Bernard Kritzer

       Bernard Kritzer is the Director of the Office of Exporter Services (OExS). OExS is the focal point within BIS for outreach to the exporting community in Washington, D.C. and in two field offices in Newport Beach and Santa Clara, California. OExS is responsible for drafting and explaining the Export Administration Regulations, for receiving and handling the front end review of all export license applications, commodity classifications and advisory opinions, and for administering export compliance activities such as BIS's Special Comprehensive Licensing program. Prior to his current position, Mr. Kritzer was the Director of BIS’s Office of National Security and Technology Transfer Controls where he oversaw the implementation of export controls instituted for national security reasons. In that capacity, Mr. Kritzer managed policy development and licensing requirements related to the Wassenaar Arrangement, deemed exports, encryption, and high performance computers. Mr. Kritzer also served the Director of the Treaty Compliance Division where he administered industry compliance responsibilities under the Chemical Weapons Convention and represented the Department of Commerce in the development of a compliance protocol to the Biological Weapons Convention. His other previous assignments include: Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade; Senior Natural Gas Industry Analyst in the Department of Energy, Office of International Affairs, and Manager of the Foreign Nationals and Short Supply Staff.

       Prior to joining the U.S. government, Mr. Kritzer worked for Exxon Corporation in New York. Mr. Kritzer holds a Masters degree from Columbia University in International Relations and Russian Studies.