President Joe Biden will nominate Alexis Taylor, director of Oregon’s Department of Agriculture, to be USDA’s undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, the White House said May 13. Taylor previously oversaw USDA’s Farm Service and Foreign Agricultural Service agencies, where she worked to “open new markets and improve the competitive position of U.S. agricultural products in the marketplace,” the White House said. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack praised the nomination, saying it builds on USDA's commitment to "enhance export opportunities for American farmers and producers and increase global food security."

Heather Hurlburt will be the new chief of staff for the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. She comes from New America, a left-of-center think tank, where she studied the intersection of political polarization and foreign policy. She replaces Ginna Lance, who was interim chief of staff.

Peter Quinter, former customs and international trade attorney at GrayRobinson, joined Gunster as the leader of its Customs and International Trade Law Group, Quinter said in a post on his LinkedIn account. Quinter advises on issues involving investigations by the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control and the State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. Before entering private practice, Quinter served as counsel at the Southeast Regional Headquarters of the U.S. Customs Service.