Vilsack names Herrick communications director, Kiel senior communications adviser
June 15, 2015 |02:17 PM
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Friday announced the appointment of Matt Herrick as USDA communications director and Alyn Kiel as senior adviser for strategic communications in USDA’s Office of Communications.
Matt Herrick
Herrick started at USDA in January as deputy director of communications, and was named acting communications director in March after Matt Paul, an aide to Vilsack since he was governor of Iowa, left to become head of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in Iowa.
Herrick was a USDA civil servant press secretary between 2007 and 2012 but left to serve as Oxfam America’s director of media and public relations.
He returned to government as a political appointee spokesperson and press director for the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Herrick has a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., and a master’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Kiel has worked for USDA for the past five years. Most recently, she served as speechwriter to Vilsack , and has previously served in USDA’s office of Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon and at USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
She holds a bachelor’s of science degree in agriculture and natural resources communications from Michigan State University.
Herrick started at USDA in January as deputy director of communications, and was named acting communications director in March after Matt Paul, an aide to Vilsack since he was governor of Iowa, left to become head of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in Iowa.
Herrick was a USDA civil servant press secretary between 2007 and 2012 but left to serve as Oxfam America’s director of media and public relations.
He returned to government as a political appointee spokesperson and press director for the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Herrick has a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., and a master’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Kiel has worked for USDA for the past five years. Most recently, she served as speechwriter to Vilsack , and has previously served in USDA’s office of Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon and at USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
She holds a bachelor’s of science degree in agriculture and natural resources communications from Michigan State University.
