Maria Zieba is the Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), overseeing the international affairs and domestic policy teams. 

Prior to joining NPPC, Maria was a trade policy manager for the National Milk Producers Federation and the U.S. Dairy Export Council, where she worked on various trade issues affecting the dairy industry.  

Previously, she worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, managing capacity building projects aimed at increasing U.S. agricultural exports to emerging markets.  

Maria serves as a Cleared Advisor on the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Animals and Animal Products, providing input to USDA and USTR on key issues affecting U.S. pork exports. She also serves on the board of directors for the Washington International Trade Association, the International Meat Secretariat and Farmers for Free Trade. She is a member of the Trade Policy Forum.  

Maria holds a master’s degree in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University.  She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Riverside with a double major in Political Science-International Affairs and Spanish. She is fluent in three languages and has lived in Washington, D.C. area, Southern California, Argentina and Brazil.