SALEM — A USDA official, Alexis Taylor, has been nominated to head the Oregon Department of Agriculture, replacing former director Katy Coba.

Taylor is the USDA’s deputy under secretary for farm and foreign agriculture services and will begin serving as ODA director on Jan. 23, once confirmed by the Oregon Senate.

Lisa Hanson, ODA’s deputy director, was a finalist for the position and has served as the agency’s interim director since Coba left in October to lead the state’s Department of Administrative Services.

In her position at USDA, Taylor was charged with advocating for international trade policies that benefit U.S. agriculture and led the agency’s Women in Agriculture Initiative, which supports female farmers.

Prior to the USDA, she negotiated provisions that ended up in the 2008 and 2014 farm bills as a legislative adviser to congressional committees.

A graduate of Iowa State University, Taylor was raised on an Iowa farm and served in the U.S. Army Reserve for eight years, including a tour in Iraq.

When Coba announced she was leaving ODA, eight of Oregon’s agriculture industry groups wrote a letter to Gov. Kate Brown, urging her to install Hanson as the permanent agency chief.

However, the Oregon Farm Bureau has welcomed the news of Taylor’s appointment, citing her “track record of success” at the USDA.

“We believe Ms. Taylor’s experience at a high level in Washington, D.C. gives here the background she needs to be successful in helping the industry recognize and overcome its challenges in Oregon,” OFB said in a statement.