WITA Board of Directors

President

  1. Steve Lamar, American Apparel & Footwear Association.

Officers

  1. Vice President: Stephanie Lester, Gap, Inc.
  2. Treasurer: Nicole Bivens Collinson, Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg P.A.
  3. Secretary: Sarah Thorn, WalMart Stores, Inc.

Directors

  1. Craig Albright, BSA I The Software Alliance
  2. Ralph Carter, FedEx Express
  3. Paul H. DeLaney, III, Kyle House Group
  4. Dorothy Dwoskin, d2Strategies LLC
  5. Kimberly Ellis, Monument Advocacy
  6. Audrae Erickson, Reckitt – Mead Johnson Nutrition
  7. Nasim Fussell, Lot Sixteen
  8. Ed Gresser, Progressive Policy Institute 
  9. Timothy Keeler, Mayer Brown LLP
  10. Katrin Kuhlmann, New Markets Lab
  11. Lila Nieves-Lee, Senate Banking Committee
  12. Alexander Perkins, Mehlman Consulting
  13. Lisa SchroeterThe Dow Chemical Company
  14. Neena Shenai, WilmerHale
  15. Michael Smart, Rock Creek Global Advisors
  16. Darci Vetter, PepsiCo
  17. Maria Zieba, National Pork Producers Council

Stephen E. Lamar is President and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, the national trade association representing more than 1,000 brands in the apparel and footwear industry. Steve leads a dedicated team of professionals who represent AAFA members before the government, through the media, and in industry settings on key brand protection, supply chain and manufacturing, and trade issues. Steve also advises AAFA member companies on legislation and regulatory policies. Prior to becoming President and CEO, Steve served as Executive Vice President for the association.

Prior to AAFA, Steve spent more than a decade engaged in international public policy work, including stints at the U.S. Commerce Department and in the Peace Corps. A runner, juggler, and genealogist in his spare time, Steve is President of the Washington International Trade Association. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Colgate University and a Master of Arts Degree in International Affairs (with a concentration on African politics and international trade) from George Washington University.


Stephanie Lester is a Director of Government Affairs at Gap Inc. In this capacity, she leads Gap Inc.’s trade affairs portfolio, including trade agreements, preference programs, and capacity building programs to contribute to communities in which Gap Inc. sources by utilizing trade to build sustainable apparel industries. Ms. Lester was previously Vice President for International Trade at the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA). In that role, she advocated on behalf of the largest, most successful retailers on international trade, customs, and product safety issues. From 2001-2006, Ms. Lester served as a professional staff member for the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade. In that capacity, she advised members of the Committee on a variety of trade matters including free trade agreements, WTO negotiations on rules and dispute settlement, trade preference programs, U.S. trade remedy laws, and investment. Ms. Lester also worked as an international trade analyst at the U.S. Department of Commerce and later served as the Chief of Staff for the Assistant Secretary for Import Administration. Ms. Lester holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Multinational Business from Florida State University, and a Master of Arts degree in International Affairs from American University in Washington, DC. Ms. Lester has served on the WITA Board of Directors since 2006, and currently serves as Vice President.


Nicole Bivens Collinson is President of the International Trade & Government Relations at Sandler Travis & Rosenberg, P. A. She leads the International Trade and Government relations practice of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., and serves as managing principal of the Washington, D.C., office. She is also a member of the firm’s Operating Committee and a commentator on trade matters on MSNBC, NPR, and BBC. She is the lead professional on ST&R’s engagement as legislative counsel to the National Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA).

Ms. Collinson has over 30 years of experience in government, public affairs, and lobbying. In addition, she is a leader on the firm’s initiatives to address forced labor concerns via supply chain reviews, due diligence strategies, and proactive remediation to prevent the importation of any goods that may violate section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 for goods made with forced labor.

Prior to joining ST&R Ms. Collinson served as assistant chief negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, responsible for the negotiation of bilateral agreements with Latin America, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, the Sub-Continent, and Africa. She also served as a country specialist in the International Trade Administration at the Department of Commerce, where she was responsible for the preparation of negotiations on specific topics between the U.S. and Latin America, Eastern Europe, China, and Hong Kong as well as the administration of complex textile agreements.

