David Leishman

Director
U.S. Agricultural Trade Office
Russia – Moscow, St. Petersburg and Vladivostok

David Leishman is Director of the U.S. Agricultural Trade Office in Russia. Working with local marketing specialists in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Vladivostok, he manages U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) market development and trade promotion programs.
Prior to his appointment in 2016, Dr. Leishman served in the USDA Bilateral Agreements and Enforcement Division, helping to negotiate and enforce agricultural trade agreements in Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. From 2009 to 2013, he was the Senior U.S. Agricultural Attaché for India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He previously served a four year tour at the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels, and also briefly worked at the U.S. Embassy in Rome. Dr. Leishman joined USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service in 2002, working as an agricultural economist in the Dairy, Livestock and Poultry Division.
After earning degrees in political science and international relations, Dr. Leishman completed a master’s degree in agricultural economics at the University of Wyoming. He pursued further graduate studies at the University of Minnesota, and completed a PhD in agricultural economics at the University of Bologna. David was born in Milan, Italy.