Vice President of Public Affairs and Head of Semiconductor Policy, Samsung Electronics America
Photo by Arland Communications
By Jean Hardiman
Gene Irisari, vice president of public affairs and head of semiconductor policy for Samsung Electronics America, grew up in Glen Dale, WV, on a firm foundation. As the son of two first-generation immigrants who were both dedicated medical professionals, he and his two sisters were raised with a high standard of academic excellence. While playing sports at Linsly School through the years, he gained something he considers to be one of the strongest assets he brings to his career—a team mentality.
“My team mentality came from a youth spent playing team sports and learning that when an organization works together, communicates and collaborates freely and selflessly for the greater goal, we’ll do great things together,” says Irisari.
Today, he puts his commitment to excellence and teamwork together to lead a team of 11 that engages Congress and federal agencies, as well as state and local elected officials, to educate them on Samsung’s priorities while minimizing
and mitigating risk and building on potential opportunities for the business.
“Samsung is the global leader in memory and display and the second largest company in the semiconductor foundry space,” Irisari says.
In layman’s terms, semiconductors are computer chips, and they are the largest revenue source for Samsung, even though consumers know the company for its phones, televisions and appliances.
“The most rewarding part of my line of work is being able to work in such an important industry by shaping policy that affects global markets while helping make the world a better place through technology,” Irisari says.
Irisari has been at Samsung for five years, following a career that started on Capitol Hill before moving into private industry. It was his first brush with calculus that led him toward the field of law.
“As the son of two doctors, I always grew up wishing that I could also be a medical doctor one day,” he says. “That was my career path until taking up calculus. Realizing that advanced math might not be my strength, I pivoted to wanting to be a lawyer to defend physicians like my parents. I thought that if I couldn’t be a doctor, the next best thing was being able to defend them in litigation.”
Irisari attended Vanderbilt University, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1994 with a double major in English literature and European history.
“I had the opportunity to intern for two of my elected representatives in Congress during the summer before my senior year in college,” Irisari says. “Working for U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller and Congressman Alan Mollohan that summer really piqued my interest in working in policy and politics.”
After graduating from Vanderbilt, Irisari headed to the West Virginia University (WVU) College of Law.
“I remember that attending law school as a 1L was a shock to the system,” he recalls. “My first semester at WVU Law was eye-opening, to say the least. It was my first time being exposed to the Socratic method of teaching so being prepared and alert were absolute necessities.”
He graduated in 1997 and decided to give Washington, D.C., a try, landing a position as a staffer for U.S. Representative Kevin Brady, a Republican from Texas.
“I worked my way up from answering constituent mail for the congressman to being his legislative counsel,” Irisari says.
His next job in Washington was serving as deputy chief of staff and legislative director for U.S. Representative Michael McCaul, who at the time was a freshman member of Congress, also from Texas, who would become chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security during Irisari’s years on staff.
“It was during this time that I became active in tech policy since the tech industry was a major constituent presence in the district,” he says. “I ran the bipartisan Congressional High Tech Caucus for Congressman McCaul and handled his homeland security portfolio, which included border security, immigration and cybersecurity among other things. It was in this role that I learned the importance of networking and relationship building.”
Six years later, he joined the global semiconductor company Texas Instruments (TI), where he spent 10 years handling the innovation policy portfolio, which included high skilled immigration, STEM education, federal research funding and automotive technology.
“I was again fortunate to have a wonderful boss and mentor in TI’s vice president for Government Relations, Paula Collins,” Irisari says. “Paula taught me that 90% of life is showing up and the importance of hiring bright people and putting them in a situation to succeed.”
While there, he also served as corporate chair of the Task Force on American Innovation, which brought together educators, companies and researchers to advocate for science research funding at key research agencies. He co-chaired the Workforce Committee for the Innovation Technology Industry Council in Washington as well, and more recently he has been a member of the Visiting Committee at the WVU College of Law.
For the past five years, Irisari has led Samsung’s policy efforts in the U.S. on semiconductors.
“Even though my portfolio is limited to the U.S., the policies that our nation pursues affect the industry globally,” he says.
“One of my favorite parts of this job has been the ability to grow my team from scratch and build it according to my vision,” he says. “It really has been a blessing to be able to hire a high-performing team of self-starters that is also fun to be around and collaborate with during major projects and what can at times be long workdays.”
Irisari is proud of the work his team and others in the semiconductor industry have done in helping get the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 introduced, passed and enacted.
“This legislation has directly strengthened global electronic supply chains and brought more semiconductor manufacturing onshore, creating more high-wage jobs for Americans while protecting U.S. national and economic security,” he says.
The legislation resulted in Samsung’s $6.4 billion award in grant incentives from the U.S. Department of Commerce and separate tax incentives.
Irisari’s work has received many accolades. He has been selected twice as a Top Lobbyist by the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics, a designation given yearly to 100 individuals in the government relations community in Washington, D.C., based on their accomplishments and willingness to give back to the community.
In terms of giving back to his current hometown in Vienna, VA, Irisari has coached youth sports and volunteers currently on the executive committee with the National Capital Area Council of Scouting America, formerly the Boy Scouts. He is also a past president and board member of the Texas State Society.
“When people ask where I’m from, I still say, ‘I live in Virginia, but I’m originally from West Virginia,” he says. “I had a wonderful childhood growing up in West Virginia and an exceptional experience at WVU for law school. Although I don’t currently live in West Virginia, I will always call West Virginia home.”
