Courtesy usda.gov
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Deputy Administrator Denise Eblen, Ph.D., retired at the end of February.
Eblen had held the role since July 2025. She previously served as FSIS administrator from December 2024 to July 2025.
Eblen first joined FSIS in 2001 as a food safety fellow supporting the agency’s food safety and public health priorities. In 2018, she was selected as assistant administrator for the Office of Public Health Science (OPHS) at USDA FSIS after serving as acting deputy assistant administrator for OPHS from 2013 to 2015.
USDA did not announce Eblen’s successor.
FSIS is currently headed by Justin Ransom, administrator, and Robert Bane, deputy administrator of field operations. Bane’s position was created in January to serve alongside Eblen.
Other Staff Changes.
FSIS Office of Policy and Program Development (OPPD) Assistant Administrator Rachel Edelstein also retired at the end of February.
April Regonlinksi was named assistant administrator of OPPD, and William Griffin was named assistant administrator of the Office of Investigation, Enforcement and Audit (OIEA).
Additional leadership changes were made in the Office of Field Operations, Office of International Coordination, OPPD and OIEA, said FSIS.
These updates, and all personnel changes, are available on the FSIS website.
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