Patrick A. Penn serves as Deputy Under Secretary of Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FNCS), the primary agency at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides dietary guidelines, critical nutrition assistance, and emergency food assistance, among many other programs.
Penn humbly leads his Mission Area in alignment with President Donald J. Trump’s direction to ensure programs work harder to encourage healthy eating and lifestyle habits. His dedicated FNCS team is also honored to deliver on USDA Secretary Brooke L. Rollins’ vision for the Department, inviting states, communities, and partners to both participate as new “Laboratories of Innovation,” and create bold solutions for our nation’s long-ignored nutritional challenges.
With a distinguished 28-year career spanning multiple leadership roles in the U.S. Army, private industry, and state politics, Patrick brings a wealth of experience to his work at FNCS.
Penn was raised in foster care, where he learned through direct and personal experience the importance of access to food and nutrition programs for those most in need.
After his success serving as a program manager for U.S. government contracts at a top Fortune 500 Aerospace and Defense company, Patrick was later elected in 2020 by a wide margin to serve in the Kansas House of Representatives from East Wichita. There, he effectively ushered through bipartisan legislation establishing the independent Office of the Child Advocate to protect the interests of those most vulnerable among us — children.
Reelected to service as a Representative in the Kansas Legislature in both 2022 and 2024, Penn effectively worked across the aisle to champion critical reforms in the foster care system, social welfare programs, and the regulatory environment within Kansas. Through bipartisan welfare reform measures, he eliminated waste, fraud, and abuse of public benefits designed to lift individuals out of poverty.
A decorated former active-duty Army Signal Officer with combat experience in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Inherent Resolve, CPT (Ret.) Penn is also recognized for his leadership and legislative efforts in the areas of national security, banning land acquisition by foreign adversaries, and the modernization of government cybersystems.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Colorado State University (Pueblo) and a Master of Science degree in Applied Information Technology from the Volgenau School of Engineering at George Mason University.
While Deputy Under Secretary Penn advances the America First agenda from our nation’s capital, his family is proud to call northeast Wichita home.