Deputy Secretary of Commerce Ted Kassinger

Mail inquiries to: Deputy Secretary Theodore Kassinger Office of the Deputy Secretary Room 5838 U.S. Department of Commerce 14th & Constitution Ave. NW Washington, DC 20230 Phone: 202-482-2000

Theodore W. Kassinger
Deputy Secretary of Commerce

Theodore W. (“Ted”) Kassinger serves as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, a position to which he was nominated by President George W. Bush in February 2004 and appointed in July 2004. Previously, Mr. Kassinger was nominated and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the General Counsel of the Department. He served in that capacity from May 2001 until assuming his current position.

As Deputy Secretary, Mr. Kassinger serves as the Department’s chief operating officer, with responsibility for the day-to-day management of its approximately $5.8 billion budget, 13 operating units, and 40,000 employees. Among the Department of Commerce’s varied missions are promoting U.S. exports, administering unfair trade laws, and negotiating and enforcing international trade agreements; regulating the export of sensitive goods and technologies and promoting international cooperation on export control and strategic trade matters; serving as effective stewards of the nation’s ocean, coastal, and living marine resources while assisting their economic development; forecasting the weather and conducting other climate research; formulating technology and telecommunications policy and administering the federal radio frequency spectrum; conducting the national censuses and producing some of the nation’s most important economic data; administering the patent and trademark system; developing and applying technology, measurements, and standards; and promoting economic growth in distressed communities and minority business development. As Deputy Secretary, Mr. Kassinger supports Secretary of Commerce Donald L. Evans in carrying out these Department responsibilities and other Departmental policy and operational objectives.

Prior to joining the Bush Administration Mr. Kassinger practiced law with the multinational law firm, Vinson & Elkins, L.L.P., from 1985 to 2001. His law practice focused mainly on the fields of international trade and business law, and transnational disputes resolution. Earlier in his career, Mr. Kassinger served as an attorney for the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. International Trade Commission.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Mr. Kassinger received his B.L.A. from the University of Georgia School of Environmental Design (1975) and his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law (1978). He is married to the author, Ruth G. Kassinger. The Kassingers are the parents of three daughters.