United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk announced this week that Sharon Bomer Lauritsen will join USTR in early May as the new Assistant United States Trade Representative for Agricultural Affairs and Commodity Policy. Prior to coming to USTR, Lauritsen served as the Executive Vice President of the Food and Agriculture Section at the Biotechnology Industry Organization. She has also held several Federal Government positions including serving as Deputy Assistant United States Trade Representative for Agricultural Affairs as well as a senior manager in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The Office of Agricultural Affairs has overall responsibility for negotiations and policy coordination regarding agriculture. Responsibilities of the office include Free Trade Agreement and World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Development Agenda negotiations on agriculture, operation of the WTO Committees on Agriculture and on Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures.
