The following is a cross-post from the Economic and Development Administration (EDA ) Blog

Blog post by Julie Lenzer, Director, EDA Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Craig Buerstatte, Deputy Director, EDA Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

“We have a patriotic duty to make our country stronger, our people more empowered, and the world better. That is as much a responsibility of business as it is of government.” – excerpt from The Third Wave, by Steve Case

Co-founder of AOL, Steve Case, highlights in The Third Wave that, “in a rapidly changing world, only a government that is nimble and strategic can keep America on track.” Members of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE) help the Department of Commerce do just that by bringing diverse insights and experiences to bear in providing advice and insight. Mr. Case and the other 24 Council members will complete their terms this October and the Department is actively recruiting leaders for the next Council.

As “America’s Innovation Agency,” the Department of Commerce understands the importance diversity plays in an organization to drive innovation and new solutions. The Department leverages 12 bureaus and 47,000 employees located across all 50 states, all U.S. territories, and 86 countries worldwide, to foster a more innovative U.S. economy that is better at inventing, improving and commercializing products and technologies to increase productivity and competitiveness. 

For example, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is the only federal R&D agency specifically targeted at promoting innovation through the development of advanced measurements and technologies, and the Economic Development Administration (EDA) helps support these types of advanced technologies and innovations move into the market through entrepreneurship capacity building investments at the regional level via the Regional Innovation Strategies Program. But ensuring these types of programs and policies are forward thinking and relevant in today’s global economy is challenging– diverse, external thought-leaders are needed.

Managed by EDA, the NACIE is a federal advisory council comprised of industry leaders charged with identifying and recommending solutions to issues critical to driving the innovation economy. To date, EDA has operated two Councils, one from 2010-2012, and the second from 2014-2016. Members have tackled tough issues such as; helping provide critical insight to legislators during the drafting of the JOBS act, rallied over 140 university presidents to commit to supporting entrepreneurship across their campuses, and recommended new strategies to modernize labor market data.

It isn’t just the Department that is benefitting from this experience – Council members are also bringing value back to their own communities. Laura Powers, CEO and Founder of Code2040, shared “while the window into how things work in D.C. was valuable, it was fascinating and instructive to get exposure into the initiatives and organizations around the country using different tactics to influence innovation in America.”

Rohit Shukla, CEO of the Larta Institute and current NACIE member described his experience with NACIE as “...fulfilling, even exhilarating. It is an outstanding opportunity for those who have done innovative things in their work, to amplify the influence of this work on a national stage for the benefit of the country.”

President John F. Kennedy’s famous call to action “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” rings true just as much today as it did over 50 years ago. The Secretary of Commerce needs innovators, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders to help guide the Department’s policies and programs in support of keeping America globally competitive. Will you answer the call? You have until Wednesday, June 1, to submit your application or nomination. If not you, then who?