SANS alumnus Ellis Collier (’16, general agriculture) was appointed to a leadership position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. He will serve as a senior policy advisor according to a May 23 announcement by NRCS Chief Terry Cosby.
Collier was most recently a legislative advisor in the USDA Office of Congressional Relations, where he managed congressional engagement and Farm Bill coordination across the areas of climate, research, forestry and conservation. He came to Capitol Hill as the first 1890 Congressional Fellow for the House Committee on Agriculture. Collier was also a legislative analyst, providing legislative and policy support on forestry and conservation.
During his academic pursuits at UMES, Collier was an intern with the NRCS through his selection in the USDA’s 1890 National Scholars Program. The program’s goal is to enhance educational and career opportunities for students from rural communities.
Collier went on to earn a juris doctorate from the University of Arkansas following his graduation from UMES. The newly minted lawyer returned to his alma mater as a senior legal research assistant with the Agriculture Law Education Initiative under UMES Extension. Collier concentrated on issues of heirs’ property on agricultural lands.
USDA photo by Tom Witham
