Shefali Mehta, PhD was recently appointed as Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a senior position in the Biden-Harris Administration in Washington, D.C. Shefali is the daughter of Hemlata and Vijaybhai Kalidasbhai Mehta of USA, originally from Palanpur.
 

The Research, Education and Economics (REE) is a mission area within USDA, dedicated to creating a safe, sustainable, competitive U.S. food and fiber system.

Dr. Mehta, an environmental and agricultural economist and statistician, has worked in roles across private, public and non-profit sectors including McKinsey, Syngenta, the Soil Health Partnership, amongst others.

Just prior to her appointment to the government position, she was at Open Rivers Consulting Associates, a science & technology and management consulting firm she founded and led. In her role there, and as Founder and Principal, she helped clients intertwine innovation, data and science, compassion, diversity of perspectives and the importance of the environment for overall health into their skills and values.

Shefali has served as a Board member for various groups including Pheasants Forever, Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pest Center (MITPPC), the School of Statistics at University of Minnesota, and The Gates Scholar Advisory Council, amongst others.

She received her PhD in Agricultural and Applied Economics and MS in Statistics from the University of Minnesota, MPhil in Economics from Cambridge University and a BA in Economics from New York University. In 2020 she worked with the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Research in Statistics and its Applications (IRSA) to organize a collaborative conference focusing on agricultural data management and usage.