Danielle Decker, a Senior Manager of State Government Relations with eBay, is the most recent addition to eBay’s Government Relations team. Our team works to make sure eBay sellers are represented anywhere policy decisions are made that impact them, from state governments to Washington, DC.

Before joining the eBay team, Danielle served as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the US Department of Commerce, and prior to that served as an advisor on intergovernmental affairs and public engagement to Vice President Kamala Harris.

We sat down with Danielle, who is a commissioned officer in the US Coast Guard, to learn more about her experience in government service and what she loves about working as an advocate for small businesses with eBay.

Question: You’ve done a lot of work in government service and politics. Sometimes that can be a challenging job – what has made you want to continue to advocate for people in the policy space? 

Danielle Decker: I really enjoy being at the front door of the government. I enjoy the external-facing component of government and liaising with the public and elected officials on behalf of the government and having them realize there are people who are responsible, accountable, and efficient who are working on their behalf. We can serve as their first point of contact in government. We help them access different programs, grants, and resources that they might not even know exist. That’s really huge. You hear about all these amazing government programs that are being rolled out, but the average person might not know how to navigate them. I enjoyed being part of the different teams that would liaise with the community and help them realize that these resources exist for them and we can help them unlock them.

Question: We had an opportunity to host a group of Latino last month at the Department of Commerce’s Hispanic Heritage Month Reception. How was your past experience helpful and what was the event like for you and the sellers?

Danielle Decker: As a Latina, it is important to me to be part of a company that values diversity and inclusion, not only in name but in practice. Since I joined the team in July, I have been thrilled to see how Our Executive Leadership Team leads by example driving forth the belief to "Be for Everyone.” eBays’s commitment to be relentlessly inclusive is shown in our partnership with our diverse community of sellers to maximize our social and economic impact. The highlight of the event was seeing the sellers share their small business journeys with key policymakers who asked questions about their learned experience as successful business owners.

Question: More broadly, has working at eBay been different from your past roles in government service?

Danielle Decker: Well, the private sector is definitely more efficient in terms of internal processes, which I enjoy. I enjoy that things can happen quickly and the approval process is often more streamlined. I enjoy that we still get to interface with the public. I don’t know that I could do a role where I am completely insulated from that. I still need to have the ability to connect with people and their stories and narratives and hopefully amplify them in a positive way. I enjoy that this has continued to be part of my work.

Question: It feels like sometimes state policy gets overshadowed by federal policy in the news. What’s one thing you want sellers on eBay to know about how their state government can affect their small business?

Danielle Decker: State government directly impacts small businesses, and arguably even more directly and immediately. Municipal and state governments often move faster than the federal government. Our sellers know firsthand that municipal and state law can directly affect them negatively and positively and it can often be faster and less advertised.

Federal government gets a lot of attention, but the state government can move very quickly and have an enormous impact on seller success, especially related to fiscal issues like taxation.

Question: What is your favorite thing that you’ve found on eBay?

My dad really loves Harley Davidson and all the collectibles, so I got him a San Juan Harley Davidson patch, because it is really hard to find things from the San Juan, Puerto Rico Harley Davidson unless you go in person. He loved it. It was very special.
 

I love that.