Fresh from a trip to Washington Tuesday, President-elect George W. Bush returned to Texas, where he was expected today to announce a series of nominations for Cabinet posts, including Ann Veneman as Secretary of Agriculture. Veneman served as director of the California Food and Agriculture Department from 1995 to 1998. She was the highest-ranking woman at USDA from 1989 to 1991, when she served under President George Bush as deputy secretary for international affairs and commodities programs.
VENEMAN'S RECORD: FOREIGN TRADE, FOOD SAFETY, EDUCATION
Ann Veneman, an attorney who is the daughter of California peach farmers, emphasized foreign trade, food safety, and education during her tenure as California's agriculture director.
Appointed by former Gov. Pete Wilson, Veneman is the only woman to have held that state cabinet post. Prior to that, under former President George Bush, she dealt with international trade at USDA, rising to deputy secretary. During that time, she helped negotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Uruguay Round talks for the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Since Wilson left office, Veneman has practiced law in Sacramento, but has maintained farm connections as a specialist in food, agriculture, environment, technology, and trade issues. She is a strong advocate of high tech's role in farming, from e-commerce over the Internet to genetic engineering.:
