URBANA, Ill. — The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a number of key staff appointments to senior staff positions in December, including the promotion of a University of Illinois graduate to chief-of-staff for the Under Secretary of Rural Development. Steffanie Bezruki joined USDA in January 2021 as chief of staff for the Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Prior to her tenure at USDA, she served in a variety of leadership positions on Capitol Hill. These roles included working as legislative director for Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer (D-Iowa; 2019-2021) and, previously, as senior policy advisor for Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.; retiring). 

Bezruki’s policy areas of focus have included agriculture, rural development, health care, and issues impacting small businesses. Originally from central Illinois, Bezruki holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In an interview with Farm World, Bezruki said she is looking forward to partnering with residents of rural communities to help them meet their improvement goals.

“Whether that may involve improving their high speed internet, connecting business owners with new markets or making sure drinking water is safe, Rural Development supports opportunities for people to build brighter futures in rural America,” she said, before pointing to the department’s recent accomplishments under the Biden-Harris administration. 

“USDA Rural Development has connected more than 100,000 rural households with high speed internet through our ReConnect (Loan and Grant) Program and through the historic investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. We’ve invested hundreds of millions of dollars to support rural hospitals and clinics, much of it made possible through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. We’ve partnered with farmers, producers and wheat processors to strengthen the food supply chain, improve competition and get more options on grocery store shelves— and there is so much more we are looking forward to accomplishing in the coming years.”

In her new role, Bezruki will serve in support of Rural Development Under Secretary Xochitl Torres Small, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to the position in October 2021. She will also support the staff at Rural Development in hundreds of offices across the country.

“I’ll work with them to ensure that people in all of our rural communities can access the resources that they need to thrive. The Biden-Harris administration has made it our number one goal to ensure that all rural communities can enjoy the benefits of these historic legislative packages,” said Bezruki, who was raised in Champaign and attended the city’s public schools. “I’m focused on strengthening the partnerships that we already have, and bringing more partners to the table to get things done. We’re always looking for ways to improve customer service and how we work with partners to better serve rural people.”

According to Bezruki, it is important for Rural Development to focus its efforts on a county-by-county basis rather than assessing and addressing issues through a statewide or regional lens. She stressed that the department would strive to make it as easy as possible for any community to receive support and access to programs.

“This is incredibly important in serving those communities that have been underserved, and have experienced federal programs as being out of their reach. This is a major focus for us,” she said. 

Looking ahead, the USDA will be putting extra focus on preparing rural communities for the impacts of climate change by helping them develop “disaster resiliency” and make “smart investments” in renewable energy, Bezruki added. 

The Champaign County native said her personal goals for her time in USDA Rural Development involve doing her part to continue the momentum of the priorities of the Biden-Harris administration regarding rural Americans. Through her legislative work prior to being hired by the USDA, Bezruki was involved in rural health care, which remains an issue in which she holds a special interest. 

“In each of my (prior) positions I’ve been lucky enough to work with people of rural communities,” she said. “That means learning from, and reaching out to local leaders of those communities. That includes local farmers, business owners and health care providers. Something that I’m most excited about in this role is that I can continue to be their advocate here in Rural Development.”

Bezruki’s Illinois roots run deep; her grandparents have long resided in Decatur, and her mother now lives in Springfield. The U of I grad said she looks forward to working with state department leaders for Rural Development from all 50 states. “The state offices are an integral part of our operation, and they very much help drive the results that we see on the ground,” she said.