Rachel Billingslea

Rachel Billingslea is the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Middle East and Africa at the International Trade Administration.  In addition to developing policies and delivering programs in support of U.S. trade and investment national security interests, Ms. Billingslea manages a staff of 130 trade professionals in 20 overseas posts in the Middle East and Africa, as well as Washington, D.C. Headquarters staff.  

As member of the career Senior Executive Service and as a U.S. Army spouse, Ms. Billingslea has served the American people for nearly thirty years.  Prior to joining ITA, Ms. Billingslea held national security policymaking positions in the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the U.S. Department of Defense, in the U.S. Army, at the U.S. Department of State, in the Office of the Vice President of the United States, and during a two-year deployment to Iraq.

Ms. Billingslea’s work in the national security and economic security space has earned her numerous awards, including the Department of Defense’s highest civilian award—the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal.  In 2024, the Department of Commerce bestowed her its highest honor—a Gold Medal for Heroism—for saving a colleague’s life.  She is also our nation’s first-ever recipient of the Samuel J. Heyman “Service to America Medal” (Sammies) Federal Employee of the Year award.

Ms. Billingslea holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Comparative Area Studies from Duke University, and a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.  Additionally, Ms. Billingslea holds a Certificate in Japanese language and literature from Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.