Joel Baxley, Acting Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development (RD) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), announced that he will leave his position effective August 2, 2019. Prior to assuming the job as Acting Assistant to the Secretary, Joel was the Administrator for the Rural Housing Service. While the Administration works to identify someone to take the helm, Misty Giles, RD Chief of Staff, will continue to manage the day-to-day operations of RD in the interim under the direction of the Office of the Secretary.