Jessica Hammes, MA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Washington, DC Ms. Jessica Hammes serves as Director within U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations, Agriculture Programs and Trade Liaison Directorate. In this critical role, she leads the Agriculture Safeguarding and Risk Management division, dedicated to protecting American agriculture and natural resources by preventing the entry of biological threats at the border. Ms. Hammes joined CBP in 2005 at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Throughout her distinguished career, she has held various leadership and managerial positions. Most recently, she served as Branch Chief for Biological Threat Exclusion within the same division. In this capacity, she was responsible for overseeing Biological Threat Exclusion Coordinators, managing the development of the Biological Threat Operations Specialist Program, and providing essential technical guidance for biological materials at ports of entry. Ms. Hammes holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Biology and a Master of Arts degree in Government and Politics from St. John’s University.