Ms. Collinson holds a master’s degree in international relations from The George Washington University and a triple bachelor’s degree in political science, European studies, and French from Georgetown College. She also studied at the Université de Caen in France. She is past chair of the Women in International Trade Charitable Trust, past president of Women in International Trade, an advisory board member of America’s TradePolicy.com, treasurer and board member of the Washington International Trade Association, and a member of the Washington International Trade Association Foundation and Women in Government Relations. She serves on the board of trustees for Georgetown College and is the past executive director for the U.S. Hosiery Manufacturers Coalition, the U.S. Apparel Industry Coalition, and the U.S. Sock Distributors Coalition. She is conversant in both French and Spanish.


Sarah Thorn is the Senior Director of Global Government Affairs at Walmart Stores, Inc. She is primarily responsible for managing international policy issues at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. In this capacity, she advocates for Walmart priorities in legislation and trade negotiations that impact the company’s worldwide sourcing, e-commerce and retail distribution rights. She also leads a team that manages global supply chain policies, including responsible sourcing and labor issues.

In 2011, Sarah led the strategy team that developed Walmart’s Global Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative, which is focused on empowering women throughout Walmart’s global supply chain. She is actively involved in the implementation of the initiative, focusing primarily stakeholder engagement and global partnerships.

Before joining Walmart, Sarah worked for seven years at the Grocery Manufacturers Association where she led the food, beverage and consumer products industry advocacy on international trade issues. Sarah has also worked as a consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers on business mobility issues and served as an international relations representative with AMP Incorporated. Sarah began her career in Washington as a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Information Agency.

She holds a Master of Arts degree in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a Bachelor of Arts degree in comparative area studies and comparative literature cum laude from Duke University.


Craig Albright serves as BSA’s Vice President for US Government Relations. In this role, he leads BSA’s team that drives engagement with Congress, the Administration, and all US states. He’s responsible for developing and implementing advocacy strategy to deliver results on issues across BSA’s policy agenda.

Prior to joining BSA, Albright spent four years as the World Bank Group’s Special Representative for the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, managing relations with government officials, private sector executives, think tank academics, civil society leaders and others. Before that, Albright spent more than 12 years in the US government. He served in the White House as Special Assistant to President George W. Bush for Legislative Affairs and Deputy Assistant to Vice President Dick Cheney for Legislative Affairs. In Congress, his positions included Legislative Director and Chief of Staff for former Congressman Joe Knollenberg of Michigan and Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Kay Granger of Texas.

Albright has been identified as one of the Top 100 association lobbyists by The Hill news organization and one of Washington’s Most Influential People by Washingtonian magazine. He is a native of the Detroit area and holds a BA in Economics from Michigan State University.


Ralph Carter is Managing Director of Legal, Trade & International Affairs at FedEx Express. Mr. Carter is responsible for FedEx regulatory and international affairs including trade policy. Mr. Carter’s team advocates for simpler, more open trade rules that reduce barriers and help FedEx customers expand their international business. Mr. Carter is a frequent speaker and contributor to international trade events and initiatives including at APEC, the WTO, World Bank, World Economic Forum and the Business 20 (“B20”). Mr. Carter’s work has helped FedEx become a respected global leader in the trade policy community.

Before establishing the FedEx Legal, Trade & International Affairs office in Washington, DC, Mr. Carter was Managing Director in the legal department of FedEx’s Europe, Middle East and Africa headquarters in Brussels Belgium. Prior to FedEx Mr. Carter served in the State Department as Special Assistant to the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union.


Paul H. DeLaney, III is a Partner at the Kyle House Group. He works with his brother, the Founding Partner, and the KHG team to advise clients on international trade, regulatory, customs, investment, tax and business policy working with a wide-range of sectors and organizations.

Prior to rejoining KHG, Paul led Business Roundtable trade and international policy and advocacy efforts and managed the Trade and International Committee, advocating for trade and international economic policies that promote U.S. growth, competitiveness and jobs.

Paul also served as International Trade Counsel to Chairman Orrin G. Hatch for the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance and advised Senators and their staff on trade, investment, customs and international economic issues. Paul assisted with Finance Committee hearings and legislative markups, drafted trade legislation and amendments, briefed Senators and staff, consulted with the Administration and trade agencies, and met with stakeholders and foreign governments. Paul assisted in managing the Senate floor during the consideration of seven trade bills.

