Jill Long Thompson appointed to national agricultural board

Jill Long Thompson, former gubernatorial candidate and IU alumna, was recently appointed to the Farm Credit Administration Board.

Her nomination was one of 15 recess appointments President Barack Obama made March 27. The appointments are made by the president when the Senate is in recess, according to the U.S. Senate Web site. The appointments are made without the Senate’s approval.

According to the White House’s Web site, the appointees waited for the Senate’s confirmation for an average of 214 days.

The Farm Credit Administration Board is an independent federal agency that regulates banks, associations and entities of the Farm Credit System, according to its Web site. It’s the largest agricultural lender in the nation.

Thompson has been the executive officer and senior fellow at the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy, according to the White House’s Web site. She was also a member of the Agriculture Committee while serving as a member of the U.S. Congress.

President Bill Clinton appointed her to be the Under Secretary for Rural Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Thompson received her M.B.A. and her Ph.D. from IU, according to the Web site of the U.S. Congress.

Thompson was also an assistant instructor and lecturer at IU from 1977 to 1980.
Obama still has 217 pending nominees that have to be confirmed by the Senate, according to the White House’s Web site. On average, the nominees have been pending for about 101 days.

Dawn Johnsen, a professor at the IU Maurer School of Law, was not nominated during the recess appointments but is still waiting to be appointed to the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel.

— Elvia Malagon