In total, Eleven new Agricultural Officers sworn into Foreign Service
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor administered the oath of office to 11 employees of USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service who will serve American agriculture internationally as members of the Foreign Service. Diverse group of diplomats who completed their rigorous training will now serve on the frontlines of agricultural diplomacy around the world.
At U.S. embassies and diplomatic missions on five continents, diplomats begin their careers as agricultural attachés, where they will track and report on global agricultural production and commerce, find export opportunities, improve food security, and support U.S. foreign policy goals.
Officers to strengthen the American Foreign Service as they begin their work protecting and advancing the interests of U.S. agriculture.
Incumbent officers are:
- Craig Elliot from Petaluma, Calif., assigned to the OAA in Tokyo, Japan.
- Erica Summe from Florence, Ky., assigned to the ATO in Tokyo, Japan.
- Harrison Grafos from Spokane, Wash., assigned to the OAA in Dubai, UAE.
- Joanna Brown from Washington, D.C., assigned to the OAA in New Delhi, India.
- Jadon Marianetti from San Jose, Calif., assigned to the OAA in Beijing, China.
- James Yi from Philadelphia, Pa., assigned to the OAA in Hanoi, Vietnam.
- Lita Echiverri from San Francisco, Calif., assigned to the FAS Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) in Mexico City, Mexico.
- Rishan Chaudhry from Pullman, Wash., assigned to the OAA in Ankara, Turkey
- Shoshana Griffith from Seattle, Wash., assigned to the OAA in Seoul, South Korea.
- Tacarra Birmingham from Chicago, Ill., assigned to the FAS Office of Agricultural Affairs (OAA) in Ottawa, Canada.
- Victoria Dokken from Deltona, Fla., assigned to the ATO in Beijing, China.
The USDA positively impacts the lives of all Americans every day. In order to improve America’s food system, USDA focuses on building more resilient local and regional food production, creating fairer markets for producers, ensuring access to healthy, nutritious, and safe food for all communities, and creating new markets and income streams. Climate-smart agriculture and forestry practices, infrastructure and clean energy investments in rural America, and removing systemic barriers and building a workforce that is more representative of America all contribute to achieving equity across the Department.
