Jeff Zimmerman leads the Office of Agricultural Affairs team in support of U.S. Mission’s in UAE, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar. A seasoned foreign service officer of USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), he has served in this capacity since August 2025 following previous assignments to Osaka, Japan; Ottawa, Canada and Brasilia, Brazil. He has held leadership positions in Washington D.C., most recently as Acting Chief of Staff for USDA’s Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. Within FAS, he also served as Director of Western Hemisphere Trade Policy and held previous roles on U.S. agricultural trade relations with Russia, S.E. Asia, and the EU. His experience includes serving at the Agricultural Affairs Office of the U.S. Trade Representative providing technical assistance on the U.S. – South Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA).   

Zimmerman was raised on a small beef cattle and sheep farm in central Minnesota. He graduated in 2002 magna-cum laude from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science degree in applied economics and minor in Portuguese Studies. In 2005, he also received a Master’s degree in agricultural economics from Purdue University. Mr. Zimmerman currently resides in Dubai with his wife and three of their five sons.