November 20, 2007

Jamie Zmitko-Somers, Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) employee and Saginaw County resident, has been appointed to the Executive Advisory Committee of the Food Export Association-Midwest, announced MDA Director Don Koivisto.

“This appointment assures that Jamie will share her knowledge on international trade and emerging export markets, a rapidly growing sector of Michigan’s food and agriculture industry,” Koivisto said. “She is an asset both to MDA and the Food Export Association of the Midwest because of her knowledge and hands-on experience.”

The Food Export Association-Midwest’s Board of Directors recently approved her appointment for a marketing director to serve on the Executive Advisory Committee. The committee meets on a quarterly basis to review the Association’s budget, objectives, communication between the states, and calendar of current and proposed activities.

In 2008, Michigan’s International Marketing Program plans to develop and expand our export markets to Korea, France, Mexico, Spain, and Taiwan.

An employee of MDA since 1997, Zmitko-Somers serves as the International Marketing Program Manager in the Agriculture Development Division, which works to strengthen profitability for family farms and enhance opportunities for the state’s food and agriculture industry. Zmitko-Somers holds a bachelor’s degree from the Michigan State University, Eli Broad College of Business.

Farming is second nature to Jamie, who was raised on her family’s cash crop farm in Shiawassee County. Jamie and her husband, Don, live on their cash crop farm near Henderson in Saginaw County.

For more information on the Food Export Association of Midwest, visit www.foodexport.org. For more information on MDA and its efforts to develop international and domestic markets, visit www.mdainternational.com