RALEIGH – Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler recently announced three employees who have accepted new leadership roles in the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Dr. Joe French of Reidsville will serve as assistant commissioner of agricultural services beginning July 1, replacing Dr. Sandy Stewart who leaves to serve as president of Sandhills Community College. NCDA&CS employees Pam Hess of Raleigh and Patrick Jones of Reidsville were promoted and are serving as director of the Human Resources Division and director of the Structural Pest Control and Pesticides Division, respectively.
Dr. Joe French
French has been an N.C. State University research operations manager at the Upper Piedmont Research Station in Reidsville since January 1993, working in collaboration with NCDA&CS Research Stations Division staff. He earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science from N.C. State and his master’s degree and doctorate in reproductive physiology from Texas A&M University.
“I’ve seen firsthand the strong leadership Joe has provided to the Upper Piedmont Research Station through the department’s collaboration with agricultural research,” Troxler said. “He has a wealth of knowledge and education both from the classroom and through field work that serve as the foundation for his more than 30 years of experience at the station. I have no doubt he’ll bring those assets to serve the department and greater agricultural community in North Carolina.”
As assistant commissioner over agricultural services, French will oversee seven divisions in the department including Agronomic Services, Food Distribution, Marketing, Plant Industry, Research Stations, Small Farms and Soil & Water Conservation.
Pam Hess
Hess earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Loyola University-Chicago. She has nearly 19 years of state government experience, including 18 with NCDA&CS. In her time in the department, Hess has moved up from a processing assistant to personnel tech and HR consultant.
Troxler appointed her interim director of Human Resources in January following the move of former director Sylvia Crumpler to another state agency. Hess was promoted to director in May, overseeing a division involved with all of the department’s nearly 2,000 employees.
Patrick Jones
Jones began his career as a pesticide inspector with NCDA&CS in July 1983 and has held field management and enforcement management positions. In 2006, he was named pesticides deputy director when the pesticide program moved into the newly formed Structural Pest Control & Pesticides Division. Jones replaces Jim Burnette who retired at the end of May after 45 years with the department.
Jones has become known as a national leader in the field of pesticide regulations. He has been integral in the state’s adoption of Driftwatch and Bee Check – programs that aim to protect crops and pollinators. In addition, he spearheaded the production of educational videos related to beehive health, which have garnered international attention.
“I am always pleased to be able to promote employees from within the department, especially people like Pam and Pat who have been career employees of the department. Our agriculture department is well respected around the country and looked to for its leadership and innovation in agriculture and that’s a credit to the highly professional employees we have,” Troxler said. “Their commitment to serving our state along with their extensive experience is one of the many reasons I’m happy to announce these promotions.”
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