WASHINGTON — Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has named Rajen Anand as executive director of the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The mission of the C.N.P.P. is to improve the nutritional status of all Americans by linking research to the dietary needs of the consumer. In addition, the C.N.P.P. is responsible for the development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the MyPyramid food guidance system.

"President Obama and I are firmly committed to improving the health and nutrition of the American people, and I am pleased to welcome Dr. Anand back to U.S.D.A. because he has a deep and broad understanding of dietary guidance, nutrition and how public policy is made," Mr. Vilsack said. "As a former professor and civil servant, Dr. Anand will be a huge asset to our management team."

Dr. Anand joined the C.N.P.P. in 1995 as its deputy director and was promoted to executive director in 1997, a position he held until 2001. Under his leadership, the C.N.P.P. released the 1995 and 2000 editions of Dietary Guidelines for Americans, developed and issued a Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children, ages 2-6, produced a new Thrifty Food Plan, which sets the cash allotment for Food Stamp recipients, reviewed and reported the dietary Status of WIC participants, and developed a Healthy Eating Index, a measure of overall diet quality of individuals.

Prior to his work at the U.S.D.A. and in the interim, he was professor of physiology for 30 years, including 6 years as department chair, at California State University, Long Beach.

A graduate of the University of California, Davis, Dr. Anand holds a doctorate in human physiology, nutrition and biochemistry and a second doctorate in veterinary medicine.