On Nov. 27, Stephen Vaden was confirmed by the Senate to serve as general counsel of the Department of Agriculture (USDA). Vaden has been the USDA’s principal deputy general counsel since March 2017 and was nominated by President Donald Trump to be general counsel on Sept. 5, 2017.
Before joining USDA, Vaden was an associate at Squire Patton Boggs from 2014 to 2017, focusing on political law and litigation. From 2011 to 2014, he was an associate at Jones Day.
Vaden received a bachelor’s degree in American history from Vanderbilt University in 2004 and earned a law degree from Yale University in 2008.