September 19, 2014
CORRECTION: A previous version of this email had an incorrect link in the opening paragraph. That link is corrected in this version. We apologize for the inconvenience.
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This
week, Secretary Pritzker gave an important speech on how increasing the number
of women in the corporate boardroom and in corporate senior leadership is vital
to the nation’s economic success. She laid out five steps companies can take to
integrate gender diversity into their corporate DNA. I encourage everyone to
read more about the speech here.
Yesterday,
the Secretary and the President met with President Poroshenko of Ukraine and
President Obama announced that he has asked Secretary Pritzker to lead a U.S.
delegation to Ukraine next Friday and Saturday to meet with government and
business leaders. The trip will focus on helping Ukraine improve the business
climate and strengthen their economy.
View fact sheet here.
Around
Commerce, Deputy Secretary Andrews spoke with Software and Information Industry
Association about how they can partner with the Commerce Department to ensure
America is Open for Business, NOAA reported that the ozone layer is recovering,
and Census released a range of updated statistics about the nation's Latino
population for Hispanic Heritage month.
Thank
you for your interest in Commerce’s exciting activities and news – we
appreciate your support.
All
the best,
Wendy
Secretary
Pritzker Says Increased Gender Diversity in Corporate Boardrooms is Vital to
Economic Success- Secretary Penny Pritzker addressed the urgent need to
boost our companies’ economic competitiveness by bringing more women into
corporate leadership at the Global Conference on Women in the Boardroom, hosted
by the Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced
International Studies (SAIS).
Deputy
Secretary Andrews Lauds Software Industry for Helping Ensure America is Open
for Business- Deputy Secretary Bruce Andrews spoke about the software
industry’s role in strengthening the economy at an event hosted by the Software
and Information Industry Association, the principal trade association for the
software and digital content industry. During the event, titled “The Software
Century: Analyzing Economic Impact & Job Creation,” Deputy Secretary
Andrews talked with SIIA Vice President of Public Policy Mark MacCarthy about
the Commerce Department’s efforts to support American businesses in the
software and other high-tech sectors.
Expanded
2014 Edison Scholars Program to Focus on Litigation Issues- Under Secretary
of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO welcomed
the 2014 Thomas Alva Edison Visiting Scholars to the USPTO. The Edison Scholar
program, which began in 2012, enlists the services of distinguished academic
researchers to study intellectual property issues that further the USPTO’s
mission and the public interest. The scholars devote up to six months of full
time service to the agency, or up to a year in part-time
service.
Commerce’s
NIST Megacities Project on Improving Accuracy of Greenhouse Gas Measurements
Named ‘Project to Watch’ by United Nations- A greenhouse gas field
measurement research program developed by scientists at the Commerce
Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and several
collaborating institutions has been named a “Project to Watch” by a United
Nations organization that focuses on harnessing big data for worldwide benefit.
The project is one of several NIST efforts to improve the accuracy of
greenhouse gas measurements in urban areas.
U.S.
Commerce Department Releases Data on Nation's Growing Hispanic Population to
Kick Off Hispanic Heritage Month To kick off the start of Hispanic Heritage
Month, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau recently released a range of
updated statistics describing the demographic state of the nation's Latino
population.
MBDA
Keeps “Boots on the Ground” Skills Sharpened- Sharpening your skills in any
profession is a continuing effort. That is why the Minority Business
Development Agency (MBDA) conducts annual training so our “boots on the
ground,” can continue delivering excellent technical assistance, business
development resources, as well as access to contract, capital and markets. The
conference provides an annual training platform for MBDA’s nationwide network
of 44 Business Centers. The national training conference also serves as
opportunity to further engage the U.S. Department of Commerce’s “Open for Business
Agenda,” honing the skill sets in Trade and Investment, Innovation and
Operational Excellence.
USPTO
Deputy Director Michelle Lee Discusses Entrepreneurship and Job Creation at the
Virginia Innovation Partnership Virginia Ventures Forum- Deputy Under
Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Michelle K. Lee addressed the
Virginia Ventures Forum, a meeting of the statewide Virginia Innovation
Partnership (VIP) at the USPTO. One of only seven multi-institution
initiatives to win federal funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce's i6
Challenge in 2012, VIP is bringing together universities, community colleges,
corporations, investment capital, and other resources to drive promising
research discoveries forward and accelerate innovation and economic growth
throughout the Commonwealth.
Roundtables
Engage the Public on Digital Copyright Policy- As part of the U.S.
Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force, the USPTO and the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration, have been traveling around
the country over the past few months, holding roundtables to hear from the
public on a number of important digital copyright policy issues first set forth
in the Green Paper on Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the
Digital Economy.
Report:
Telltale Signs that Ozone Layer is Recovering- The report is the latest in
a series produced every four years by the international scientific community,
led by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment
Programme, and co-sponsored by NOAA, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration and the European Commission. Decision-makers rely on these
scientific updates and have used them to strengthen protection of the ozone
layer, banning or restricting the use of ozone-depleting substances, for
example.
On
the Road: Missouri Communications Conference- The FirstNet outreach team
was pleased to participate in the Missouri Communications Conference this week
in Lake Ozark, MO. The conference provided attendees with many opportunities to
learn more about FirstNet’s efforts to plan for and deploy a nationwide public
safety broadband network.
10
Unexpected Reasons to Join This Year’s International Coastal Cleanup- There
are plenty of obvious reasons to join the more than half a million other
volunteers picking up trash during this year’s International Coastal Cleanup on
Saturday, September 20, 2014. Keeping beaches clean and beautiful, preventing
sea turtles and other marine life from eating plastic, and not adding to the
size of the garbage patches.
