Dr. Lee Ann Jackson is Head of Programmes at the Forum on Trade, Environment, and the SDGs (TESS), where she oversees the design and delivery of programmes and ensures effective management, reporting and coordination across teams.

Prior to joining TESS, Lee Ann was Head of the Agro-Food Trade and Markets Division in the Trade and Agriculture Directorate at the OECD. In this role, she led a team of economists and statisticians responsible for developing and communicating evidence-based policy advice to governments. She oversaw flagship outputs, including the annual OECD–FAO Agricultural Outlook and and multiple research outputs addressing evidence gaps in food systems. At the 2022 OECD Agriculture Ministerial Meeting, Lee Ann led the negotiation process for the Ministerial Declaration “Transformative Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture,” helping to secure consensus among member countries.

Before her tenure at the OECD, Lee Ann spent 16 years at the World Trade Organization (WTO), where served as Counsellor in the Agriculture and Commodities Division and as Secretary to the Committee on Agriculture. In these roles, she advised WTO Members on agricultural trade policy and multilateral negotiations, coordinated the organization and delivery of multilateral meetings on agriculture, and represented the WTO in key international trade policy fora.

An accomplished academic, Lee Ann has held research and academic positions with the World Trade Institute, the University of Barcelona, the University of Adelaide, and IFPRI. She has served on a number of advisory groups and boards including the Malabo Montpellier Panel and the high-level Advisory Board for IFAD’s 2025 Rural Development Report. Lee Ann is a certified mediator and executive coach. She holds a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota, joint Master’s degrees in Public and Private Management and Environmental Studies from Yale University and an undergraduate degree in Biology from Princeton University.