International Trade Administration,
U.S. Department of Commerce

William Zarit

Deputy Assistant Secretary
International Operations

William Zarit is Deputy Assistant Secretary, International Operations, for the U.S. Commercial Service, overseeing Commercial Sections in U.S. Embassies and Consulates worldwide. The U.S. Commercial Service is the federal government’s front line trade agency, promoting U.S. exports and protecting U.S. commercial interests overseas. Prior to his present position Mr. Zarit served as the U.S. Commercial Service’s Regional Director for East Asia/Pacific.

Mr. Zarit previously served as Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Deputy Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and Deputy Senior Commercial Officer at the American Institute in Taiwan.

Before joining the U.S. Commercial Service Mr. Zarit was Economic and Commercial Program Officer for the New York-based National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. Prior to that he served as Marketing Manager/China for the California-based telecommunications firm Pacific Telesis International, preceded by his work as Project Manager for the high-tech marketing firm China Business Associates, both positions based in Beijing. Mr. Zarit also served as Mandarin Chinese Interpreter for State Department Language Services.

He earned an M.B.A. with Honors from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.A. with Honors in Political Science from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.