Mr. Robert Bane
Robert Bane was appointed the Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (FSIS) Office of Investigation, Enforcement and Audit (OIEA) in September 2020. In this capacity, Bane leads the Agency’s surveillance and investigation activities for incidents of foodborne illness outbreaks, recalls, natural disasters and intentional contamination, and oversees state and foreign audit programs and enforcement and litigation functions. His efforts support FSIS’ Strategic Goals 1: Prevent Foodborne Illness and Protect Public Health; and 2: Modernize Inspection Systems, Policies, and the Use of Scientific Approaches.
He started his 23-year-career with FSIS as a Food Inspector in Lufkin, Texas. This entry-level position was Bane’s introduction to the FSIS “One Team, One Purpose” mantra that empowers employees’ understanding of their impact on the Agency’s public health mission.
Bane spent the majority of his career with FSIS in the field, holding a number of leadership positions, including Supervisory Compliance Investigator, Deputy District Manager and District Manager. He came to Headquarters in May 2020 as an Executive Associate for Regulatory Operations, overseeing inspection activities in nine states. As District Manager, he directly contributed to FSIS’ mission, ensuring it was fulfilled by the approximately 1,000 employees stationed at over 300 establishments in the Springdale District. In these roles, he led the implementation of significant Agency policies and programs, including the New Poultry Inspection System, the New Swine Inspection System, and the Export Module of the Public Health Information System.
He attended Arkansas Tech University where he studied business administration and Spanish and completed additional coursework at Mississippi State University.