Statement by US Deputy Undersecretary Lee on State Department’s appointment of special representative for international labor affairs

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Deputy Undersecretary for International Labor Affairs Thea Lee issued the following statement on the Department of State’s appointment of Kelly Marie Fay Rodriguez as Special Representative for International Labor Affairs: 

“The U.S. Department of Labor and its Bureau of International Labor Affairs look forward to working and collaborating closely with Kelly Marie Fay Rodriguez and applaud her appointment as the State Department’s Special Representative for International Labor Affairs. Rodriguez’s passion for workers’ rights and her significant experience working with global labor movements will be invaluable to the success of U.S. diplomacy and the implementation of the Biden-Harris administration’s foreign policy for the middle class.”

Prior to her appointment, Fay Rodríguez served as Trade and Labor oversight counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee. Previously, she worked at the Solidarity Center as the Deputy Country Program Director for Bangladesh and a program officer monitoring labor conditions, trade union organizing and other labor issues in Mexico and the countries of the South Andes.

Learn more about the department’s international work.