Leslie C. O’Connor is deputy assistant United States trade representative for Central America and the Dominican Republic. She is responsible for developing, coordinating and implementing U.S. trade policy for the region, including responsibility for the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) and the United States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA). Prior to taking her current position in January 2011, Leslie served as the director for agricultural affairs in the USTR’s Office of Agricultural Affairs, where she was the lead agricultural negotiator in FTA discussions with Thailand and Malaysia. While in the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), Leslie served as the agricultural attaché in Madrid, Spain (2000-2003) and Brasília, Brazil (1996-2000). She has been with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) FAS since 1992. Leslie holds a Master of Science degree in agricultural economics from Michigan State University; a Bachelor of Science degree in animal science from Michigan State University; and a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Calvin College.