Deputy Secretary Hannah Smith-Brubaker Sworn In

Hannah Smith-Brubaker was sworn in this morning as the Deputy Secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA). Smith-Brubaker is the former President of the Pennsylvania Farmers Union and operates a farm with her wife and family in Juniata County, Village Acres Farm and Foodshed. She is also a past Community Outreach Specialist for the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture.

Deputy Secretary Smith-Brubaker is the first out leader of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and currently the highest-ranking out official of a state agency. Terry Mutchler formerly held this title when she was the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, but she resigned in January 2015 with her term having expired.

Smith-Brubaker’s selection to be Deputy Secretary was not subject to State Senate confirmation. She served on Governor Wolf’s Transition Team for Agriculture. PDA’s Acting Secretary, Russell Reading, has yet to be confirmed by the Senate.

For the 2015 Pennsylvania Youth Action Conference: Cultivating New Possibilities for Rural LGBTQ Youth, Smith-Brubaker was a featured speaker at the Keystone Banquet, and a sponsor of the conference through her family farm.

We congratulate Hannah Smith-Brubaker on her officially being sworn in!