Shireen Yousef

As a supervisory biologist and branch manager of wildlife trade and conservation for the Division of Management Authority, Shireen Yousef brings 16 years of experience in international affairs, trade, and capacity building. Prior to joining the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2024, Shireen began her career with the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy’s Office of Science where she contributed to the formulation of the U.S. science and technology policy and co-administered research programs. From there, she spent six years at the United States Department of Agriculture working on international agriculture trade policy issues (e.g., trade negotiations and market access) in Asia and designing and managing multimillion dollar, long-term agriculture and trade development programs in Africa and the Middle East. She then spent about seven years at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Trade conducting investigations and negotiating trade and travel agreements with the U.S. government agencies and foreign partners. Her last role before joining the Service was chief of environmental and natural resources enforcement, covering a wide range of topics including, illegal logging and associated trade, wildlife trafficking, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and illicit mining. Over the years, Shireen received numerous awards for her efforts, including the 2014 Foreign Agricultural Service Administrator Honor Award for Outstanding Cross-Agency Team Work, 2019 Customs and Border Protection Commissioner's Award for Trade and Facilitation, 2023 Department of Homeland Security Award for Outstanding Engagement in Countering Human Trafficking, and 2023 Homeland Secretary Silver Medal for Meritorious Service. In her current role, Shireen focuses on advancing CITES conservation policies, as well as capacity building and enforcement. She enjoys bringing her holistic views and practical approach to supporting our international partners with policy applications. Shireen has an undergraduate degree in science education from Menoufia University, Egypt and a graduate degree in biological sciences from the University of Texas of Rio Grande Valley. 

Languages: English, Arabic