Sunflower native and 2008 Ruleville Central High, now Thomas Edwards High School, graduate and salutatorian Thaddeus Fairley was recently appointed by the Biden Administration as the new State Executive Director (SED) for the USDA Mississippi Farm Service Agency (FSA).
The announcement was made in a Mississippi Farm Service Agency news release dated November 9, 2021. It stated that Fairley joined the Mississippi FSA team on November 8. Fairley could also be the first African American to hold this particular position.
According to the document, Fairley is a certified non-profit professional who most recently served as a field representative for Congressman Bennie G. Thompson—current chair of the Committee on Homeland Security.
Fairley had spent the majority of his career in banking-related fields, first with Regions Bank and later with Hope Credit Union, before joining with Congressman Thompson.
The news release stated that during his time with Thompson, Fairley served as an expert on broadband initiatives and constituent services, including issues from farmers.
Prior to joining the Congressman’s office, Fairley’s work in the banking industry encapsulated over seven years, where he worked towards building relationships between the financial institutions and communities and teaching financial literacy.
Reflecting on his prior occupational experiences, Fairley said, "The work that I did there (was) based on community outreach, working with communities, bridging the gap between entities and the communities that they serve, that's pretty much what I did for the Congressman as well.”
As SED, "I manage all aspects of the State office day-to-day operations, but I directly administer all FSA programs in the state, so that's county, district and statewide," Fairley said.
He added, "In that role, I will have the same opportunities to continue to build those relationships with our farmers and producers across the state of Mississippi."
He is responsible for overseeing the delivery of FSA programs to agricultural producers in Mississippi. These commodity, conservation, credit, and disaster assistance programs ensure a safe, affordable, abundant, and nutritious food, fiber, and fuel supply for consumers.
The Farm Service Agency serves farmers, ranchers, foresters, and agricultural partners through the effective, efficient, and equitable delivery of federal agricultural programs. It offers producers a strong safety net through the administration of farm commodity and disaster programs.
Additionally, through conservation programs, FSA continues to preserve and protect natural resources and provides credit to agricultural producers who are unable to receive private, commercial credit, including targeted loan funds for beginning, underserved, women and military veterans involved in production agriculture.
Although he could not speak directly about his appointment, Fairley acknowledged, "Typically nominations are made to the president by the state delegation, they make recommendations to the president,"
The news release further stated that the USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America.
To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
Fairley received his bachelor's degree from Mississippi Valley State and his master's degree from Louisiana State University at Shreveport. He and his wife Felicia have been married for 10 years and have two sons—a five-year-old and a three-year-old—and they are expecting their third child soon.
