Obama nominates Hirschhorn to head BIS

Obama nominates Hirschhorn to head BIS

Hirshhorn

   President Obama has nominated Eric L. Hirschhorn to serve as the next head of the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security.
   BIS controls the export and re-export of dual-use commodities (or goods with both military and commercial uses) for national security, foreign policy, nuclear nonproliferation and short supply purposes.
   Hirschhorn, who is currently a partner at the Washington law office of Winston & Strawn, had served as the Commerce Department’s deputy assistant secretary for export administration from 1980 to 1981.
   While a member of the Carter Administration’s reorganization project staff from 1977 to 1980, he worked on reorganizing the government’s international trade, public diplomacy, and foreign assistance mechanisms. Before working in the executive branch, Hirschhorn held several congressional staff positions, was in private law practice in New York and was a legal services lawyer.
   Since returning to private law practice in 1981, Hirschhorn has represented foreign and domestic clients on a wide range of commercial and regulatory matters.
   He is executive secretary of the Industry Coalition on Technology Transfer (ICOTT), a group whose trade association and industry participants are affected by U.S. export control and embargo rules. He is also the author of The Export Control and Embargo Handbook, second edition, published in 2004, and numerous articles on export controls, embargoes and related topics.
   Before becoming the Commerce Department’s undersecretary of industry and security, Hirschhorn must be confirmed by the Senate.