Commerce Department’s Jatin Srivastava encourages younger Tar Heels

On a summer visit to Washington before his junior year, Jatin Srivastava ’23 saw a beautiful building with columns and a red-tiled roof that stopped him in his tracks. It was the home of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

“Oh, man, it’d be so cool to work here,” he thought.

The economics and public policy major from Apex found the department’s email address and sent in his resume. Then the following spring, as part of the Honors Seminar on Public Policy and Global Affairs, he applied for and got an internship with the department, working in the Office of the Secretary to help implement the Investing in America agenda.

“Jatin identified something at the Department of Commerce that was a really high profile and important placement, for both him and the program,” said Dan Gitterman, director of the Honors Seminar.

Eager to apply his economics and public policy studies while working directly with policy experts, Srivastava began building relationships with those around him. He made a point of dressing well and saying “good morning” and “good afternoon” to his co-workers. “I took whatever opportunities they had for me to help out,” he said. “That’s all it takes, you know?”

At the end of his internship, Srivastava had lunch with the deputy chief of staff, who encouraged him to return to the Commerce Department full time after graduation — a suggestion he eagerly embraced.

Building relationships to build policy

Srivastava works at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, an agency under the Commerce Department. He began as an engagement lead and telecommunications policy analyst, working on the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund — a $1.5 billion competitive grant program that seeks to enhance the security and resiliency of supply chains for telecommunications equipment by supporting and investing in U.S. companies.

“It’s been so cool to think about all the ways we can support our grantees,” he said. “I get to think about all these different stakeholders, and how they all play a role in the economic and innovation processes. And I enjoy thinking about how I can apply lessons learned from my work, research and education at Carolina to help make this program successful.”

He believes “people and personalities” drive successful policy, making relationship building an invaluable tool for solving problems and orchestrating successful government initiatives.

“It’s really hard to pull off successful government programs, particularly when you’re trying to address some grand challenge,” he said. “But as somebody who believes that the government can do a lot of good, it’s important to think about things like, ‘Will people look back on [this program] and think, oh, wow, that transformed my life?’”

Srivastava now works in the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Office of Congressional Affairs.

From mentee to mentor

Since graduating in 2023, Srivastava has passionately supported subsequent classes of globally minded Tar Heels.

He engages with the Diplomacy Initiative and serves as an alumni mentor for the Honors Seminar on Public Policy and Global Affairs. In this role, Srivastava shares insights from his experience in government, facilitates professional development activities and connects program participants to other Carolina alumni in Washington, D.C.

“I’d hire him right this minute if I were still in government” was what Barbara Stephenson, Carolina’s vice provost for global affairs and chief global officer, said she thought when she heard Srivastava make a presentation in Washington, D.C.

“Jatin represents the best North Carolina has to offer,” Stephenson said. “I am so proud of him.”