Mary Ellen Smith

Mary Ellen Smith became the Minister-Counselor in USDA’s Office of Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa in July 2023 with oversight for USDA’s offices in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. Prior to arriving in Canada, Mary Ellen was Deputy Administrator for Foreign Affairs with responsibility for managing the FAS’s Foreign Service Corps and Foreign Operations in 98 overseas offices covering 180 countries.

She previously served tours in Moscow, The Hague, and Brussels. In these roles, she led market promotion activities and trade policy initiatives in the European Union, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, and Russia. She also served as a Director at Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Executive Office of the President.

Mary Ellen is a fifth generation Californian with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of California, Davis, and a master’s degree in Business Administration. After graduation, she joined the Foreign Agricultural Service and was commissioned as a Foreign Service Officer. She and her husband Matthew have two daughters, Kayla and Sydney.