TOPEKA — Hill City native Jake Worcester has been hired as an assistant secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

Acting Secretary of Agriculture Jackie McClaskey made the announcement today in a news release.

Worcester is a graduate of Kansas State University with a degree in agricultural economics.  He served as KSU student body president and was a Kansas FFA officer while a student at Hill City High School.

Most recently, Worcester worked as vice president for Peak Solutions USA, a leadership and management consulting firm specializing in agriculture and manufacturing industries.  He also served as the first full-time executive director for the Kansas FFA Foundation and the director of development for the K-State School of Leadership Studies.

Worcester and his wife live in Fort Collins, Colo., and will relocate to Manhattan in the spring.