Biography

Malikha Daniels joined NASDA in 2025 as Associate Director of International Trade Programs. In this role, she supports strategic planning and programmatic functions of the NASDA’s domestic and international export promotion and trade activities, alongside programmatic functions of NASDA’s USDA Regional Agricultural Promotion Program trade missions and other RAPP activities.

Before joining NASDA, Malikha served as senior policy advisor for the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, working within the Office of the Administrator and the Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs mission area. In this role, she led key strategic initiatives and provided leadership for major events like the annual Africa Food Systems Forum, the World Food Prize and collaborative efforts with the United Nations, including the 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer initiative and COP 29. Earlier in her career, Malikha was a Senior Legislative Advisor in the Office of Congressional Relations within the Office of the Secretary, where she managed congressional engagements for the Secretary and USDA leadership across the Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs and Research, Education, and Economics mission areas, alongside the Office of Homeland Security, and Office of the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement.

She also worked in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives for several Members of Congress and most recently served as staff director for the Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research in the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture. In that role, she helped shape legislative bills that became law and oversaw policy issues related to agricultural biotechnology, specialty crops, local agriculture, marketing programs, and research.

Malikha holds bachelor’s degrees in biological sciences and Spanish from the University of Illinois Chicago and a master’s degree in public policy from American University in Washington, D.C. Originally from Illinois, she enjoys cycling and discovering new local restaurants in her free time.