Pauline Simmons is an International Economist and Advisor at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS), Office of Global Programs, Agricultural Economic Development; in Washington, DC. Prior to her current position, she was a Special Assistant to FAS Deputy Administrator in the Office of Capacity Building and Development.
Prior positions at FAS include Branch Chief for the Rural Development and Natural Resources Branch, and Regional Coordinator for sub-Saharan Africa in the Policy Coordination and Planning Group. She was also an International Economist, focusing on bilateral and multilateral trade relations with countries in the Western Hemisphere, including Canada, Mexico and Brazil, where she participated in several World Trade Organization agricultural negotiations.
Earlier FAS positions include Agricultural Economist responsible for commodity analysis with responsibilities for Europe, Africa, Middle East, Russia and the newly independent states of Eastern Europe. She also worked as an assistant to the Assistant Deputy Administrator of Foreign Agricultural Affairs.
Before joining the Foreign Agricultural Service, Ms. Simmons was an Administrative Officer for a major management consulting firm in Virginia. She also worked as an Admissions Specialist at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and as an Agricultural Economist and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for the Ministry of Agriculture in Accra, Ghana, where she consulted for a non-governmental women’s organization.
Ms. Simmons has a Master of Arts degree in International Transactions, a Certificate in International Business Planning and a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics.
Ms. Simmons has received several awards and lives in Fairfax, Virginia, with Paul, her husband, and their two children.