Jennifer Moffitt

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Jennifer Lester Moffitt (born 1980) is an American organic farmer and government official from California. She served as the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Biden administration from August 13, 2021, to January 20, 2025, becoming the first woman to hold the position. Before that, she was the Undersecretary (and Deputy Secretary earlier) at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, appointed by Governor Jerry Brown and later reappointed by Gavin Newsom. She began her public service on the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board in 2011.

Moffitt grew up on her family’s organic farm in Winters, California, and was active in 4-H and the National FFA Organization. She attended Brown University and is an alumna of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation.

After college, she worked for American Farmland Trust. From 2005 to 2015, she helped run her family’s organic walnut farm, focusing on sales and marketing and serving as the farm’s Managing Director. The farm received the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award for sustainable practices.

In 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Moffitt to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. Her nomination was endorsed by California’s Karen Ross and she was confirmed by the Senate in August 2021.

As Under Secretary, she led the Agricultural Marketing Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, helping to strengthen food systems, competition, and the transition to organic farming. She represented USDA at major international events, including the 2023 UN Food Systems Summit in Rome and the Africa Climate and Africa Food Systems summits, and in 2024 at the World Organisation for Animal Health General Assembly.

Awards and honors include the 2024 Organic Champion Award from the Organic Trade Association and the 2024 IDFA Leadership Award from the International Dairy Foods Association. She was also inducted into the Winters Joint Unified School District Hall of Fame.

In 2025, it was announced she would return to American Farmland Trust as a Senior Fellow to support rural communities and help farmers build diverse, profitable, and resilient operations.

Personal life: She is the daughter of Russ and Kathy Lester and has four sisters. She is married to Gregory Moffitt, an educator and former school principal. They live in Washington, D.C., with their teenage daughter.