Enoh Titilayo Ebong is a Nigerian-American attorney and trade official currently serving as the director of the

United States Trade and Development Agency The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) is an independent agency of the United States government, formed in 1992 to advance economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle income countries. Structure The U.S. ...

. She was made to be the permanent director of the agency, having been confirmed on March 31, 2022.

Early life and education

Ebong was born in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. Ebong's father, Ime James Ebong, served as permanent secretary of the Nigeria Federal Ministry of Economic Development and Reconstruction. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the

Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania :''There are multiple Annenberg Schools. For the communications school at USC, see USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. See also Annenberg (disambiguation).'' The Annenberg School for Communication is the communication school ...

, a Master of Arts in history from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a Public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of C ...

Career

Ebong is a member of the

Massachusetts Bar Association The Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA) is a voluntary, non-profit bar association in Massachusetts with a headquarters on West Street in Boston's Downtown Crossing. The MBA also has a Western Massachusetts office. The purpose of the MBA is t ...

. From 1997 to 2004, she worked as a finance and business associate at

Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. (commonly referred to as "Mintz Levin" or simply "Mintz") is a general practice, full service law firm employing approximately 550 attorneys worldwide. Its headquarters are located at One Financ ...

. She then joined the

, serving as attorney–advisor from 2004 to 2007, acting regional sub-director for

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...

from 2007 to 2007, assistant general counsel from 2008 to 2010, deputy general counsel from 2010 to 2013, general counsel from 2013 to 2015, acting director in 2017, and deputy director and CFO from 2015 to 2019. She rejoined the USTDA as CFO and acting director at the start of the

Biden administration Joe Biden's tenure as the 46th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2021. Biden, a Democrat from Delaware who previously served as vice president under Barack Obama, took office following his victory ...

Nomination to USTDA

On October 14, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Ebong to be the director of the USTDA. Hearings were held before the

Senate Foreign Relations Committee The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for overseeing and funding foreign aid pro ...

on her nomination on December 14, 2021. The committee favorably reported the nomination to the Senate floor on January 12, 2022. Ebong was confirmed by the entire

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on March 31, 2022, via

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ebong, Enoh Living people American lawyers Massachusetts lawyers Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania alumni Alumni of the University of Edinburgh University of Michigan Law School alumni Year of birth missing (living people)