New USDA Rural Development State Director Named

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has named Christy Cauble Davis as the new state director for the department’s Rural Development office in Kansas.  According to a release from the department Thursday, Davis is a fifth-generation Kansan who has dedicated her career to serving and strengthening Kansas communities.  Over the past two decades, Davis has served as Legislative Chair for the Kansas Downtown Development Association and on the board of the Chase County Chamber of Commerce. Most recently, Davis served as Executive Director of Symphony in Flint Hills. She and her husband Luke adopted a historic building in Cottonwood Falls in 2016, transforming it into a laundromat. Three years later the couple rehabilitated an historic bank building to create new housing and a bookstore.

USDA’s Rural Development office offers loans, grants and loan guarantees to help create jobs and support economic development and essential services across Rural America.  State and county offices also offer technical assistance and information to help agricultural producers and cooperatives start and improve the effectiveness of their operations.