Before joining the Finance Committee, Paul worked as Senior Attorney for Trade and International Affairs at FedEx Express. He advocated on behalf of FedEx Express to shape trade policies, trade agreements and international regulatory policies that impacted the company’s international operations and investments. He was appointed to serve on Industry and Trade Advisory Committee 10 on Services and Finance by the Bush and the Obama Administrations.

Prior to joining FedEx Express, Paul worked at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and served as Deputy Chief of Staff for U.S. Trade Representatives Rob Portman and Susan C. Schwab. Paul was integrally involved in strategic planning, agency operations, and decision-making with senior political and career staff.

Before joining USTR, Paul was a litigation associate at Vinson & Elkins, LLP in Washington D.C. Paul attended Yale University and the University of Virginia School of Law.


Dorothy Dwoskin is the Principal at d2Strategies LLC, a consulting firm focused on international trade and economic policy, working with clients on a variety of issues. Her work builds on her expertise as a trade negotiator and a tech policy official. In addition to the WITA Board, she remains active with the Washington Council on International Trade, based in Seattle.

From 2007-2017 Dorothy was Senior Director of Global Trade Policy and Strategy at Microsoft, and a member of its Federal Government team in Washington D.C., leading the company’s policy efforts to promote open markets and fair trade in software and services, collaborating with government agencies, Congress, international organizations, and foreign governments. She worked extensively on Microsoft’s agenda with China and other Microsoft subsidiaries pursuing the company’s global interests in the trade area, including the intersection of trade policy and cloud policy.

From 1978-2007, Dorothy was a member of the career staff at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), serving in many positions, including USTR’s Geneva Office. Before her departure, she was a member of the Senior Executive Service. Dorothy served as the Assistant USTR for the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Multilateral Affairs at USTR. In that position she was responsible for trade negotiations and policy matters before the WTO, in the Doha Round and the Uruguay Round. She served as lead U.S. negotiator on a variety of trade policy issues, including the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), and led the negotiating teams setting the terms of membership for countries acceding to the WTO. She led teams resulting in successful bilateral WTO market access agreements with Russia and the Ukraine, and concluded membership negotiations for the accession of Vietnam and Saudi Arabia.


Kimberly Thompson Ellis leads Monument Advocacy’s tax practice, having joined Monument in 2012 after serving as the Legislative Director for former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX).   She is highly respected for her work on trade, tax, and health care issues, and communicates regularly with staff and Members on the Committees on Ways and Means and Senate Finance.  Kimberly formerly served in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and other private sector positions. Kimberly was previously named one of the Top Ten Trade and Tax Staffers by Roll Call, serves on the Board of Directors for the Washington International Trade Association, and is a Member of the Tax Coalition. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University.


Audrae Erickson is Vice President at Mead Johnson. She has served on the WITA Board of Directors since 2002. Audrae Erickson joined Mead Johnson Nutrition in January 2013 as its Vice President, External & Public Affairs. In this role, Erickson will develop strategies to address external regulatory, policy and public environment issues affecting the company in the United States and global markets.

Prior to joining Mead Johnson Nutrition, Audrae Erickson was the president of the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) based in Washington, D.C. Before joining the CRA, Erickson served as the senior director of congressional relations for the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), where she specialized in agricultural trade issues including trade policy, negotiations, dispute settlement, trade promotion authority and matters involving the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). In 1999, Erickson founded the Ag Trade Coalition to promote U.S. agricultural interests on WTO negotiating objectives. Prior to her tenure at AFBF, Erickson served as director of agricultural affairs at the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) Office. Erickson was responsible for oversight of all trade issues pertaining to sweeteners, horticultural crops, biotechnology, and sanitary and phytosanitary barriers to trade. She also oversaw agriculture policy matters related to the FTAA and the North American Free Trade Agreement and represented USTR at the WTO Committee on Agriculture meetings. Before taking the position at USTR, Erickson served as an economist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service where she specialized in trade and environment issues.

Erickson earned a Master of Arts degree in economics as a Rotary scholar from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with Bachelor of Arts degrees in economics/business and French at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon. Erickson resides in Maryland with her husband and three children.


Nasim D. Fussell is Senior Vice President at Lot Sixteen. She has worn many hats in her career and experienced Washington from the critical vantage points that give clients the perspective needed to succeed. Her perspective is formed by years in government and the private sector working with the greatest minds to shape U.S. trade policy.

