|10/14/15 9:00 AM EDT| Washington, D.C.
The Washington International Trade Association (WITA) is pleased to announce that Kenneth I. Levinson has been named as WITA’s full-time Executive Director. Levinson has served as WITA’s interim Executive Director since November 2014. WITA is the world’s largest non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to providing a neutral forum for open and robust discussion of international trade and economic issues.
“WITA has experienced tremendous growth over the past year under the leadership of Ken and our Managing Director, Diego Anez,” said Steve Lamar, President of the WITA Board and Executive VP of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA). “The Boards of both WITA and its sister organization, the Washington International Trade Foundation (WITF), are pleased with the direction Ken and Diego have taken the organization, and feel they have the vision and the ability to take WITA to an entirely new level in terms of content and reach.”
“The conversations that we lead matter to policymakers and businesses in Washington and around the world,” said WITF’s President, Ted Austell who is Vice President for Executive, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs at Boeing. The Boards’ goal, Austell continued, “is to grow WITA by expanding its membership and reach within Washington, DC, nationally and globally.”
“USTR has worked closely with WITA for over 30 years, and I look forward to working with Ken and WITA to continue their mission of trade education at this critical time,” added Ambassador Michael Froman, the U.S. Trade Representative.
“I am thrilled that the Board has asked me to stay on as WITA’s Executive Director,” said Levinson. “We will increase the range of events we offer, and do more to make them universally accessible via our web platforms. This will drive greater awareness of trade policy, as well as enhance the WITA brand and serve a broader membership.” Over the past year, WITA assumed management of the blog AmericasTradePolicy.Com (ATP), and doubled attendance at its policy events.
Widely considered Washington’s premier trade forum, WITA has a steadily growing membership over 1,800 strong, including more than 140 corporate sponsors and group memberships. WITA keeps its members informed through an extensive series of programs and special events. For more information on its upcoming programs, please visit www.wita.org