Dewayne Goldmon of Pine Bluff has been named senior adviser for racial equity to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, the Department of Agriculture announced Monday.
Goldmon is a farmer in southeast Arkansas and is noted for more than 30 years of experience in field research and technology development. Goldmon has served for the past year as executive director of the National Black Growers Council.
"We need to accelerate a transformation of our food system, and that begins with embracing a call for racial justice and equity across food, agriculture and rural America," Vilsack said, adding that the USDA "is committed to ensuring equity ... removing barriers to access and rooting out systemic discrimination, and building a workforce that reflects all of America."
Goldmon received his bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Arkansas and master's degree from Iowa State University, all in agronomy. After four years as a field researcher with American Cyanamid, he joined Monsanto in 1995. He held various positions in technology development, where he conducted research on all southern row crops and managed research and development trials in soybeans, rice, and cotton. He retired from Bayer in 2019.