Colorado Department of Ag hires regional assistant commissioners

The Colorado Department of Agriculture is announcing the hiring of Jo Stanko and George Whitten as Regional Assistant Commissioners of Agriculture. In their new positions, they will serve as liaisons between the Department, their communities and agricultural communities across the state.

In late 2022, Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg created these new, part-time, remote positions to make it more feasible for working farmers and ranchers to be part of the Department team. These new team members will further the Department’s efforts in cultivating relationships with local agricultural communities by sharing the Department’s priorities and available resources, helping guide its work to advance and support agriculture based on direct community input, and by creating a direct connection between rural communities and the Department.

“Agriculture, at its core, is about bringing people together to share our food and culture. Both Jo and George are respected community leaders who care deeply about preserving Colorado’s agricultural heritages while working proactively for the future,” said Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg. “As the first two Regional Assistant Commissioners, Jo and George will lead the way to ensuring there is a direct line of communication between CDA and agricultural communities across the state as we face great challenges, but also great opportunities to build resilience, drive profitability, and advance stewardship on behalf of Colorado agriculture.”

The Department is looking to hire up to four Regional Assistant Commissioners to represent geographic diversity as well as diversity in production type, background and expertise in a wide range of areas and emerging agricultural issues in Colorado. In the first round, Stanko and Whitten went through a competitive application process and were selected as the finalists for the first two positions. Stanko, a rancher from Routt County, resides in Northwest Colorado and Whitten, who ranches in Saguache County, resides in the San Luis Valley.

The Department is taking into consideration the makeup of the Agricultural Commission when hiring the Regional Assistant Commissioner positions to gain a greater diversity in representation across the state. The Department will assess the remaining Regional Assistant Commissioner positions with the help of Stanko and Whitten, and post for the remaining two positions later this year.

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