Her experience crafting trade policy from both sides of the Capitol during an era of rapidly evolving trade politics has impacted her view that substance will drive the outcome, but relationships will too. As Chief International Trade Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee and Trade Counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee, she worked with the best of the best to help pass significant pieces of trade legislation and conclude trade agreements with Republican and Democratic administrations. She wrote legislation, press releases, floor speeches, tweets, and many thank-you notes. Hard work, kindness, and respect pay off and people will remember you for it.

As a trade partner in a big Washington law firm, she represented corporate, trade association, and government clients on trade policy and regulatory issues across the spectrum. Having been in her clients’ shoes during her own time in the corporate and trade association worlds, she understood how to make them happy.

She was born in Iran shortly after the 1979 revolution and her family immigrated to the United States when she was a toddler. She grew up in the DC area and Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she also graduated from the University of Michigan. After finishing law school in Baltimore, she made her way back to DC in 2009, met her wonderful and very patient husband from Arkansas, had two beautiful girls, did a lot of stuff in between, settled in Arlington, VA and joined the amazing team at Lot Sixteen.


Ed Gresser is Vice President and Director for Trade and Global Markets at PPI.

Ed returns to PPI after working for the think tank from 2001-2011. He most recently served as the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Trade Policy and Economics at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). In this position, he led USTR’s economic research unit from 2015-2021, and chaired the 21-agency Trade Policy Staff Committee.

Ed began his career on Capitol Hill before serving USTR as Policy Advisor to USTR Charlene Barshefsky from 1998 to 2001. He then led PPI’s Trade and Global Markets Project from 2001 to 2011. After PPI, he co-founded and directed the independent think tank ProgressiveEconomy until rejoining USTR in 2015. In 2013, the Washington International Trade Association presented him with its Lighthouse Award, awarded annually to an individual or group for significant contributions to trade policy.

Ed is the author of Freedom from Want: American Liberalism and the Global Economy (2007). He has published in a variety of journals and newspapers, and his research has been cited by leading academics and international organizations including the WTO, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund.

He is a graduate of Stanford University and holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from Columbia University and a certificate from the Averell Harriman Institute for Advanced Study of the Soviet Union.


Tim Keeler is a partner and Co-Lead of Mayer Brown’s International Trade Product Team, as well as heading the firm’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) practice. He is also a member of the firm’s Public Policy, Regulatory & Government Affairs group. Tim joined Mayer Brown in 2009 after a varied career in the US Government, serving at the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), the US Treasury Department (which chairs CFIUS), and the US Senate Finance Committee.

Prior to joining Mayer Brown, Tim served in a variety of senior positions in the U.S. Government for almost 12 years. Most recently he was the Chief of Staff in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) from 2006 – 2009, where he oversaw implementation of U.S. policy, strategy and negotiations involving all aspects of international trade and investment matters. He worked on a number of key issues including: climate change and trade; US and China relations; WTO negotiations and litigation; free trade agreement negotiations and implementation; and CFIUS decisions.

In recognition of his government service, Tim was awarded the USTR Distinguished Service Award, the Treasury Distinguished Service Award, and the Treasury Secretary’s Honor Award twice.


Katrin Kuhlmann is currently a Visiting Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, where she is also the Faculty Co-Director of the Center on Inclusive Trade and Development. She teaches courses in law, development, and international trade, and she is the faculty director of the WTO and International Trade Law Certificate program. Professor Kuhlmann has over twenty-five years of experience in international law, development, and trade. Her work and research focus on trade and development, regional trade agreements (with a particular focus on Africa), trade and gender, inclusive agricultural trade, comparative economic law, and the interdisciplinary connections between law and development.

