Vinai Thummalapally, Executive Director, SelectUSA U.S. Department of Commerce

Vinai Thummalapally serves as executive director of SelectUSA, part of the International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Established by Executive Order of the President, SelectUSA is the U.S. government-wide initiative to attract and retain business investment in the United States. Ambassador Thummalapally brings a wealth of experience from both the private and public sectors. President Obama appointed him ambassador to Belize in 2009, where he served until 2013. He also has had a distinguished 31-year career in the private sector. Prior to joining the foreign service, Ambassador Thummalapally served as president of MAM-A Inc., formerly Mitsui Advanced Media; plant manager of WEA Manufacturing Inc., a division of Time Warner Inc.; the managing director for Clines Printing and Office Products; and manufacturing manager of Disc Manufacturing, Inc. Originally from Hyderabad, India, Ambassador Thummalapally received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from California State University in 1977 and completed postgraduate Business Administration courses from Cal State University in 1980 and the University of Tennessee in 1995.