Director's Bio

Emily Willeford

Director of the Advocacy Center
International Trade Administration,
U.S. Department of Commerce

 

 

Emily Willeford is the Director of the Advocacy Center, located within the U.S. Department of Commerce’s U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service.

 

The Advocacy Center coordinates U.S. Government resources and authority in support of U.S. business interests as they compete against foreign firms for specific international contracts or other U.S. export opportunities. In addition, the Advocacy Center houses the Department of Commerce representatives to the Multilateral Development Banks, who are responsible for protecting and promoting American commercial interests within these organizations that finance development projects worth billions of dollars throughout the world.

 

Ms. Willeford joined the Department of Commerce in January 2008 from the White House, where she most recently served as Director of the Office of the Senior Advisor. In this capacity, she assisted the Senior Advisor with strategic planning and managed the design and execution of domestic Presidential events.

 

In addition to two additional terms of White House service, Ms. Willeford has served as Deputy Chief of Staff and International Advisor to Chairman Kevin Martin at the Federal Communications Commission. In this role, she advised the Chairman on international telecommunications policy and facilitated overall agency management.

 

Ms. Willeford is from Austin, Texas. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from Davidson College. She attends Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and expects to earn her M.B.A in August 2008.