Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services
Kate Houston was appointed by President George W. Bush as USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services (FNCS) on May 29, 2007.
As Deputy Under Secretary, Ms. Houston is responsible for improving the health and well-being of Americans by developing and promoting science-based dietary guidance and administering USDA's 15 nutrition assistance programs. FNCS programs work to end hunger in the United States and provide nutrition assistance, dietary guidance, nutrition policy coordination, and nutrition education.
In October 2006, Ms. Houston was appointed to serve as the Deputy Administrator for USDA's Food and Nutrition Service's (FNS) Special Nutrition Programs. Ms. Houston oversaw administration of 14 of the Nation's nutrition assistance programs, including the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and the Commodity Distribution Program. These programs, together with the Food Stamp Program, touch the lives of one in every five Americans.
Prior to her service at USDA, Ms. Houston served 5 years on the professional staff of the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Education and the Workforce, under the leadership of then-Chairman John A. Boehner of Ohio and the Committee's current Ranking Member, Howard P. "Buck" McKeon of California.
Ms. Houston earned Bachelor of Art degrees in political science and communication from Tulane University, and a Master's degree in U.S. food and nutrition policy from the Friedman School of Nutrition at Tufts University. She was a 2005 recipient of the Food Research and Action Center's Distinguished Service to Congress award.
