The under secretary of commerce for standards and technology, or USC(ST), is a high-ranking official in the

United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business and governmental decision making, establishing industrial standards, catalyzing econ ...

and the principal advisor to the

United States secretary of commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

on the technological development. The under secretary is dual hatted as the director of the national institute of standards and technology within the Commerce Department. The under secretary is appointed by the

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

with the consent of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

to serve at the pleasure of the president. The current under secretary is Laurie E. Locascio, who was appointed by President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

and assumed office on April 19, 2022. Locascio is a biomedical researcher, former

National Institute of Standards and Technology The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into Outline of p ...

(NIST) official, and current Vice President for Research at two

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

locations.

Overview

As the director of NIST, the under secretary is responsible for promoting American innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. With the rank of ''Under Secretary'', the USC(ST)/Director is a Level III position within the

Executive Schedule Executive Schedule () is the system of salaries given to the highest-ranked appointed officials in the executive branch of the U.S. government. The president of the United States appoints individuals to these positions, most with the advice and c ...

. The Under Secretary ranks sixth in the line of succession for the office of Secretary of Commerce.

History

The position of Under Secretary/Director was created by the

America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 The America COMPETES Act (formally America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act of 2007)Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

in 2010. In the Electronic Commerce Technology Promotion Act, the

106th Congress The 106th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 19 ...

created a position for Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology, appointing Dr Cheryl L. Shavers to the position.

Reporting officials

NIST officials reporting to the USC(ST)/Director include: *Associate Director for Laboratory Program/Principal Deputy *Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services *Associate Director for Management Resources

Officeholders

References

External links