District Export Councils (DECs) are organizations of leaders from local business communities, appointed by successive Secretaries of Commerce, whose knowledge of international business provides a source of professional advice for local firms. For more than 25 years, DECs have served the United States by assisting companies in their local communities export, thus promoting our country’s economic growth and creating new and higher-paying American jobs. DECs work closely with local offices of the U.S. Commercial Service/U.S. Department of Commerce.