Jeremy E. Pelter is an American government official serving as the acting

United States deputy secretary of commerce The United States deputy secretary of commerce is a high-ranking position within the United States Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce. It was created on December 13, 1979, when President Jimmy Carter sent a letter to the United Sta ...

since 2025. He previously served as the acting

United States secretary of commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

from January 20 to February 21, 2025. He formally serves as the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of commerce for administration.

Education

Pelter earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in political science from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

, and an

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

in management from the

University of Maryland University College The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is a public university in College Park, Maryland, and the largest institution in the University System of Maryland. Established in 1947 as the College of Special and Continuation Studies of the U ...

Career

Before working at the Department of Commerce, he served as the U.S.

Small Business Administration The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and str ...

in several financial and operational roles. His first senior executive service role as chief financial officer and director of administration for the

Economics and Statistics Administration The Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA) was an agency within the United States Department of Commerce (DOC) that analyzed, disseminated, and reported on national economic and demographic data. It was dissolved in 2018. Its three primary ...

. Pelter served as a senior advisor to the

United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce The United States deputy secretary of commerce is a high-ranking position within the United States Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce. It was created on December 13, 1979, when President Jimmy Carter sent a letter to the United Sta ...

, then as deputy under secretary for industry and security. He then became the deputy assistant secretary for administration. Pelter was appointed the acting

by President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

on January 20, 2025. He has "performed the non-exclusive functions and duties" of the deputy commerce secretary since the confirmation of Secretary

Howard Lutnick Howard William Lutnick (born July 14, 1961) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and government official who has served as the 41st United States Secretary of Commerce, United States secretary of commerce since February 2025. In 1983, Lu ...

References

, - {{s-end Living people Second Trump administration cabinet members United States Department of Commerce officials United States government biography stubs