Acting Secretary of Agriculture, Jackie McClaskey has announced Jake Worcester has been hired as an assistant secretary.
Worcester, a native of Hill City,  has a diverse business background and is a skilled relationship builder with a solid understanding of agriculture.
“We are excited to have Jake join the Kansas Department of Agriculture team,” said McClaskey. “He brings extensive knowledge of agriculture to the agency and is an innovative thinker when it comes to working through challenges. He will be an asset as we work together with our farm and ranch families and agribusiness to grow the state’s largest industry,” she said.
Worcester is a graduate of Kansas State University with a degree in agricultural economics. He was active in student government, serving as KSU student body president. He has close ties to agriculture having worked on his family farm as a youngster and was an active member of 4-H, FFA and served as a State FFA officer.
Most recently he worked as vice president for Peak Solutions USA, a leadership and management consulting firm with specializations in agriculture and manufacturing industries. He also served as the first full-time executive director for the Kansas FFA Foundation and the director of development for the K-State School of Leadership Studies.
Worcester and his wife Hilary currently live in Fort Collins, Colo. and will be moving to Manhattan in the spring.