Jacqueline Ponti-Lazaruk

Jacqueline Ponti-Lazaruk serves as the Director of Government Affairs at Rural Community Assistance Partnership Incorporated (RCAP) since December 2025. Previously, Jacqueline held the position of Acting Deputy Under Secretary at USDA, Rural Development from January 2025 to September 2025. From March 2019 to September 2025, Jacqueline was the Chief Innovation Officer at USDA, where key responsibilities included establishing the RD Innovation Center and overseeing various strategic functions. Jacqueline also served as the inaugural Chief Risk Officer for Rural Development from November 2016 to March 2019, where the focus was on implementing Enterprise Risk Management and fostering a risk-based culture. Jacqueline earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business, Marketing, and Economics from James Madison University in May 1990.