Demetrios Marantis
Departing U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk announced today that Deputy Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis will assume the post of acting trade representative on Friday when Kirk leaves after four years in the position.

President Barack Obama has not nominated a successor to Kirk.

Marantis, confirmed by the Senate as deputy with the rank of ambassador in May 2009, has been responsible for U.S. trade negotiations and enforcement in Asia and Africa, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum, and Trade and Investment Framework Agreements with countries ranging from South Africa to the Philippines.

Marantis also leads USTR global initiatives on trade and the environment, as well as trade and development, including the administration of the African Growth and Opportunity Act and the Generalized System of Preferences program.

As deputy trade representative, Marantis played a central role in the negotiation and congressional passage of the U.S.-Korea trade agreement, which entered into force on March 15, 2012 and spearheaded conclusion in APEC of the first-ever agreement to reduce tariffs on environmental goods, Kirk said in a news release.