News Release

Contact: Sue King, (202) 690-8122

NASS Honors Two Former Employees in 2017 Hall of Fame Induction

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27, 2017 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) inducted two outstanding former employees whose work and contributions to NASS and to agricultural statistics continue to have impact. The NASS Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made lasting contributions to the quality of the information NASS collects and the service NASS provides.

“We are proud to honor these individuals who have done so much to improve the quality and impact of our work and to make NASS a better place,” said NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer. “Alfonzo Drain’s work expanded diversity and opportunity in NASS and expanded the focus on USDA programs and services to small and beginning farms. William E. Kibler, both as administrator and in his earlier career, brought an innovative leadership style that equipped NASS and his successors with modern tools, methods, and standards.”

The 2016 inductees to the NASS Hall of Fame (and their official citations) are:

Photo of Alfonzo Drain

Alfonzo Drain provided decades-long dedication, leadership, and guidance on key issues that fundamentally strengthened NASS and expanded the range of producers NASS serves. His work broadened opportunities for minorities and women within NASS, and brought increased policy and program attention across all USDA agencies to small and beginning farmers and ranchers.


Photo of William E. Kibler

William E. Kibler was a visionary leader who empowered staff and trusted them to produce creative, dynamic solutions. During a time of generational change, budget and weather challenges, advancing computer capacity, and need for new statistical methods, he made innovative decisions that strengthened the agency and gave it tools and processes to address future needs.


NASS established the Hall of Fame in 2014 to recognize former employees whose contributions to the agency and to agricultural statistics transcend time. Individuals honored in the Hall of Fame exemplify integrity, honesty, innovation, and commitment to public service.

To learn more about the NASS Hall of Fame, including information on how to submit a nomination, visit www.nass.usda.gov/About_NASS/Hall_of_Fame .

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NASS is the federal statistical agency responsible for producing official data about U.S. agriculture and is committed to providing timely, accurate and useful statistics in service to U.S. agriculture.

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