Pathways To Opportunity Series: Careers in International Affairs, Business, and Trade

The WITA Academy Pathways to Opportunity program consists of a series of career pathways sessions hosted by trade professionals from the Washington D.C. policy community. The curriculum, divided between the public and private sector, highlights different roles and career paths that are available in Washington D.C. and around the world.

Students will gain insight from trade professionals, pose questions to policymakers, and learn about exciting career opportunities in international affairs, political science, business, and trade. Students come away with an understanding of the trade policy-making community, the role of its key players, and the opportunities for internships and careers available to them.

This one hour online event is open to ALL students from the University of Denver and Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) Member Schools (undergraduates and graduate students), to learn about careers in international affairs, business, and trade.

Registration is free for students and faculty – must use university email to register.

Hosted by	In partnership with

FEATURED FACULTY

2:30 PM: Introduction and Welcome

Diego Añez, Executive Director, WITA Academy; Managing Director, Washington International Trade Association (WITA) (University of Georgia)

Kenneth I. Levinson, Chief Executive Officer, Washington International Trade Association (WITA) (University of Massachusetts in Amherst & New York University)

2:35 PM – 2:50 PM: Fireside One on One

Laura Lane, former Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer, UPS (Loyola University Chicago & Georgetown University)

Moderator: Kenneth I. Levinson, Chief Executive Officer, Washington International Trade Association (WITA) (University of Massachusetts in Amherst & New York University)

2:50 PM – 3:25 PM: Opportunities in the Public and Private Sectors

Zoe Sophos, Director for Industrial Trade Policy, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (Fudan University, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies & UC San Diego)

Gabriela Zelaya, Global Diversity Export Initiative Director, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce (University of Miami & University of California, Riverside)

Click here to read an article highlighting Gabriela’s career journey at the U.S. Commercial Service.

Debra Delay, Chief Operating Officer, Silverado Policy Accelerator (Tufts University, Smith College & Universidad de Córdoba)

Jennifer Meng, Director of Global Policy, Semiconductor Industry Association (Georgetown University & University of Toronto)

Moderator: Diego Añez, Executive Director, WITA Academy; Managing Director, Washington International Trade Association (WITA) (University of Georgia)

3:25 PM: Closing Remarks

Gergana Kostadinova Law, Assistant Director, Employer Relations, Office of Career and Professional Development, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver

Diego Añez, Executive Director, WITA Academy; Managing Director, Washington International Trade Association (WITA) (University of Georgia)

For questions about the event, please contact the WITA Staff events@wita.org.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES:

Laura Lane is formerly Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer. In this role she oversaw Public Policy and Government Affairs, Public Relations, Employee Communications, Sustainability and The UPS Foundation.  She was a member of UPS’s Executive Leadership Team reporting to CEO Carol B. Tomé.

Laura began her UPS career as president, Global Public Affairs in 2011 and was responsible for worldwide government affairs activities for UPS in over 200 countries and territories. Prior to joining UPS, Laura served in both the public and private sectors. She was managing director and head of International Government Affairs at Citigroup and vice president for Global Public Policy with Time Warner.

In her government career, Laura served as a trade negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in the negotiation of China’s entry to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the WTO Financial Services Agreement, and the WTO Basic Telecommunications Agreement. She also served as a diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service from 1990-1997, including serving as consular/economic officer in Bogota, Colombia, and then at the American Embassy in Kigali, Rwanda. In Rwanda, she led evacuation efforts during the outbreak of civil war and returned as political advisor to U.S. forces providing humanitarian relief in the post-conflict environment.

Laura is one of three U.S. government-appointed business representatives serving on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council (ABAC). She is chairman of the Board of the German-American Business Council and also serves as a member of the board of the Atlantic Council and The Atlanta Opera.

Laura earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Loyola University. As a Truman Scholar, she graduated from Georgetown University with a Master of Science degree in foreign service in international economics and business diplomacy.

Zoe Sophos is director for Industrial Trade Policy at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), since joining USTR  in 2016, has represented the United States in bilateral and multilateral trade policy negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France. In 2023, she served as Acting Minister Counselor for Trade at U.S. Embassy Beijing. Zoe is currently based in Washington, DC as a Director for Industrial Trade Policy in USTR’s Office for Small Business, Market Access, and Industrial Competitiveness.

Prior to joining USTR, Zoe advised American corporations on the strategic implications of Chinese policy developments as a manager at the U.S.-China Business Council. She began her career as managing director of a publicly owned cross-border apparel startup based in San Diego, California, gaining first-hand experience in international trade. Zoe holds a dual bachelor’s degree in political science and Chinese studies from the University of California, San Diego. She is conversational in French, Mandarin, and Spanish and enjoys cooking, playing tennis, and running marathons in her spare time.

