U.S. Department of Commerce
Aaron Brickman is the founding Deputy Executive Director of SelectUSA within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Established in 2011 by Executive Order of the President, SelectUSA is a government-wide program to encourage and facilitate foreign direct investment (FDI) and reshoring in the United States, to create jobs, spur economic growth and promote U.S. competitiveness. As part of this work, he manages the promotion of the United States as the world’s premier investment destination and coordinates across the federal government to address policy and regulatory barriers to investment in partnership with state and local economic development organizations (EDOs).
As a successful entrepreneur within government, Mr. Brickman designed, established, and now helps lead SelectUSA – responsible for staff, budget, communications, policy development, outreach and all aspects of this Presidential priority. He also created and led its predecessor program, Invest in America.
Mr. Brickman has nearly 20 years of experience creating and implementing trade and investment promotion programs and strategies, and is one of the most experienced federal officials in the subject of investment attraction. As a recognized expert on FDI, and the senior civil servant and lead subject matter expert at the U.S. Department of Commerce, he has counseled hundreds of U.S. EDOs on creating and implementing best-practice international economic development strategies. He has also advised thousands of global companies on aspects of U.S. market entry, including regulatory matters and business strategy.
Undertaking leadership roles with SelectUSA and Invest in America effectively bridged Mr. Brickman’s past international investment promotion activities. Before joining Commerce he worked in international economic consulting and strategy, dealing extensively with private sector expansion mechanisms including trade and investment policy. He advised in the planning and operations of national and sub-national investment and trade promotion efforts, including as a resident advisor to the Government of Mozambique.
Previously at Commerce, Mr. Brickman focused on analysis of worldwide and U.S. market developments in renewable energy and the analysis of oil and gas industry market opportunities in Africa and Asia. During 2005-2007, he played a crucial role in developing Commerce’s contribution to Presidential initiatives on clean energy and climate change as the Department’s principal analyst for clean energy-related trade policy matters. Mr. Brickman also worked as a Senior Consultant for a Chicago-based electronic commerce firm specializing in international logistics fulfillment.
His work has taken him to more than 50 countries. Mr. Brickman is frequently asked to comment on investment issues related to the United States; appearing in numerous print and broadcast media including Al-Jazeera, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, BBC Radio, CNBC, CCTV, Il Sole 24 Ore, Los Angeles Times, NHK, South China Morning Post, Süddeutsche Zeitung, USA Today, washingtonpost.com, and Yomiuri Shimbun. He is a regular guest-lecturer at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.
Mr. Brickman holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor’s degree from American University in Washington, DC. He also studied economic growth at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and e-commerce at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.