Pathways to Opportunity: Careers in International Affairs, Business, Technology, AI, 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 online event is free and open to ALL students. Hosted in partnership with the University of Denver, Tufts University and the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) Member Schools (undergraduates and graduate students). 

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

Program Agenda

All times US/Eastern
2:00 PM ET: Welcome & Introduction

• Diego Añez, Executive Director, WITA Academy; Managing Director, Washington International Trade Association (B.A. The University of Georgia)
• Kenneth I. Levinson, Chief Executive Officer, Washington International Trade Association (B.A. University of Massachusetts; M.A. New York University)

2:05 PM – 2:30 PM ET: Careers in the U.S. Public Sector (Moderated by Diego Añez)

• Hera Abbasi, Vice President, Global Public Policy, Mastercard; Former Congressional Advisor, European & Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State (B.A. Harvard University; M.A. U.S. Naval War College)
• Jordan Haas, Director, Trade Policy and Government Relations, Intel Corporation; Former Member of the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (ITAC-13) (B.A. American University)

2:30 PM – 2:55 PM ET: Careers in the Private Sector (Moderated by Diego Añez)

• Alice Slayton Clark, Senior Vice President for International Trade, Investment and Digital Policy, United States Council for International Business (B.A. Oberlin College; M.A.L.D. The Fletcher School at Tufts University)
• Michaela Wong, Director of Policy, Asia, Information Technology Industry Council (B.A. University of Richmond; M.A. Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies)

3:00 PM ET: Conclusion
Diego Añez, Executive Director, WITA Academy; Managing Director, Washington International Trade Association (B.A. The University of Georgia)

Speaker Biographies:

Hera Abbasi is Vice President of Global Public Policy at Mastercard, where she is the Washington, D.C. lead for all international trade, tax, and market access issues.

Prior to Mastercard, she was a Government & Regulatory Affairs Executive at IBM, where she worked on market access and global trade across a range of tech issues. 

Previously, she was the bicameral, bipartisan Hill strategist & lobbyist for CSI, a trade association that represents three dozen U.S. companies & associations from various services sectors, including technology.

Prior to CSI, Hera was a Congressional Advisor in the State Department’s Bureau of Legislative Affairs, where she served as Congress’s point of contact on all Europe issues, including TTIP, Russia, Ukraine, Brexit, Turkey, NATO, the European Union, Ambassadorial nominations, and Congressional Delegations.

Before her appointment in the Obama Administration, Hera worked on Capitol Hill for nearly a decade, including two years with House leadership and five years with a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, where she was a top staffer for the Turkey Caucus, Taiwan Caucus, Korea Caucus, and Congressional Study Group on Turkey. As a Hill staffer, Hera worked on the passage of the KORUS, Colombia, and Panama Free Trade Agreements. She has worked on several political campaigns in various capacities. She was a co-chair of Women in International Trade’s (WIIT) Africa and Middle East section, a board member of WIIT, and was selected as a 2017 Fellow for the Next Generation National Security Leaders Program by the Center for a New American Security. She is also a member of the U.S.-Asia Institute’s Congressional Circle and a board member of the Women’s Foreign Policy Group.

Hera received her bachelor’s degree from Harvard College and her master’s degree from the Naval War College; she also studied at the Air Command and Staff College. Her languages include Spanish, Urdu/Hindi, Arabic, and Latin. She has extensive travel experience, including a semester in Cairo, a summer in Morocco, two summers in South Asia, and several trips to Europe and East Asia. Hera is the recipient of the Secretary’s Meritorious Honor Award and the Secretary’s Superior Honor Award; while on Capitol Hill, she was cited as a “Hill Staffer to Watch” in Foreign Policy’s blog, The Cable.

Jordan M. Haas is the Director of Trade Policy and Government Relations at Intel Corporation and has over 20 years of experience advocating for policies that foster economic growth for American businesses.

Haas joined the Obama Administration during the first year of the first term and served until the last day of the Administration. He played a lead role in advancing the Obama Administration’s trade legislative agenda, including running the Department of Commerce’s Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) outreach and as an active member of the White House interagency trade team. He was centrally involved in the teams that stood up the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework and the SelectUSA Summit.

Haas served as Deputy Assistant Administrator for Congressional and Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) where he facilitated the development and passage of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, a long-term reauthorization of the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program, and the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

As Director of Trade Policy at Internet Association, Haas was an active player in the private sector push for the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the U.S.-Japan Digital Trade Agreement. Haas was the first person to represent the digital industry on the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (ITAC-13).

Haas previously worked on Capitol Hill as Legislative Director for Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX), on the Senate Democratic Technology and Communications Committee, and for half a decade on the House Committee on Small Business. Haas has also worked for Polsinelli Shughart PC and at the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA). A native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, Haas holds a BA from American University.

Alice Slayton Clark is Senior VP of Trade, Investment and Digital Policy at the United States Council for International Business. Clark joined USCIB in 2021. Clark brought to USCIB her considerable experience in trade policy, having worked in a number of international law firms and consulting practices, as well as on Capitol Hill.

Most recently, Clark has been a Senior Government Relations Advisor for Jacobs Global Trade & Compliance LLC. Prior to this she spent time as an independent International Trade Consultant, and as an International Trade Specialist at Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, Powell Goldstein Frazer & Murphy, Graham & James, and Mudge Rose Guthrie Alexander and Ferdon. She began her trade career in the offices of Representative Robert Torricelli and Senator Bob Graham.

Clark received a BA in Government and Spanish from Oberlin College, and an MA in International Relations From Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. In the past she has served as the President of the Women in International Trade (WIIT) group, and as a leader in local and school organizations.

Michaela Wong is the Director of Policy for Asia at the Information Technology Industry Council. She comes to ITI from the US-ASEAN Business Council, where she led the council’s work on financial services, customs and trade facilitation, and managed multi-industry initiatives in Indonesia. During her time at US-ABC, she also played a key role in bringing delegations of US companies to Thailand, Laos, and Indonesia for meetings with government officials and industry stakeholders.

She previously worked in government relations consulting, advising clients from a broad range of sectors, including ICT, cybersecurity, and telecommunications. She brings experience in government from her role at the Australian Embassy in Washington, DC as part of the executive support team for the ambassador, as well as from her work with the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

Michaela holds an MA from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in International Economics and Southeast Asia Studies, and a BA from the University of Richmond in International Relations. She is proficient in Bahasa Indonesian.

Spring Session Hosted by:	In Partnership with

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.