Bio, via Bureau of Industry and Security - Commerce:

Rich Ashooh serves as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration. In this role, he is responsible for the U.S. dual-use export control policy, as well as the management of the Department of Commerce’s national security, nonproliferation, and foreign policy functions within the Bureau of Industry and Security. He also oversees the Bureau’s programs that ensure industrial resources are available to meet national and economic security requirements, including the Defense Priorities Allocation System (DPAS). He also participates in the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews transactions of foreign direct investment in U.S. companies for national security concerns. The Assistant Secretary chairs the Advisory Committee on Export Policy, which is a multi-agency tool to resolve security-related export policy matters. In addition, his responsibilities include the Office of Strategic Industries and Economic Security (SIES), the Office of Nonproliferation and Treaty Compliance (NPTC), the Office of National Security and Technology Transfer Controls (NSTTC), the Office of Exporter Services (OExS), and the Office of Technology Evaluation (OTE). For much of his career, Rich was a senior executive in the defense industry, with the electronics group of Lockheed, which was later acquired by BAE Systems. During this time, Rich contributed to the growth of that business from an $800 million company to a nearly $5 billion enterprise and the world leader in electronic warfare. Rich was instrumental in the success of numerous programs which serve U.S. and allied warfighters. Rich also led the company’s homeland security efforts after 9/11, focusing the company’s technology solutions toward a new range of threats to our nation. He is proud to have contributed to the success of dozens of programs that have protected the lives of countless US and allied military servicemen and women. Rich’s professional career began in the US Senate, serving for several years as a Professional Staff Member on the US Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs where his primary focus was on federal procurement policies and oversight. A leader the higher education community, Rich served on the Board of Trustees for the University System of New Hampshire, Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, as well as the UNH Foundation board. Prior to his nomination, he served as the Director of Economic Partnerships for the University System of New Hampshire, with over 33,000 enrolled students and the largest provider of post-secondary education in the state. He also served as Interim Executive Director of the Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership and Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire School Of Law, a nationally ranked leader in intellectual property law. Rich was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, and is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where he met his wife, the former Lori Johnson of Peterborough. He and Lori have five children: Sofie 24, Emma 22, Elias 20, Maya 19, and Sam 17.