In 2010, Professor Kuhlmann founded the New Markets Lab (NML), of which she remains president, a non-profit law and development innovation lab focused on inclusive legal and regulatory design, field-based law and development programs, and capacity building among lawyers and non-lawyers in economic law and regulation. She is also a Senior Associate with the Global Food Security Program of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and she serves as a member of the Trade Advisory Committee on Africa of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). She is also a member of the Bretton Woods Committee and WTO Gender Research Hub, and she serves on the boards and advisory boards of the Trade and Investment Law Group of the Law Schools Global League; the Forum on Trade, Environment, and the SDGs of the Graduate Institute and UN Environment Programme; the Washington International Trade Association; Listening for America; the Harvard Law and Development Society; the AI Institute for Food Systems at University of California Davis; and the Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Professor Kuhlmann was previously a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School and a Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow at Harvard Law School, and she was the Yeutter Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Nebraska College of Law from 2020-21. Earlier in her career, she served as a trade negotiator at USTR and a lawyer at two international law firms, and she has held senior positions with several non-profit organizations and think tanks, including the Aspen Institute, German Marshall Fund, and an NGO focused on women’s rights. She holds degrees from Harvard Law School and Creighton University and was the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship to study international economics.


Alexander Perkins serves as Principal at Mehlman Consulting. He brings more than two decades of experience in politics, policy, and business to the Mehlman Consulting team. Alex most recently spent nine years at Stellantis NV (formerly Fiat Chrysler), where he frequently advised senior management on important and time-sensitive policy issues and political and reputational risk, including risk associated with sourcing and investment decisions. A top expert in trade, customs, and supply chain issues, Alex developed and executed government relations and public affairs strategies to guide the Fortune 500 automaker through a wide-range of trade-related matters, including the North American Free Trade Agreement/United States Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA/USMCA) renegotiations. In fact, Alex helped lead the multi-sector USMCA business coalition of over 100 companies that successfully secured Congressional approval of the updated trade pact. And in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Alex managed the regulatory issues associated with the company’s purchase, manufacturing, importation, export, and donation of personal protective equipment (PPE). 

While at Stellantis, Alex also served on the Steering Group of the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, a $50+ million public-private initiative working to implement the World Trade Organization (WTO)Trade Facilitation Agreement obligations in developing countries. In addition to managing the company’s trade, customs and supply chain policy, Alex directed a team responsible for internal and external stakeholder education and outreach, healthcare, labor and workforce policy, and economic impact analysis. 

Prior to Stellantis, Alex served as a trade counsel on the House Ways & Means Committee from 2007-2012. There, he helped the Committee enact into law Trade Adjustment Assistance, tariff preference program, Burma sanctions and Miscellaneous Tariff Bill legislation, as well as pass the U.S.-Peru, U.S-Korea, and U.S.-Panama free trade agreements. Alex began his service on Capitol Hill in 2005 as counsel to Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) where he managed a broad portfolio that included trade, judiciary, foreign policy, and national security issues. 

Alex currently serves on the board of directors of the Washington International Trade Association, a non-profit, non-partisan forum for dialogue on trade policy. He previously served on the boards of the American Auto Policy Council and the National Foreign Trade Council. He is also a past chair of the National Association of Manufacturers’ Customs and Border Working Group. 

In 2022, Alex was included in the Washingtonian Magazine’s list of “500 Most Influential People Shaping Policy”. 


Lisa Schroeter is the Global Director of Trade and Investment Policy for The Dow Chemical Company. As part of the corporate Government Affairs & Public Policy team, Lisa has direct responsibilities for defining and managing the company’s global trade agenda as well as developing strategy on the international aspects of key corporate issues. Based in Washington, DC, Lisa’s responsibilities focus on trade policy and legislation, trade negotiations, and investment issues that foster growth in Dow’s global businesses through identification of policies facilitating market access and reducing global distribution costs.

Before joining Dow, Lisa was the Executive Director of the TransAtlantic Business Dialogue (TABD). TABD is a unique trade-facilitation process by which American and European corporations work with the U.S. Administration and the European Commission to implement practical, detailed recommendations. Lisa was responsible for staffing the U.S. Chair CEO, working with the issue committees to develop and promote their recommendations, and facilitating business and government interaction. Ms. Schroeter joined TABD in 1999, and managed the process on behalf of the Boeing Company, PricewaterhouseCoopers, United Technologies Corporation and Xerox.

Lisa is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR); President-Elect of Women in International Trade (WIIT) and a Board Member of the Washington International Trade Association, US Council for International Business the US-ASEAN Business Council and Cultural Tourism, DC. She serves as the Chair of the ICCA Trade Network and Global Regulatory Cooperation task forces as well as the US Business Committee of the Transatlantic Policy Network (TPN).

As a long-term DC resident, Lisa is also a Board Member of Cultural Tourism DC, celebrating the unique heritage and history of the U.S. Capital.


