Daniel Whitley - Administrator Foreign Agricultural Service
Daniel Whitley began serving as the Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service in January 2021. In his position, he leads efforts to open and grow markets, collaborates with foreign governments, international organizations and industry groups, shapes U.S. agricultural trade policy, and oversees export assistance programs that mitigate risk and enhance U.S. agricultural products’ global presence. He also directs the collection of market intelligence and guides initiatives to build agricultural capacity in developing countries, working closely with various stakeholders to ensure cohesive efforts. Prior to this role, Whitley served as the Associate Administrator for policy and analysis where he led the Global Market Analysis and the Trade Policy and Geographic Affairs units. In this capacity he led the agency’s efforts to analyze agricultural export markets and policy formulation to advance American agricultural interests. He has over 25 years of experience at USDA and began his career as an intern with the Farmer’s Home Administration in a rural Louisiana field office; later, he joined the Economic Research Service before starting his tenure with FAS in 2001. Since joining FAS, he has served in a number of leadership positions including Deputy Administrator of Global Analysis. In this capacity, he represented the U.S. government in key international forums including the World Trade Organization, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the International Grains Council. He is a native of Baton Rouge, LA and holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Southern University in Baton Rouge and a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Louisiana State University. He currently lives with his family in Washington, DC.
