FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 16, 2025 
Contact: Office of Public Affairs
Email: publicaffairs@trade.gov
Phone: 202-482-3809

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The International Trade Administration (ITA) announced that David L. Fogel was sworn in on October 15, 2025 as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service. In this role, Assistant Secretary Fogel will lead ITA’s Global Markets business unit dedicated to commercial diplomacy, commercial advocacy, export promotion, and foreign direct investment, with more than a thousand trade professionals across hundreds of offices globally. 

David L. Fogel was nominated by President Donald J. Trump for the position, and the United States Senate voted to confirm him on October 7, 2025.  

“David brings a wealth of experience from both the public and private sectors to ITA at a pivotal moment for American Trade,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade William Kimmitt. “Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Commerce is advancing a trade agenda that is focused on increasing exports, attracting investment, and creating jobs for American workers—and David’s expertise and deep understanding of global economic dynamics make him the right person to help carry that mission forward.”

“I’m honored to serve under the leadership of Secretary Lutnick and Under Secretary Kimmitt to support President Trump’s goals for fair and reciprocal trade,” said Assistant Secretary Fogel. “ITA’s Global Markets business unit is helping to spearhead the Trump Administration’s unprecedented push to rebalance our trading relationships, and I am committed to ensuring that we capitalize on new trade agreements by promoting more U.S. exports abroad and increasing foreign investment here at home.”    

Previously, Assistant Secretary Fogel was an entrepreneur business executive whose career includes building and selling three FinTech companies: NCCS/Coinmint, a crypto mining company; IndexIQ, an indexing and ETF company; and SmartPortfolio.com, an early Internet company. During the first Trump Administration, he served as Senior Advisor and Chief Business Development Officer in the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment at the U.S. Department of State and as Chief of Staff at the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM). 

Read Assistant Secretary Fogel’s bio 

Download Assistant Secretary Fogel’s official portrait 

About the International Trade Administration
The International Trade Administration (ITA) at the U.S. Department of Commerce is the premier U.S. Government resource for American companies competing in the global marketplace. Operating in more than 100 U.S. locations and 80 markets worldwide, ITA promotes trade and investment, assists U.S. businesses and workers to export and expand globally, and ensures fair trade and compliance by enforcing U.S. trade laws and agreements. For more information on ITA, visit www.trade.gov.