Earlier this month Tom Gilman, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration conducted the ceremonial swearing-in for the new Commerce Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration, Wynn Coggins. Coggins is no stranger to the U.S. Department of Commerce family. In her 29 years of public service, she rose through the ranks at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)...

Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Joe Semsar led a U.S. Government delegation to Tunis, Tunisia for the first-ever Prosper Africa Business-to-Business Summit, which attracted more than 1,000 people, 50 U.S. companies, and representatives from more than 30 African countries. The U.S. Government delegation underscored the Trump administration’s commitment to our African...

Each year the entertainment industry recognizes musicians, actors, and members of the film marking industry for their contributions to radio, television, and motion pictures. This year on February 9, the Academy Awards ceremony will conclude the 2020 Awards Season. This is a perfect opportunity to spotlight award-winning employees at the Commerce Department as Awardees are among our best and...

Earlier this week, U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham kicked off the 2020 Census in the remote Alaska Native village of Toksook Bay — counting the first person and household in the nation’s once a decade count. Toksook Bay is a village located on Nelson Island along the Bering Sea in southwestern Alaska. Alaska’s vast, sparsely settled northern areas are traditionally the first to be...

NOAA’s polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites are part of the global Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking System, or COSPAS-SARSAT, which uses a network of U.S. and international spacecraft to detect and locate distress signals from emergency beacons aboard aircraft, boats and from handheld Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) anywhere in the world. Of the 421 U.S. rescues last year, 306...

In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson founded the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (as the Survey of the Coast) to provide nautical charts to the maritime community for safe passage into American ports and along our extensive coastline. The Weather Bureau was founded 1870 and, one year later, the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries was founded. Individually, these organizations were America's first...

Guest blog by Christine Heflin, Director of Performance Excellence, Deputy Performance Improvement Officer As America’s “Data Agency” and co-leader of the Data Goal in the President’s Management Agenda, the Department of Commerce is leading improvement in how federal agencies make data accessible and useful to the American public. With the launch of Commerce Performance Data Pro, seeing the...