Commerce picks new head for U.S. manufacturing competitiveness

   Chandra Brown has joined the U.S. Commerce Department as deputy assistant secretary for manufacturing.
   In this role, she will be responsible for identifying factors affecting competitiveness and barriers to exports for more than 21 U.S. industry sectors.
   As president of United Streetcars, Brown was responsible for securing federal funding to manufacture the first “Buy American” streetcars in the United States in the last 58 years. In addition, Brown was appointed to the Oregon Business Development Commission in 2010, won the 2011 White House Champion of Change Award in Manufacturing, and has served as the vice chairman of President Obama’s Manufacturing Council.
   Manufacturing is responsible for 70 percent of private sector research and development in the United States, and represents 90 percent of U.S. patents. The United States has added nearly half a million manufacturing jobs after decades of loss, Commerce said.