Chief of Staff and White House Liaison

Thamar Harrigan is the Chief of Staff and White House Liaison of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, a U.S. government agency that helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority infrastructure projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project preparation and partnership building activities that develop sustainable infrastructure and foster economic growth in partner countries.

Prior to joining USTDA, Ms. Harrigan served as an international trade attorney, most recently through her own international trade and consulting firm. During the Obama Administration, she was the Senior Advisor for Intergovernmental Relations in the office of the Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and in that capacity, helped to manage implementation of HUD’s policies, programs and initiatives, while shaping the agency’s interactions with state, local and tribal governments.  Previously, Ms. Harrigan worked at the Embassy of Haiti, where she served as Senior Advisor.

Ms. Harrigan holds a JD from St. Thomas University School of Law, and a LLM in International Business Law from the National University of Singapore in a joint program with East China University of Political Science and Law.  She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Florida.