John Ratliff is Counselor to the Secretary and Director of Policy and Strategic Planning at the U.S. Department of Commerce. He is also the Executive Director of the Department's Operating Committee. Mr. Ratliff leads the Secretary’s policy office and the team of senior policy advisors who counsel the Secretary and other senior leaders on the development and implementation of a wide range of policies. This work helps drive the Administration’s priorities in the areas of trade and investment, manufacturing, innovation, open data, economic statistics, technology, and environmental policy.

Previously, Mr. Ratliff served for nearly seven years as the Director of Policy for Governor Martin O’Malley in the State of Maryland. In this capacity, he advised the Governor, senior executive staff, and cabinet secretaries on the development and implementation of the full range of state policies.

Prior to joining the Governor’s Office, Mr. Ratliff was Director of both the Environment, Energy & Natural Resources Division and the Homeland Security & Technology Division of the National Governors Association’s Center for Best Practices; Director of the Center for Livable Communities at the American Institute of Architects; a legislative counsel to U.S. House of Representatives with responsibility for the Transportation & Infrastructure, Small Business, and Education & Workforce Committees; a visiting fellow at the Center for Environmental Dispute Resolution in Oldenburg and Berlin, Germany; a legislative advisor to a project of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; and an associate with the law firm of Powell, Goldstein, Frazer & Murphy in Washington, DC.

Mr. Ratliff holds a J.D. (cum laude) from Harvard Law School and an M.P. in urban and environmental planning and a B.A. from the University of Virginia where he was selected for membership in Phi Beta Kappa.