A Farewell Message, No Announcement: Questions Surround Whiteman’s Future at the FTZ Board

FTZ News: Elizabeth Whiteman’s name does not appear often in the headlines. For years, it has appeared instead in a far less visible place: Federal Register notices issued by the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones Board.

Whiteman, the board’s longtime Executive Secretary, has been a familiar name to the lawyers, manufacturers, logistics companies and trade specialists who work with the Foreign-Trade Zones program. Her office, Room 21013 in the Herbert C. Hoover Building, is part of the machinery behind decisions involving duty deferrals, subzone designations and manufacturing authority.

That low profile changed, at least within the trade community, in late August, when word began circulating that Whiteman was leaving her post. The reports appeared to stem from an internal farewell message. There has been no corresponding announcement from the Department of Commerce, however, and no public notice confirming a change in leadership at the board.

The official record, at least for now, still lists Whiteman as Executive Secretary. The International Trade Administration’s directory, checked on September 4, 2026, continued to identify her in the position and included her government telephone number and email address.

That discrepancy is worth noting, particularly for companies that rely on the FTZ program and the administrative decisions surrounding it. Personnel changes in federal agencies can take time to make their way through public records, and rumors inside Washington often circulate well before an agency formally acknowledges a departure.

The timing also matters. The Foreign-Trade Zones program dates to 1934 and remains an important part of the way companies operating in the United States manage certain customs costs and supply-chain operations. With tariffs shifting and manufacturers facing increasingly tight margins, businesses have a practical interest in knowing who is making — and signing — those decisions.

For the moment, there is a gap between what is being discussed inside trade circles and what the government’s public records show.
The latter remains unchanged: Elizabeth Whiteman is still listed as the Executive Secretary of the Foreign-Trade Zones./.