--- title: "U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Announces Robert Atkinson Will Serve on the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship" date: "2014-10-08" content_type: "Press Releases" canonical_url: "https://itif.org/publications/2014/10/08/us-secretary-commerce-penny-pritzker-announces-robert-atkinson-will-serve/" --- # U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Announces Robert Atkinson Will Serve on the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship WASHINGTON (October 8, 2014) – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today announced that Robert Atkinson, President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, has been selected to serve on the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE). The Council will advise the Secretary on issues related to accelerating innovation, expanding entrepreneurship, and developing a globally competitive workforce. “Through our ‘Open for Business Agenda,’ the Commerce Department has prioritized supporting entrepreneurs and helping foster innovation, which are key drivers of America’s global competitiveness,” says Secretary Pritzker. “The new NACIE members are a diverse and dynamic group of successful entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors, as well as leaders from nonprofit organizations and academia. I appreciate their willingness to serve our nation on these important issues, and I look forward to working with the Council to advance innovation and cultivate a skilled workforce for today’s 21st century jobs.” “The United States is in a race for global innovation advantage and we need to advance policies that enhance our technological capacity, workforce skills, and entrepreneurial development so we can remain an innovation leader,” adds Atkinson. “I am honored to be appointed to the Council and look forward to working with Secretary Pritzker and her team to accomplish these important goals.” NACIE’s work will be organized into subcommittees around three main focus areas: entrepreneurship, innovation, and job-driven skills training. The full Council will convene four times each year beginning with the first meeting in December 2014. To learn more about NACIE, visit [http://www.eda.gov/oie/nacie/](http://www.eda.gov/oie/nacie/). --- *Source: Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF)* *URL: https://itif.org/publications/2014/10/08/us-secretary-commerce-penny-pritzker-announces-robert-atkinson-will-serve/*