Married
with Health Insurance Coverage — The Census Bureau’s Brett O’Hara and
Jennifer Cheeseman Day write that married adults under age 65 were more likely
to have health insurance coverage than people who were never married or were
divorced, separated or widowed.
Child
Poverty Down, Income of Families with Children Up — The Census Bureau’s
Trudi Renwick writes that poverty among children fell from 21.8 percent in 2012
to 19.9 percent in 2013. This is the first statistically significant
year-to-year decline in child poverty since 2000. For the second year in a row,
there was an increase in the median income of families with children.
Under
Secretary of Economic Affairs, Mark Doms blogs
about the lessons learned from the Value of Open Government Data at a Capitol
Hill panel sponsored by Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and the Center for Data
Innovation
The
Economic and Statistics Administration wrote that Doms
Leads Data Roundtable with Internet Association at eBay on their blog this
week
The
Bureau of Economic Analysis wrote about Travel
and Tourism Spending Turned up in the Second Quarter of 2014, U.S.
Current-Account Deficit Decreases in Second Quarter 2014, and that Widespread
Growth Across Metropolitan Areas in their blog this week.
The
U.S. current account deficit decreased to $98.5 billion or 2.3 percent of
current-dollar gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter of 2014, from
$102.1 billion (revised), or 2.4 percent of GDP in the first quarter.
Privately
owned housing starts in August 2014 were at a seasonally adjusted annual
rate of 956,000. This is 14.4 percent below the revised July 2014 estimate of
1,117,000.
After-tax
profits for retail corporations with assets of $50 million and over were $20.9
billion for the second
quarter 2014 (the three months ending July 31), up $7.0 billion from first
quarter 2014 (the three months ending April 30).
Commerce
Data in the News: The
Associated Press
cites the latest income, poverty and health insurance coverage reports from the
Census Bureau to write Poverty
Rate Drops for the First Time Since 2006.
The
Washington Post
cites the Census Bureau’s 2013 American Community Survey statistics to report
that the economy is slowly recovering as median household incomes are modestly
rising in the article Recession’s
Grip Loosens on Many Cities.
The Washington
Post highlighted the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ GDP-by-Metropolitan-Area
Statistics that in a story about Washington, D.C. entitled “Recession-proof?
Not this town.” It notes that the gross domestic product of the Washington
metro area fell 0.8 percent in 2013 and other factors, including a tighter
defense budget, will likely pinch the regional economy for years to come.
Data Releases Next
Week: New Residential Sales: August (Census); Advance Report on Durable
Goods: August (Census); Gross Domestic Product: 2014 Q2 (Final) (BEA)
On
Tuesday, Secretary Pritzker will participate in a panel discussion entitled “Do
Consumers Care?” at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting panel in New
York, NY. The panel discussion will be moderated by Rebecca Quick, anchor of
CNBC’s “Squawk Box” and she will be joined by Barclays Group Chief Executive
Antony Jenkins and Blackstone Chief Operating Officer Tony.
Also on
Tuesday, Census Bureau Deputy Director Nancy Potok will provide the “Putting
Data to Work” keynote address on the Census Bureau’s budget and the 2020 Census
in the 2014 Pennsylvania Data User Conference in Grantville, PA.
Additionally
on Tuesday, USPTO will host a First Inventor to File (FITF) Roadshow event at
the USPTO campus in Alexandria, VA. The public meeting will serve as an
opportunity for USPTO subject matter experts and stakeholders to discuss the
FITF provisions and updates since its implementation in March 2013.
On
Wednesday, MBDA National Director Alejandra Castillo will speak on a panel
about the challenges and opportunities for African Americans to succeed in
business and entrepreneurship at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's
44th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.
Also on
Wednesday, MBDA National Deputy Director Albert Shen will provide keynote
remarks on the growth and global competitiveness of minority businesses at
the 2014 Asian American Chamber of Commerce's Texas Regional Conference in
Dallas, TX.
On
Thursday, Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Mark Doms will provide the
keynote address at the Innovation Enterprise Big Data Summit in Boston,
MA. The conference will convene chief technologists and data experts from
leading businesses for two days of dialogue.
Also on
Thursday, Under Secretary for International Trade Stefan M. Selig will deliver keynote remarks at a
meeting of the Polish-American Investment Dialogue in New York City. Selig’s
remarks will focus on U.S. commercial diplomacy efforts in Poland.
Additionally
on Thursday, EDA Assistant Secretary Jay Williams will discuss the
Administration’s efforts to support American manufacturing at the 2nd Annual
Economic Summit “Partnering for Illinois’ Manufacturing Future” hosted by
Congresswoman Cheri Bustos in Rock Island, Illinois.
On
Friday, Secretary Pritzker will lead a U.S. government delegation to Kiev,
Ukraine, to emphasize the United States’ support for increased economic
stability in the region and increased U.S.-Ukraine economic cooperation on trade
and investment.
Secretary Pritzker enjoying NNMI Day with Senator Sherrod
Brown and Congressmen Joe Kennedy and Tom Reed.
How
the National
Network for Manufacturing Innovation is key for American manufacturing.
BONUS
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Participants
of NNMI Day answered
the prompt, “NNMI is...” in 6 seconds.
Health Insurance for Men
and Women by Marital Status: 2013 — This Census Bureau graphic shows that
both married men and married women have the lowest uninsured rates. For those
who were never married, men have higher uninsured rates than women.
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