Honorable Richard Ashooh
Rich Ashooh is the Vice President of Global Government Affairs for Lam Research Corporation, a world leader in the development of advanced semiconductor production equipment. Prior to this, he served as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration until July 2020. As Assistant Secretary, he was responsible for the U.S. dual-use export control policy, as well as the management of the Department of Commerce’s national security, nonproliferation, foreign policy, and strategic industrial resource functions within the Bureau of Industry and Security. He also served as the Department’s representative to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an interagency body that regulates foreign investment transactions for national security purposes.
For much of his career, Rich was a senior executive in the defense industry, with the defense electronics segment of Lockheed and later BAE Systems. During this time, Rich contributed to the growth of that business from an $800 million company to a nearly $5 billion enterprise and the world leader in electronic warfare. Rich also led the company’s homeland security efforts after 9/11, focusing the company’s technology solutions toward a new range of threats to our nation. He is proud to have contributed to the success of dozens of programs that have protected the lives of countless US and allied military service members.
Rich’s professional career began in the US Senate, serving for several years as a Professional Staff Member on the US Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs dealing federal procurement policies, appropriations, and technology transfer matters.
Rich was born in Manchester, New Hampshire and is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where he currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the Carsey School of Public Policy. He and his wife Lori have five children.