Paul Morris
Paul Morris is the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles, Consumer Goods, and Materials, and serves as ITA’s Executive Director of Textiles, Consumer Goods, and Materials in Washington, DC. In this capacity, he oversees a team that conducts industry research and analysis in support of export promotion activities and provides visionary strategy on international trade policy initiatives related to textiles and apparel, retail and recreational goods, food security and safety, personal protective equipment, rare earths, critical minerals, chemicals, metals and building materials.
Previously, Morris served as the United States Secretary of the Trade Agreements Secretariat (TAS), where he was responsible for the fair and impartial administration of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) disputes with 20 trading partners. He represented the United States in numerous trade negotiations and provided guidance on FTA dispute settlement chapters, rules of procedure, codes of conduct, panelist rosters and remuneration agreements. During his tenure, TAS provided a compliance mechanism for FTA enforcement actions involving over $12 billion of subject merchandise and assisted more than 100 trade associations and U.S. companies employing 13 million U.S. workers.
Earlier in his career, Morris was Deputy Director for Trade Remedy Compliance responsible for coordinating the monitoring of foreign trade remedy proceedings and ensuring trading partner compliance with international obligations. He provided policy guidance and worked closely with the United States government interagency, especially the Office of the United States Trade Representative, routinely representing the United States at the World Trade Organization.
Morris began his career as an economist primarily engaged with law firms litigating antitrust and intellectual property disputes. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Nazareth College of Rochester and earned a Master of Arts in International Affairs from the George Washington University.