Tommy Higgins was appointed by the Trump Administration to serve as the state executive director of the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Maine in June 2025.

Prior to his appointment, Higgins worked for USDA’s Rural Development for more than nine years. He most recently served as the deputy state director for Maine where he helped direct program assistance to farmers and rural citizens throughout the state. In this role, he participated in various outreach events focused on program education for farmers and rural citizens as well as lenders and stakeholders.

Before joining USDA, Higgins was a career U.S. Army officer and served in multiple leadership positions as an AH-64 attack helicopter pilot with combat tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other overseas and stateside postings. He finished his military career as a joint-qualified officer in U.S. Strategic Command with service in the Global Operations Center and National Airborne Operations Center before moving back to Maine.

Higgins has volunteered in his local church, served as a big brother for mentally handicapped youth, served as a volunteer ski-patroller, and volunteered at various veteran events in multiple stateside and overseas locations.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in public administration from the University of Maine and a Master of Science degree in international relations from Troy State University.

Higgins’ father grew up on a farm in Maine and he also served as a career soldier, so Higgins moved every three years of his childhood, but Maine was always considered home. He now resides in Oakland, Maine, with his wife Donna, who is a Maine native and was raised on a farm in Camden.