Luke Lindberg of Harrisburg has been chosen to lead the United Nation’s World Food Programme. Courtesy photo.
The United Nations has chosen a South Dakota man to lead the world’s largest food security program.
South Dakota Trade Association founder and senior U.S. Department of Agriculture official Luke Lindberg will lead the World Food Programme after being nominated for the position last spring by President Donald Trump.
According to a U.N. memo sent to the World Food Programme’s executive board, Lindberg’s appointment was a joint decision by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and Qu Dongyu, the director-general of the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
“The Secretary-General and Director-General are pleased to convey herewith their intention to appoint Mr. Luke John Lindberg of the United States of America as the next WFP Executive Director for a five year term,” U.N. chef de cabinet E. Courtenay Rattray wrote in a two-page letter obtained by The Dakota Scout.
Lindberg, who could not be reached for comment, was among 54 candidates for the job, which had been held by Cindy McCain. The widow of late Sen. John McCain suffered a stroke in October after taking the position in 2023. Of the applicants, nine advanced to semi-finalists before the candidate pool was narrowed to four.
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As WFP head, Lindberg will oversee more than 20,000 WFP employees and a budget that has topped $12 billion annually. His appointment comes two years after he was confirmed to his undersecretary position in the Department of Agriculture by the U.S. Senate. In that role, he’s served as a spokesman for the administration’s efforts to address trade barriers for U.S. agricultural exports.
USDA recently took over management of the Food for Peace program and is partnering with the WFP to deliver more than 200,000 tons of international food aid, which also fell under Lindberg’s oversight as a federal official.
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