nearly 2 million visitors in our nation's capital on January 20, the city was jam-packed. Of course, it was all worth it to have a great view of our President, Vice-President and First Lady exit their vehicle, "The Beast," and be apart of this historic day-even if it was from a 7th floor window overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue!

President Obama's first few weeks have been busy with appointing administration officials. USDA has been one of the last to be announced and filled; however, former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack has been named and confirmed as the Secretary of Agriculture. His Chief of Staff is John Norris, who was Iowa Utilities Board Chairman and worked on the Kerry-Edwards Campaign during the 2004 election. Carole Jett was named as his Deputy Chief of Staff. Ms. Jett was previously Deputy Chief of Staff for USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service and the agency's farm bill coordinator. She was also on the President-Elect's USDA transition team and worked on agricultural issues in Indiana for the Obama Campaign.

Of particular interest for veterinarians is the naming of Undersecretary for Food Safety at USDA. According to the "buzz" around town, veterinarian and AVMA Member Barbara Masters is in the running for this appointed position. Dr. Masters is a former administrator of USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service and is currently a senior policy advisor at a Washington Law Firm.

For more information, contact Dr. Angela Demaree.