Dr. Juan Rodriguez
Dr. Juan Rodriguez was appointed the Director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (FSIS) International Liaison Office in Mexico City, Mexico in February 2017.
Dr. Rodriguez is responsible for representing FSIS in Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean on technical issues pertaining to the import and export of meat, poultry and egg products to promote the safe international trade of these products. His functions directly support FSIS’ Strategic Goals – 1: Prevent Foodborne Illness and Protect Public Health, 2: Modernize Inspection Systems, Policies, and the Use of Scientific and 3: Achieve Operational Excellence.
Dr. Rodriguez joined FSIS in 1994 in the Office of Field Operations (OFO) as an in-plant Supervisory Veterinary Medical Officer in Puerto Rico. In 1998, he moved to Maine and became a Frontline Supervisor overseeing a team of employees working at FSIS regulated facilities in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
In 2009, Dr. Rodriguez accepted a position at FSIS’ headquarters in Washington, D.C., as a Veterinary Medical Officer (VMO) with the Office of International Affairs’ Exports Program Staff. As a VMO, he was responsible for helping formulate policies and develop program objectives pertaining to certifications and declarations required by other countries for entry of U.S. meat, poultry, and egg products into foreign commerce. This also included updating the FSIS Export Library information as new requirements were communicated to FSIS employees. His portfolio spanned 34 countries located in the Western Hemisphere.
In 2014, he became a Senior Program Auditor with the Office of Investigation, Enforcement and Audit’s International Audit Staff. As an auditor, Dr. Rodriguez was responsible for conducting on-site evaluations of foreign food safety systems to determine if they continued to be equivalent to U.S. requirements.
Before then, Dr. Rodriguez spent six years in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps as a VMO. In that capacity, he supervised soldiers who performed animal care activities and conducted food and sanitary inspections at multiple military and food facilities from which the U.S. military purchased subsistence supplies. He also provided veterinary care to both military-owned animals and animals owned by military personnel.
Dr. Rodriguez holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal and Poultry Sciences and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree from Tuskegee University in Alabama.