Neena Shenai is a Partner at WilmerHale. Neena Shenai is a seasoned legal professional with over 20 years of legal, compliance and policy experience in global cross-border activities in the private sector and in government. Ms. Shenai focuses her practice on sanctions and export controls, import/customs, CFIUS, M&A due diligence and trade policy.

From 2015-2023, Ms. Shenai held several senior roles for Medtronic, the world’s largest medical technology company. While at Medtronic, she served as chief legal counsel and head of compliance for global trade matters impacting the company’s operations in over 150 countries, including sanctions and export controls, import and strategic supply chain issues, risk management and mitigation, corporate due diligence and trade policy.

Ms. Shenai served as a trade counsel for the House Committee on Ways and Means during the chairmanships of then-Reps. Dave Camp (R-MI) and Paul Ryan (R-WI). She has also worked as a trade policy counsel for the Senate Republican Policy Committee and as the senior adviser to the assistant secretary for export administration in the Bureau of Industry and Security at the US Department of Commerce.

Ms. Shenai previously was in private practice as an associate in the Washington, DC office of another international law firm and a professional trainee in the Rules Division of the World Trade Organization. She clerked for the Hon. Evan J. Wallach on the US Court of International Trade.


Michael Smart is a Managing Director at Rock Creek Global Advisors, where he focuses on international trade and investment policy, including market access and regulatory matters. He also advises multinational companies on sanctions, supply chain policy, and trade-related climate measures.

Mr. Smart previously served as Trade Counsel on the Democratic staff of the US Senate Committee on Finance. In that role, he advised Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and members of the committee on various trade matters, including World Trade Organization negotiations and dispute settlement, free trade agreements, agricultural trade, and the trade aspects of legislation to address climate change.

Before joining the Finance Committee, Mr. Smart was Director for International Trade and Investment on the staff of the National Security Council at the White House. Mr. Smart focused on the Doha Development Agenda, trade in financial services, free trade agreements, and bilateral investment treaties. He also served as the lead White House staff for cabinet-level dialogues with Brazil and India.

Mr. Smart was previously an associate at the law firm of Sidley Austin LLP, where his practice focused on international trade and investment policy and dispute resolution. He represented companies and governments in WTO, investment treaty, and NAFTA disputes. Earlier in his career, Mr. Smart was Legislative Director for former Congressman Earl Pomeroy (D-ND).

Mr. Smart has appeared on CNN International, BBC News, Bloomberg News, and Channel News Asia and has been quoted in publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Politico, and Financial Times.

Mr. Smart is a member of the Executive Circle of the Institute of International Economic Affairs at The George Washington University and a member of the Board of Directors of the Washington International Trade Association. Mr. Smart received his BA in International Affairs from The George Washington University (Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude) and his JD from Georgetown University Law Center (cum laude).


Darci Vetter is the head of PepsiCo’s Global Public Policy division. Previously, she was the lead at Edelman’s Washington, DC Public Affairs practice and was the former Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the US Trade Representative (USTR) and Under Secretary at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Darci brings deep international trade, agriculture and food experience following a 17-year career in the federal government, and is spearheading PepsiCo’s international public policy.

In her role, Darci works for PepsiCo to help develop strategies that best navigate the changing policy landscape. Areas of expertise include helping translate US, foreign government or WTO processes to business; reviewing and adjusting supply chains to respond to government mandates and consumer demands; supporting the development of formal commentary on regulatory matters; and adapting corporate messaging and branding to reflect broad policy changes.


Maria Zieba is the Vice President of International Affairs for the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and helps represent over 65,000 U.S. pork producers. She works on NPPC’s trade policy program, which focuses on opening, maintaining and increasing market access for U.S. pork.

Prior to joining NPPC, Zieba was a Trade Policy Manager for the National Milk Producers Federation and the U.S. Dairy Export Council, where she worked on various non-technical trade issues affecting the dairy industry. Before that, she worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, managing capacity building projects aimed at increasing U.S. agricultural exports to emerging markets.

Zieba holds a M.A. in international commerce and policy from George Mason University. She received her B.A. from the University of California, Riverside with a double major in political science-international affairs and Spanish.

She is fluent in three languages and has lived in Washington, D.C., Southern California, Argentina and Brazil.