Washington, D.C., February 5, 2018 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today applauded President Donald J. Trump’s intent to appoint Kenneth Johnson to be the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Utilities Service Administrator. Following the announcement, Secretary Perdue issued this statement:
“As President Trump pursues his comprehensive agenda of infrastructure improvements like increased broadband access for rural communities, adding Ken Johnson to the USDA team is exciting. Ken’s experience with rural utilities, including real success in expanding access to high-speed Internet, will serve us well as we strive to increase prosperity across rural America. While this is welcome news, I’d also like to take this opportunity to urge the U.S. Senate to take up key nominations we have pending, so we can add to our team and continue our mission of doing right and feeding everyone.”
Kenneth Johnson’s Biography:
Mr. Johnson serves as General Manager/CEO of Co-Mo Electric Cooperative and President for Co-Mo Connect in Tipton, MO. Co-Mo is the first to deploy a fiber-to-the-home network to all its members without federal or state funding, providing gigabit internet, video, and voice services to nearly 16,000 subscribers. Johnson is a director and past president for Central Electric Power Cooperative, a director for the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives and served on the Executive and Legislative committees. Johnson was General Manager for Twin Valleys PPD in Nebraska after beginning his career with the Nebraska Public Power District. He earned an undergraduate degree from Kearney State College, and is a graduate of the NRECA Robert I. Kabat Management Internship Program. Ken grew up on a farm near Edgar, NE and has spent his life working and serving rural America. He and his wife cherish spending time with their children and grandchildren.
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