Director, International Government Affairs & Trade
Monsanto Company
Ms. Agustin is the Director of International Government Affairs & Trade for Monsanto Company in the Washington, DC office. She joined Monsanto Company in January 2012 and has been actively engaged in agriculture and trade policy in Washington, DC since 1998.
In her current role, Ms. Agustin leverages the support of the U.S. government as well as foreign government representatives and key agricultural constituencies to promote business and trade opportunities and resolve specific challenges as they arise related to Monsanto’s business priorities. This role streamlines Monsanto’s Washington DC coordination with its businesses world-wide and places additional focus on international business and trade issues important to the company and its customers.
Prior to joining Monsanto Company, Melissa worked for four years in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) as Director of Agricultural Affairs serving as the agricultural affairs lead negotiator for regional sanitary and phytosanitary issues and for new technologies, including biotechnology. Prior to USTR, Melissa worked for nine years in various capacities in the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), including roles in the FAS Biotechnology Group and the International Cooperation and Development Program Area.
Prior to her time working for the Executive Branch, Melissa was a staff assistant for Senator Larry Pressler (SD) in his Rapid City field office and was an English Instructor in Taipei, Taiwan.
Melissa resides in Washington, DC with her husband, Frederick, and their daughter, Olive.