Biography
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. In this role, 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.
As Assistant Secretary, Rich served as the Department’s representative to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States or CFIUS, including the negotiations on the legislation modernizing CFIUS known as the Foreign Investment Risk Review and Modernization Act (FIRRMA), which significantly enhanced the U.S. Government’s ability to deal with evolving threats.
Rich also led the Department’s efforts to modernize the dual use export control system through the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 or ECRA. This effort resulted in the permanent authorization of the export control system, in addition to providing important new tools to enhance U.S. national security and law enforcement through export controls.
For much of his career, Rich was a senior executive in the defense industry, with Lockheed and 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’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 where his primary focus was on federal procurement policies.
Rich was born in Manchester, New Hampshire and is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire. He and his wife Lori have five children.