WASHINGTON – House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott announced several staffing additions and a promotion for the Democratic staff of the House Agriculture Committee.

DeShawn Blanding will serve as Legislative Assistant. Most recently, DeShawn served as the Policy and Strategy Specialist for the Rural Coalition. He was previously a Staff Assistant on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and a national officer for the National FFA Organization. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Environmental Systems from North Carolina A&T State University and is currently completing his M.A. in Public Policy at the George Washington University. He is originally from a rural community in Manning, South Carolina.

Victoria Maloch has been promoted to Communications Director. Maloch joined the Committee in 2021 as a Legislative Assistant and most recently served as the Deputy Communications Director. Prior to joining the Committee, she worked in the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy and served as a national officer for the National FFA Organization. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Arkansas and master's degrees in policy from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Maloch is originally from Emerson, Arkansas and grew up on her family’s cattle farm.

Donovan Tate-Davis will serve as Press Assistant. Most recently, Tate-Davis served as an intern in the Office of Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, a Member of the House Agriculture Committee. Previously, he has held communications roles in social media management and brand strategy. Tate-Davis obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the College of Charleston. He is originally from Gaffney, South Carolina.

Elaine Zhang will serve as Staff Assistant. Prior to working on Capitol Hill, Elaine was in the 28th class of Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellows where she worked on American Indian agriculture and rural food systems. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Asian Languages and Cultures with minors in Food Studies and Environmental Systems and Society from the University of California – Los Angeles. Elaine is a native of Stockton, California.