I have spent much of my career leading lower and middle-market textile manufacturing companies, beginning with my own family's business, and later, on behalf of private equity investors. Despite the requisite challenges and disappointments, it has been an amazing journey in that I’ve been able to build hands-on experience guiding companies through growth, turnarounds, and ownership transitions in difficult market situations. I have had opportunities to travel around the world extensively to visit customers and suppliers and to set up offshore operations in Central America and China. I have met some wonderful people who are part of my professional network but also have become true friends. Through these experiences, I have developed a deep understanding of complex global supply chains, knowledge that continues to inform my work today.After my last role as President and COO of American Woolen Company, I wanted to try something new and ideally in public service, so I put my hat in the ring to serve as an appointee in the Biden Administration. In February 2022, I became Deputy Assistant Secretary of Textiles, Consumer Goods and Materials in the International Trade Administration at the Commerce Department. It was an exciting time to join the Administration given the focus on supply chain resiliency post-COVID, the CHIPS Act passage, and efforts around achieving a clean energy transition. Among the 22 U.S. manufacturing industries my four offices covered, critical minerals and metals received outsized attention. In November 2022, I am proud to say we created the first U.S. government-dedicated Office of Critical Minerals & Metals, and my staff actively developed expertise, industry connections, and policy recommendations to ensure we have access to these critical materials. I left my role in the BIden Administration in June 2024 to take care of some family issues that required my attention. With time to reflect, I realize that private company board service as well as due diligence work for private equity have been some of the most satisfying and rewarding experiences of my career and I would like to offer assistance to PE, family-owned, and ESOP-owned companies as a board member, advisor or operating partner in my next chapter.