Jimmy Rhee was appointed Special Secretary of the Governor’s Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs (formerly the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs) by Governor Larry Hogan and began service to the State of Maryland in January, 2015. As a coordinating office within the Executive Branch, the Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs connects the small business community to greater economic opportunities in both the public and private sectors. Special Secretary Rhee’s responsibilities included advising the governor on policy matters related to small, minority- and women-owned businesses and monitoring the state’s Small Business Reserve (SBR) and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) procurement programs across 70 agencies.
In 2014, Mr. Rhee was a Strategic Advisor with The Livingston Group and a Partner with EIGC Holdings. From 2010 through 2014 he served as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Trade for the Commonwealth of Virginia where he presided over international trade and investment activities with direct nexus to job creation. In that role he facilitated Virginia’s “Year of the Entrepreneur” program (in conjunction with the White House initiative Startup America) enabling small businesses to gain access to capital, information and technology. In addition, he advocated for minority business participation on various state procurement offerings and infrastructure projects such as the I95 express. He also worked with various governor-appointed advisory boards to recognize the importance of contributions from minority communities.
He was the COO/CEO of Global Technology Systems Consortium, Inc. from 2003 through 2009. 
With over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience in enterprise creation, growth and change management, Mr. Rhee has an extensive record of directing turn-around situations ranging from manufacturing to software companies. He has mentored various small business entities, helping them secure capital and illuminate their competitive edge. Active in the community, Mr. Rhee serves as a board member for various organizations including Asians in Energy, Environment and Commerce, the George Mason University Diversity Advisory Committee and the Asian Information Technology Business CEO Organization.
Mr. Rhee is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University where he earned a Master’s in Science and a Master’s in Business Administration. He earned a Bachelor’s in Science from the University of Maryland and holds a Professional Certificate in Sustainable Energy Conversion & Storage from the Stanford University Professional Development Center and an Electronic Systems Design Certificate from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He is also a member and certified performance coach with the International Coach Federation. He lives in Clarksville, Maryland with his wife.