Our Leadership

Jeff Witte is the director/secretary of New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) and the Cabinet secretary of agriculture for the state of New Mexico.  He currently is President of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, a past president of the Western United States Agriculture Trade Association and on the board and past president of the Western Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

Mr. Witte served as the assistant director of NMDA from 1994 to 2003 then the director for the Office of Agricultural Biosecurity for NMDA and New Mexico State University (NMSU) until 2011.  He codirected the Southwest Border Food Safety and Defense Center at NMSU, working on agriculture issues related to homeland security.  He is an adjunct instructor with Louisiana State University, National Center for Biomedical Research and Training; and the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine.

Mr. Witte comes from a ranching family in northern New Mexico. He is a graduate of New Mexico State University with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business Management and a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics and Economics