Matthew Edwards

Matt Edwards was appointed as Director of the Office of Russia, Ukraine & Eurasia in the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration in 2012. The Office is responsible for assisting U.S. companies and industries in reducing market barriers and promoting American exports in countries including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

From 2001-2012, as the Office’s Russia Team Leader, he oversaw the Commerce Department’s efforts to assist American companies facing market access obstacles in Russia. He participated in numerous U.S. delegations in long-running negotiations on Russia’s WTO accession, and has traveled regularly to Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan to assess business conditions and the concerns of U.S. companies in those markets

From 1998-2000, Mr. Edwards was an attaché in the Commercial Section of the American Embassy in Moscow.  He previously served as a trade specialist with the Department’s medical device industry office, where he worked to ease foreign regulatory obstacles. He has led or accompanied American industry delegations to China, India, Korea, Taiwan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan as well as Russia and Ukraine.

A native of Pittsburgh, Mr. Edwards earned a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and a B.A. from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.