Gabriela Zelaya is the Community Engagement Director for the Global Diversity Export Initiative (GDEI) at the International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. She manages U.S. Commercial Service GDEI programs that assist exporters from diverse businesses including minority, women, LGBTQI+, veteran, and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses by leveraging the network of U.S. and overseas offices of the U.S. export assistance centers. Before her director role, Gabriela served as Global Education Team Leader at the International Trade Administration for nearly 10 years.

Gabriela was honored as Silicon Valley’s “40 under 40” recognizing her as an up-and-coming leader in Silicon Valley for her leadership, community work, and impact in her respective field. Gabriela received her bachelor’s degree in political science/law and society from the University of California, Riverside and master’s (honors) from the University of Miami.

Debra Delay is the Chief Operating Officer at the Silverado Policy Accelerator. Ms. Delay is an international business and trade expert with 25 years of professional experience spanning the private and public sectors. Immediately prior to joining Silverado, she served as Director of the Steel and Aluminum Section 232 exclusions program at the International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. During her 17+ year federal government career at ITA, she also served as Director of Strategic Planning, Director of Customer Experience; and Senior Advisor to the Deputy Director General of the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service. Earlier in her career, Ms. Delay worked in the Boston, MA office of the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service, advising small and medium sized companies on exporting. She also worked in sales operations and marketing roles at several private sector firms prior to joining government service. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish Literature from Smith College and holds a master’s degree in International Business and Trade from the Fletcher School of Tufts University.

Jennifer Meng is director of global policy at SIA, offering direct support for SIA’s international trade and global policy priorities, with a focus on China policy and WTO priorities. Jennifer joined SIA in 2018. Jennifer leads SIA in the World Semiconductor Council, a cooperative global body dedicated to promoting a free, open, and globally competitive trading environment for semiconductor products. Her work also entails promoting US semiconductor industry priorities in the WTO, including the WTO Information Technology Agreement and the E-Commerce Initiative. She works closely with SIA member companies, the U.S. administration, domestic and international companies and business associations, and foreign government officials. Jennifer has prior experience working for the high-tech industry, including positions at the Albright Stonebridge Group, Eurasia Group, and the US Chamber of Commerce. She has a B.A. in political science and economics from the University of Toronto, and an M.A. in Asian Studies from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. She grew up in China and Canada and is fluent in Mandarin. She lives with her two dogs in Washington, D.C.

Ken Levinson serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Washington International Trade Association (WITA) and Washington International Trade Foundation. 

WITA is the world’s largest non-profit, non-partisan membership organization dedicated to providing a neutral forum for the open and robust discussion of international trade policy and economic issues. WITA and its affiliated groups have over 10,000 members, and more than 160 corporate sponsors and group memberships.

Ken has over 30 years of experience working with companies, associations, NGOs and governments, advocating innovative solutions to complex public policy challenges. Over the years, Ken has worked with clients in the technology, telecommunications, biopharmaceuticals, agriculture and food, financial services, retail, apparel, energy, and consumer products sectors.

Previously, Ken served as Senior Director for Global Government Affairs for AstraZeneca. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, Ken served as Senior Vice President and COO at the Washington, DC consulting firm of Fontheim International. Ken joined Fontheim after spending six years on the staff of U.S. Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV.  Ken advised the Senator on foreign policy and national security matters, and served as the Senator’s chief advisor on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, dealing with issues related to international trade and tax policy.

Ken received his Master’s Degree from New York University after doing his undergraduate work at the University of Massachusetts, in Amherst. Ken also spent a year studying at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Ken and his wife, the Reverend Donna Marsh, live in Bethesda, MD, with their two daughters.

Diego Añez is the Managing Director of the Washington International Trade Association (WITA) and the Executive Director of the WITA Academy. He is responsible for management of operations, policy programs, strategic engagements and member services for the organization’s 5000+ members and corporate sponsors across all 50 states and over 100 countries worldwide. He provides direction, with the WITA CEO and Board of Directors, to WITA’s portfolio of programming and capstone events, such as the Washington International Trade Conference and Annual Dinner.

Diego also spearheads the organization’s WITA Academy – a program of the Washington International Trade Foundation which strives to make trade education and career opportunities in international trade accessible to communities in the United States and around the world. The mission of the WITA Academy is to make the trade community itself more diverse and inclusive.

Diego is originally from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia and was raised in Mobile, Alabama. Diego graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs with concentrations in International Political Economy and Comparative Politics.

The mission of the WITA Academy™ is to make trade education and career opportunities in international trade accessible to communities in the United States and around the world, and to make the trade community itself more diverse, equitable and inclusive.

The WITA Academy works with trade leaders in businesses, law, academia, NGOs, embassies and the U.S. Government to help stakeholders, students, and others to better understand and navigate the U.S. and global trade policy apparatus.

Thank you to our WITA Academy Sponsors

Law Partner Sponsor

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