Kim Glas, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles, Consumer Goods, and Materials at the U.S. Department of Commerce has announced that she will step down from her post as of this Friday.
As secretary, Glas was an advocate for President Obama’s Made in USA initiatives, and she worked alongside her team at the Commerce Department to bring U.S. manufacturers together with brands and retailers to encourage collaboration. Glas also helped spearhead the Made in USA database, which provides detailed information about U.S. companies and their capabilities.
In addition, Glas worked to promote opportunities for sourcing in the Western Hemisphere and support global business.
Julia K. Hughes, president of the United States Fashion Industry Association, said, “Under Kim’s leadership the Commerce Department has been even more helpful to U.S. apparel brands and retailers when companies are faced with trade restrictions overseas. This is a global industry and it has been very important for companies to know that if there is a problem, for example in Argentina, they could count on support and access to the latest intelligence from the Commerce Department team.”
Glas will be leaving her post as deputy assistant secretary as well as her position as chair of the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, which supervises negotiation and implementation of textile and apparel agreements.
“Kim was a very successful Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Commerce Department. She worked closely with the apparel brands and retailers that USFIA represents, as well as with the domestic textile industry. While we may not always get the Administration’s support for our recommendations, Kim always listened to our concerns,” Hughes said.