Colin Agostisi Succeeds Elizabeth Whiteman as FTZ Board Executive Secretary

FTZ News: Colin Agostisi became executive secretary of the Foreign-Trade Zones Board at the U.S. Department of Commerce in September 2026, according to his LinkedIn profile. His name appears on Federal Register notices issued in September and October covering subzone approvals and production activity. The department’s website also lists him in the position.
Before taking the role, Agostisi served as a special assistant to the under secretary of international trade from May 2025 to March 2026. His LinkedIn profile also lists him as a policy adviser at the department beginning in March 2026.

The executive secretary oversees the Board’s administrative and operational work, including the processing of applications and implementation of Board decisions. Certain approvals involving subzones and production activity are handled under authority delegated by the Board, which is chaired by the Commerce secretary and includes the Treasury secretary.

Agostisi holds a Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from The Catholic University of America.

Publicly available information reviewed for this report does not establish prior experience administering foreign-trade zones or customs procedures. The department’s FTZ staff page lists the director position as open. No public announcement reviewed for this report has detailed Agostisi’s priorities for the programme.

Elizabeth Whiteman served as executive secretary of the Foreign-Trade Zones Board from 2023 until August 2026, spending roughly three years in the position. During her tenure, she oversaw the Board’s administrative operations and the processing of applications related to the designation and use of foreign-trade zones.