President Barack Obama Name Leocadia Zak Spouse(s) Kenneth Hansen | Political party Democratic Party Preceded by Larry Walther Party Democratic Party | |
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Alma mater Mount Holyoke College
Northeastern University Education Mount Holyoke College, Northeastern University School of Law | ||
Leocadia Irine Zak serves as the Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency where she leads an agency dedicated to encouraging economic growth in emerging markets and the export of U.S. goods and services to those markets. After being nominated by President Barack Obama in November 2009, Zak was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 10, 2010.
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Background
Leocadia I. Zak has served as Acting Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency since January 20, 2009 and before that was the General Counsel (2000–2006) and Deputy Director (2006–2009) of USTDA.
Prior to joining USTDA, Zak was a partner in the Washington, D.C. and Boston offices of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. practicing in the areas of corporate, municipal and international finance. She served as counsel in connection with a variety of finance transactions for energy, transportation, health care, telecommunications and tourism projects.
Zak was also an Adjunct Professor of Law and has taught International Project Finance at the Boston University School of Law, Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law Studies and at the Georgetown University Law Center.
Zak received her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College, which has named her to its Women of Influence Gallery. Her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law.
Views
Zak maintains specific views on a variety of development issues given her worldwide responsibilities to providing foreign assistance to emerging economies around the world.
On January 6, 2013, Zak was featured in a segment on Bloomberg's "Capitol Gains" television show entitled "Boosting American Exports Around the World." profiling USTDA.
On a visit to Jakarta in March 2010, Zak responded to concerns over U.S. – Indonesia relations that clean energy deployment will foster inclusive economic development in Indonesia.
She wrote in Airport Consulting that the economic downturn has prompted many U.S. firms to consider expansion opportunities abroad as a means to deal with the contraction of the U.S. market.
In testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health and the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection on June 24, 2009, Zak said that the exploration of new markets are a vital element for stimulating the U.S. economy and that African development and trade must be a priority.