Jun 30 2011
The ITA and its place in the world
As most government agencies go, there is a distinct and sometimes complicated organizational system to navigate through when discussing where in the organization one works. The “parent company” of my current job in D.C. is the U.S. Department of Commerce currently headed by the out-going Gary Locke. Secretary Locke has recently been appointed the next U.S. ambassador of China. The International Trade Administration (ITA) is one of six divisions and is headed by the Under Secretary for International Trade, Francisco Sanchez. Under Secretary Sanchez oversees four units, themselves headed by Assistant Secretaries. Manufacturing and Services (MAS) is one of the four units and is headed by Assistant Secretary Nicole Lamb-Hale.
MAS is further broken up into fourteen offices, the Office of Health and Consumer Goods (OHCG) being the office in which I work. The OHCG is headed by Jeffrey Gren and is broken up into two Teams, the Health Team and the Consumer Goods Team. To round it all out, I am under the direct employ of Jane Earley, the Health Team leader. So bring it full circle, I work in the DOC/ITA/MAS/OHCG/Health team! Certainly complicated and it has many levels of bureaucracy but there seems to be a method to the madness.
“The OHGC Health Team is dedicated to enhancing the global competitiveness of the U.S. health industry, expanding market access, and increasing exports.” http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/health/. The OHCG accomplishes this goal by participating in trade negotiations, evaluating domestic and global economic and regulatory policies, researching industry trade, and even contributing to the continued development of U.S. Trade policy. Id.
So, the ITA/MAS/OHCG/Health team is on the front lines in the efforts to increase U.S. exports. If this nation is to meet the goals of the NEI, it will be the office I work in, along with the others, that will be responsible.