Manisha Singh

Manisha Singh (born 1971) is an American attorney and government official who served as assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs in the Trump administration until January 20, 2021. She previously also served as acting under secretary of state for economic growth, energy, and the environment. In April 2020, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Singh to be the next United States representative to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, with the rank of ambassador. On January 3, 2021, her nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate.

Early life and education Singh was born in Pantnagar, India, and raised in Lake Alfred, Florida, where her father was a professor at the University of Florida. She has one sister. While attending Auburndale High School, Singh met Congressman Andy Ireland during a school trip. Singh earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Miami. She then earned a Juris Doctor from the Fredric G. Levin College of Law at the University of Florida and Master of Laws in International Legal Studies from the Washington College of Law at American University.

Career In the private sector, she worked as a lawyer at Reed Smith and Squire Patton Boggs. Singh served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs during the Bush administration.

Assistant secretary of state In September 2018, during a congressional hearing and in her role as assistant secretary of state, Singh reminded Congress, that if Russia did not achieve compliance with international chemical weapons laws by the November deadline, the government would not hesitate to implement the extreme sanctions announced in August.