Jasjit Singh during his stint as SELDEF executive director – Photo: SELDEF
By Asia Samachar | United States |
President Joe Biden named Jasjit Singh as executive director of SelectUSA, a government-wide program housed within the International Trade Administration tasked with attracting foreign direct investment to the United States.
Jasjit, who had served as the executive director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) between 2009 and 2016, is believed to be the first Sikh to take up the position.
“In this role, I will lead the strategy and implementation of SelectUSA’s mission to create jobs, spur economic growth and promote American competitiveness….I am transitioning from nearly four years at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-India Business Council,” Jasjit said in an entry at his personal LinkedIn page.
SelectUSA is the U.S. government program led by the U.S. Department of Commerce that focuses on facilitating job-creating business investment into the US and raising awareness of the critical role that economic development plays in the U.S. economy. Since its inception, SelectUSA has facilitated more than US$105 billion in investment, creating and/or retaining over 138,000 U.S. jobs, according to information at its website.
Prior to his latest appointment, Jasjit had served as a senior director at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce where he headed the manufacturing and supply chain logistics committees as well as states engagement and Capitol Hill outreach. He also had a stint as a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Rep. Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), had supported Jasjit’s appointment, according to a SelectUSA statement.
“With his years of experience with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-India Business Council to working with Jasjit when he was Executive Director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), he is perfectly suited to lead SelectUSA in their mission to promote American competitiveness and bolster economic growth.” she said.
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