Sheree Cheung, Program Analyst, Office of Advocacy Center, International Trade Administration (ITA) My name is Sheree Cheung, and I have had the pleasure of serving as the Program Analyst within the International Trade Administration’s (ITA’s), Advocacy Center for the past 11 years. The Advocacy Center works on behalf of U.S. businesses and workers to help level the playing field around the globe...

Guest blog post by LaRita Jones, Division Chief, Office of Human Resources, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Black History Month is a time to honor and show gratitude to African Americans who have made contributions – whether extraordinary or minute, well-known or untold – to better humanity in some way. It is a time to express pride as we reflect on a heritage full of triumph over the...

Guest blog post by Cheryl Jackson, Program Analyst, Atlanta Regional Office, U.S. Economic Development Administration My key responsibility is to support the Partnership Planning, CARES Act Recovery Assistance, University Center, and Indian Tribes non-construction grants for the U. S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) Atlanta Regional Office (ATRO). As such, I review all post-award...

Spotlight on Commerce: Llauryn D. Iglehart, Director, Decennial Investigations and Adjudication Office of Civil Rights I grew up in Columbia, Maryland. The family motto passed down from my parents is, “To whom much is given, much is expected and required.” During segregation, my mother and father were trailblazers. My mother was a pediatrician, and hospital medical director, and my father was a...

Guest blog post by Shareen Bundy, Program and Management Analyst, Office of General Counsel, Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) I am honored to be nominated to represent my culture for the U.S. Department of Commerce during the 2021 African American History Month celebration. My name is Shareen Bundy, and I am a Program and Management Analyst with the Commercial Law Development Program...

Guest blog post by Shayla E. Moon, Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Specialist, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Politics. Business. Education. Advocacy. These words best describe my duty as the Legislative & Intergovernmental Affairs Specialist for the Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). They are also a description of my personal family...

Guest blog post by Sherri Curtis-Lattisaw, Administrative Specialist, SelectUSA, International Trade Administration I am an Administrative Specialist at the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration (ITA). Within ITA, I work for SelectUSA. SelectUSA's mission is to facilitate a job-creating business investment into the United States and raise awareness of the critical role that...

Guest blog post by Samantha Maragh, Ph.D., Leader of the Genome Editing Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) I grew up in the “melting pot U.S.A,” otherwise known as Howard County, Maryland. Even in this melting pot, I was different. I am of mixed ethnicity. My mom is Afro-Caribbean and my dad is East Indian. Both parents were born and raised in Jamaica and came to the U...

Guest blog post by John Murphy, Chief Operating Officer, National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is proud to employ 1,034 U.S. military veterans -- about a quarter of our total workforce. Veterans bring a wealth of experience and extensive training in many areas to the civilian federal workforce, and we are fortunate to have them in our ranks. As Chief Operating Officer, I am...

Guest blog post by Andrew Fiddes, Attorney Advisor, Disaster Recovery Program, Office of Chief Counsel, U.S. Economic Development Administration I am an Attorney-Advisor in the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Office of Chief Counsel, where I support the Disaster Recovery Program, including EDA’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Recovery Assistance. My...