| Pennsylvania Native Appointed to Head CBPs Agriculture Programs
(Friday, December 09, 2011) WashingtonEffective December 4, Kevin Harriger, a native of Johnstown, Penn., and a 1976 graduate of Richland High School is the new executive director for agriculture inspection programs at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations. In his new position, Harriger, a 30-year veteran in the effort to safeguard U.S. agricultural resources from harmful plant pest and foreign animal diseases will provide leadership, expertise and innovation to protect the U.S. and its natural resources from agricultural threats. Prior to assuming his duties as executive director, Harriger was the deputy executive director for CBPs office of Agriculture Operational Oversight charged with improving the agricultural mission across all CBP field offices by ensuring a more consistent application of agriculture inspection policy. His responsibilities included ensuring compliance with all agricultural program directives and policies, ensuring agriculture specialists have the equipment and resources they need to perform the agriculture inspection function, and initiating and monitoring special agriculture operations.Harriger transferred from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) to CBP at the creation of the Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003. Prior to joining CBP, Harriger worked extensively with the USDA, both as an associate regional director for APHIS-PPQ in Raleigh, N.C. and as a special assistant to the deputy administrator for APHIS-PPQ in Conyers, Ga.Harriger is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Science. After graduation, Harriger started his career with APHIS as a PPQ officer in 1981.U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws. |
