Featuring:
Jamieson Greer, Partner at King & Spalding and former Chief of Staff in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
Kenneth Smith Ramos, Partner, AGON and Mexico’s Former Chief Negotiator for NAFTA
Governor Matt Blunt, President, American Automotive Policy Council and former Governor of Missouri
Kellie Meiman Hock, Managing Partner, McLarty Associates
Jamieson Greer is a partner in the International Trade team at King & Spalding. His practice covers trade remedy litigation, trade policy, WTO dispute settlement, export controls, economic sanctions, CFIUS, anti-corruption, customs and import, private equity and debt financing. He has represented clients in trade remedy litigation before the Department of Commerce, the International Trade Commission and federal courts. His clients include manufacturing, energy, pharmaceuticals, investment services, insurance, hospitality, aerospace and defense and technology companies.
Jamieson has experience developing international trade compliance programs and training client employees, as well as managing international trade aspects of mergers and acquisitions for various industry clients.
Prior to joining King & Spalding, Jamieson was the Chief of Staff to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Ambassador Robert Lighthizer. He worked very closely with Ambassador Lighthizer and senior White House officials on developing and implementing trade policy and advised the USTR on all aspects of the agency’s mission. Jamieson was also deeply involved in the Administration’s negotiations on the Phase One trade deal with China and participated in numerous strategy sessions with Ambassador Lighthizer, the President and other cabinet members as part of that process. He was a critical part of USTR’s efforts to negotiate and obtain Congressional approval of the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Jamieson participated in every major Administration trade action initiated during his three years at USTR.
Before working at USTR, Jamieson spent several years in private practice focusing on trade-related matters, from compliance with U.S. export controls to transactions subject to CFIUS’s approval, trade remedies and antidumping laws.
Jamieson also served in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps, including a deployment to Iraq. He served as both prosecutor and defense counsel in criminal investigations and courts-martial involving U.S. airmen.
Kenneth Smith Ramos is a Partner at the AGON Firm. Ken focuses on helping international clients to identify trade and foreign direct investment opportunities derived from the new generation of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) that Mexico has negotiated, such as CPTPP, the MX-EU FTA, and the NAFTA/USMCA. Ken also advises clients who face trade barriers and assists them in developing strategies to obtain or expand access into key international markets, including Mexico.
Prior to joining AGON, Ken served as Mexico´s Chief Negotiator for the modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that led to the signing of the USMCA. He has been an integral part of Mexico’s negotiating team representing several government agencies, and began his career with the team negotiating the NAFTA in 1992.
Ken holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from Georgetown University, and a Master’s degree in International Economics from Johns Hopkins, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Governor Matt Blunt serves as President of the American Automotive Policy Council, a trade association representing the common public policy and trade interests of FCA US LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Company.
In 2004, Matt Blunt was elected the 54th Governor of Missouri, carrying 101 of the state’s 114 counties. As governor, he eliminated a $1.1 billion deficit and delivered balanced budgets, a surplus, tax relief and dramatic increases in education funding. He enacted economic growth measures to improve the state’s business climate leading to the creation of over 70,000 jobs.
Prior to his election as governor, Matt served in the Missouri House of Representatives and as Missouri’s Secretary of State. As Secretary of State, he reformed state election laws and used technology to increase customer convenience while also reducing costs.
Governor Blunt served 14 years in the Navy and Naval Reserve, which included assignments on the USS JACK WILLIAMS (FFG-24), and the USS PETERSON (DD-969). As a Reservist, he was mobilized after the September 11, 2001 attacks. LCDR Blunt received four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals as well as numerous other awards while on active duty.
Governor Blunt earned his bachelor’s degree in History from the U.S. Naval Academy. He, his wife Melanie, and their two sons, William Branch and Brooks currently reside in Delaplane, Virginia.
Kellie Meiman Hock is the Managing Partner at McLarty Associates and is responsible for external matters for the firm. In addition, she has led the Brazil & Southern Cone and trade practices of McLarty Associates since 2000.
During this time, Ms. Meiman has helped major multinational companies in this dynamic region and beyond to take advantage of opportunities, as well as to troubleshoot obstacles to market access and investment. She has worked on various aspects of national industrial policies, ranging from local content requirements to data localization and trade remedies. Ms. Meiman has been deeply engaged in companies’ efforts to manage increased unilateral US trade actions, as well as renegotiation of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUS).
Ms. Meiman previously worked at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) as Director for Brazil and the Southern Cone, where she had primary responsibility for trade negotiations with Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. Prior to her work at USTR, Ms. Meiman served as a foreign service officer with the US Department of State, where her posts included handling crisis management in the State Operations Center. An Economic Officer in the foreign service, Ms. Meiman previously had served in Porto Alegre, São Paulo, and Recife, Brazil, and in Bogotá, Colombia. She has lived and studied in Central America and Japan.
Ms. Meiman is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Inter-American Dialogue. She sits on the board of the Brazil-US Business Council and of the New York-based BrazilAmerica Chamber of Commerce. She also is Chairwoman of the Chile-based development NGO América Solidaria US. Ms. Meiman often writes and speaks on policy matters related to trade, Brazil, and Latin America.
A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Ms. Meiman is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. She fluently speaks Spanish and Portuguese and is active in policy and politics at the national level and in the Commonwealth of Virginia, where she resides with her husband Jim and their two sons.