Joshua Kroon, a senior director of public affairs at the nonprofit SAFE, has been tapped to serve in the Trump administration in a role focused on critical minerals as President Donald Trump ramps up efforts to ease China’s control over global raw materials.
Kroon will serve as deputy assistant secretary for textiles, consumer goods, materials, critical minerals and metals within the International Trade Administration, an agency that operates under the Department of Commerce.
He has a lengthy resume in military operations, finance and advocacy. Before joining SAFE, Kroon served as executive vice president at the public relations firm Allison, where he directed public affairs. He also served as a special forces engineer in the U.S. Army.
SAFE, a pro-domestic-energy nonprofit that launched in 2005, played a prominent role under the Biden administration and has continued to hold sway under Trump. Officials from SAFE, for example, helped shape the Inflation Reduction Act and lead a governmentwide effort under Biden to secure critical minerals.
