MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Ronald Davis, a longtime federal employee, has been named head of Alabama's office of rural development.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the appointment in a statement Friday.
Davis has worked in various positions for the U.S. Farm Service Agency since 1995. In his new post he will oversee grant and loan programs worth millions of dollars each year for housing, economic development and other needs.
Other candidates for the job included: Tom Whatley, a former aide to Alabama Supreme Court Justice Sue Bell Cobb, and Larry Lee, who heads the Center for Rural Alabama at the state agricultural department.
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