James J. Jochum

Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Export Administration

On May 23, 2001, James J. Jochum was sworn in as Assistant Secretary for Export Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Jochum's experience both in business and government and background in export controls, international trade, and technology will be a valuable asset to the Bush Administration and Commerce management team.

As Assistant Secretary, Jochum is responsible for safeguarding U.S. national and economic security by administering U.S. export control laws and formulating export control policy that maintains national security while promoting and facilitating U.S. competitiveness in the global marketplace. His portfolio includes implementation of the Export Administration Regulations and policy and program management of U.S. participation in the Chemical Weapons Convention, Biological Weapons Convention, Nuclear Suppliers Group, Missile Technology Control Regime, Australia Group, and Wassenaar Arrangement.

Jochum joins Commerce after a distinguished career on Capitol Hill and in the private sector. Most recently he served as Senior Manager of Government Relations for Accenture, a $10 billion management and technology consulting firm, where he was responsible for managing a global government relations program specializing in international trade, technology issues, and financial services. He served as Majority Counsel to the U.S. Senate Banking Committee chaired by Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX). In that capacity, Jochum was the lead counsel for export control policy and international trade issues. Jochum played a significant role in drafting and negotiating the 1999 bill to reenact the Export Administration Act, a bill that was approved unanimously by the Senate Banking Committee. He also served as Legislative Director and International Trade Counsel to Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA). In that capacity, Mr. Jochum participated in every major piece of trade legislation debated in Congress in the past six years.

Jochum is a native of Iowa and received a Juris Doctorate from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1990, graduating Order of the Coif. He received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Iowa in 1987, graduating with High Distinction.