On Thursday, October 15th, WITA discussed these efforts, as well as what business and civil society are doing to reduce child and forced labor around the world.
PROGRAM AGENDA
Welcome and Opening Remarks
- Kenneth I. Levinson, Executive Director, Washington International Trade Association
Remarks and Discussion
- Marcia Eugenio, Director, Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking, U.S. Department of Labor
- Catherine Feingold, Director of the International Department, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations
- Sharon Waxman, President & CEO, Fair Labor Association (FLA)
- Moderator, Steve Lamar, President & CEO, Policy, American Apparel & Footwear Association
Followed by:
- Q & A with Audience – Webinar attendees are encouraged to use the Q&A function on the Zoom app to submit their questions in real time.
Event Close
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Marcia Eugenio is the Director of the Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT) in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB). Under Ms. Eugenio’s leadership, OCFT’s work has contributed to the worldwide reduction of approximately 90 million child laborers, provided millions of children with education and training and their families with viable livelihood opportunities, and increased the capacity of governments to address these issues. OCFT has also worked closely with the private sector and created tools to mitigate labor abuses in global supply chains. Ms. Eugenio has over 25 years of federal government experience. She also served as Senior Program Officer at the International Labor Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Ms. Eugenio received a Bachelor Degree in International Studies from the City College of New York and a Master Degree in Public Policy from the University of Michigan. She has participated in numerous educational and career development programs, including programs at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and at Brookings Institution, and conducted independent research on youth employment and child labor in 2015.
Catherine Feingold is the Director of the International Department at the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, and is a leading advocate on global workers’ rights issues. As Director of the AFL-CIO’s International Department, Feingold is a committed and passionate advocate, strategic campaigner and policy expert. In 2018, Feingold was elected Deputy President of the International Trade Union Confederation, the organization representing 200 million unionized workers worldwide. She brings more than 20 years of experience in trade and global economic policy, and worker, human and women’s rights issues. In 2020, Speaker Pelosi appointed Feingold to the Independent Mexico Labor Expert Board, the body created under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement to monitor and evaluate labor reforms and worker rights compliance in Mexico. Her work in both global and grassroots fora reflect her commitment to strengthening the voice of working people in global policy debates.
Feingold previously directed the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center’s work in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, where she worked with local trade union partners to develop innovative campaigns to improve the working conditions of domestic, migrant and informal economy workers. The work led to a growing movement of domestic workers who affiliated to the Dominican labor movement. In Haiti, she developed labor law training programs and helped publish the first Creole language excerpt of the Haitian labor law, accessible to workers. She led the organization’s humanitarian response to the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
Feingold’s professional experience includes work for the labor movement, large international organizations, small grassroots NGOs and a foundation. She leads coalition efforts to shape global labor standards, including the recently ratified International Labor Organization Convention 190 to eliminate violence and harassment at work. She has written about the impact of economic policies on market women in Nigeria and, as a Fulbright scholar in Nicaragua, she researched the impact of structural adjustment policies on women workers. She continues to be a strong advocate for gender equity and working women issues.
Feingold holds a bachelor’s degree from Pitzer College and an M.P.A. from Columbia University.
Sharon Waxman is the President & CEO at the Fair Labor Association. Sharon is an expert in corporate social responsibility and labor rights with a background in international development and humanitarian response.
As CEO at the Fair Labor Association, Sharon leads a team of global experts working to create sustainable solutions to prevent and remediate labor rights violations in the apparel and agriculture sectors through the combined efforts of leading multinational corporations, public and private universities, and civil society organizations.
Before the FLA, Sharon led the global policy and advocacy team at the International Rescue Committee with responsibility for developing and promoting the organization and its public policy positions.
Sharon spent more than two decades in public administration, serving as deputy to the Undersecretary for Civilian Service, Democracy and Human Rights at the U.S. Department of State and as a senior national security adviser in the U.S. Senate.
As a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Sharon is a leading voice on foreign policy matters. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University – School of Advanced International Studies and the University of California, Berkeley.
Steve 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.