Washington, D.C. - United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk today announced that Gail Strickler has been selected as the new Assistant United States Trade Representative for Textiles. Strickler will be responsible for supervising negotiations affecting textile and apparel products, advising Ambassador Kirk on textile and apparel trade policy matters and working to expand the industry's access to foreign markets.
Strickler was previously vice president of the Global Apparel Division for Duro Textile L.L.C., a global textiles company which purchased Saxon Textile Corp. For 26 years, Strickler worked for then Saxon Textile Corp working her way up from product development manager, to vice president and then president and CEO. At Saxon, Strickler was involved in global and domestic sourcing and covered all aspects of the textiles and apparel industry. She continued as vice president of the Global Apparel Division for Duro Textile L.L.C., a global textiles company after it acquired Saxon Textile Corp in 2007.
"I am pleased to announce Gail Strickler as USTR's new Assistant United States Trade Representative for Textiles. She brings a wealth of knowledge to this position and will be able to immediately address pertinent textiles and apparel related issues," said Ambassador Kirk. "Gail will play a pivotal role in helping the U.S. Trade Representative's office and the industries adapt to a trade environment that has undergone significant changes in the recent past, and to exploring new market opportunities."
Most recently, Strickler served as associate director for the Institute for Textiles and Apparel Product Safety (I.T.A.P.S.) at Philadelphia University's College of Textiles and Sciences where she acquired an understanding of textiles research as well as how client issues affect the textiles and apparel industry. Strickler also worked with retail organizations to develop strategies for compliance and environmentally sustainable programs for the apparel and textile business.
Strickler served as president of the Textiles Distributors Association for five years. She served on board of directors for the National Council of Textile Organizations for five years and has been a board member for the USDA Cotton Board since 2002. Strickler received her B.A. from Clark University and completed coursework in Textile Technology and Textile Chemistry from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
