(NAFB) – President Joe Biden this week nominated Elaine Trevino for chief agricultural trade negotiator at the United States Trade Representative’s Office.

Trevino is President of the Almond Alliance of California and served as a Deputy Secretary at the California Department of Food and Agriculture for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Governor Gray Davis.

In the announcement, the White House states Trevino “understands tariff and nontariff barriers to trade and the importance of maintaining America’s strong trade agreements and global positioning.”

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall welcomed the nomination, stating, “Her strong roots in agriculture and her experience in America’s largest exporting state have prepared her for the challenges of representing the nation on trade issues.”

Duvall adds that opportunities to create new trade agreements with the European Union and Great Britain, as well as expanding the China Phase 1 agreement, make “filling this position with the most qualified person extremely important.”