The Biden-Harris administration last week appointed six policy leaders to the newly established CHIPS for America offices – which are housed within the White House and the Department of Commerce (DoC) – to lead the way in implementing the CHIPS and Science Act.
The six new appointees are Ronnie Chatterji, Michael Schmidt, Eric Lin, Todd Fisher, Donna Dubinsky, and J.D. Grom.
Chatterji, who will serve as the White House Coordinator for CHIPS Implementation on the National Economic Council (NEC), is tasked with managing the work of the CHIPS Implementation Steering Council. He will also work closely with the National Security Council, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the DoC, and the Steering Council to ensure effective interagency coordination.
“In his role at the White House, [Chatterji] will help coordinate a unified approach to our key implementation priorities while ensuring that we have guardrails and oversight in place to responsibly spend taxpayer dollars,” said Brian Deese, director of the NEC, in a statement.
The other appointees – Schmidt, Lin, and Fisher – will work out of the DoC. Schmidt will serve as director of the CHIPS Program Office, Lin will serve as interim director of the CHIPS Research and Development Office, and Fisher will serve as an interim senior advisor in the CHIPS Program Office.
Dubinsky and Grom will work in the Office of the Commerce Secretary, with Dubinsky serving as Senior Counselor to the Secretary for CHIPS Implementation, and Grom serving as Senior Advisor to the Secretary on CHIPS Implementation.
“These leaders bring decades of experience in government, industry, and the [research and development] space, with a special emphasis on standing up and implementing large-scale programs. Their work will be essential to bolstering our supply chains, spurring historic investments in research, strengthening our national security, and creating good-paying jobs for the American people,” said DoC Secretary Gina Raimondo.
The CHIPS Act, signed into law last month, provides about $52.7 billion to drive semiconductor research, development, manufacturing, and workforce development across the U.S. – $39 billion of that funding is intended for manufacturing incentives and $13.2 billion for research, development, and workforce development.
In addition, President Biden on August 25 signed an executive order (EO) to implement the semiconductor funding included in the CHIPS and Science Act.
The EO set out six primary priorities to guide implementation across the Federal government:
- Protect taxpayer dollars;
- Meet economic and national security needs;
- Ensure long-term leadership in the sector;
- Strengthen and expand regional manufacturing and innovation clusters;
- Catalyze private sector investment; and
- Generate benefits for a broad range of stakeholders and communities.
The EO also includes directions to create the CHIPS Implementation Steering Council. Chatterji, in his new role, will work closely with the council.
“After outlining a thoughtful and comprehensive strategy for CHIPS for America, we are wasting no time building an office with experts and leaders who will efficiently execute this work,” Raimondo said.
