WITA’s USMCA Review Series: Driving North American Trade

Governor Matt Blunt is President of the American Automotive Policy Council, representing the interests of America’s automakers in Washington, D.C. His public service spans twenty years, including ten years in the United States Navy followed by ten years in Missouri state government. He served as Missouri’s Governor, as a member of the Missouri General Assembly from 1999 to 2001, and as Missouri Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005, building a record recognized nationally for managing complex state budgets.

Since 2009, Blunt has also served on the Board of Directors of Copart (NASDAQ: CPRT) and, since 2011, as a director of USAA Life Insurance Company of New York. He holds a Bachelor of Science in History from the United States Naval Academy.

President and CEO, American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA)

Cody Lusk is President and CEO of the American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA), representing the interests of America’s 9,500 international nameplate auto dealers in Washington, D.C. He has led the organization since 2006, following an earlier stint at AIADA as Director of Legislative Affairs from 1995 to 2001.

Between those two roles at AIADA, Lusk served as Chief of Staff in the U.S. House of Representatives and worked on legislative affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Commerce at the U.S. Department of Commerce. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.

Paul McCarthy is the president and CEO of MEMA, The Vehicle Suppliers Association, representing the largest sector of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. As president and CEO, McCarthy guides two key groups—MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers and MEMA Original Equipment Suppliers—in championing the business interests of motor vehicle suppliers. MEMA has been the voice of North American vehicle suppliers, parts manufacturers vehicle suppliers, parts manufacturers, remanufacturers, and technology providers since 1904. Our members lead the way in innovation and conceive, design and manufacture the parts, systems and technologies that make up two-thirds of the value of every vehicle and keep hundreds of millions of vehicles on the road running safely and affordably.

McCarthy previously served in various leadership roles at MEMA, including president of MEMA’s aftermarket group, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) and senior vice president of strategy for all of MEMA, overseeing board management and strategic initiatives.

McCarthy has 29 years of experience in the vehicle industry. Before joining MEMA, Paul led the Automotive and Industrial Products Strategy Practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). In this role, he led projects driving major business decisions at dozens of vehicle suppliers, eight of the top ten global automakers, truck- and bus-makers, and financial institutions. His past leadership roles include heading PwC Germany’s Automotive Strategy advisory practice and leading global forecasting and analysis for a prominent vehicle forecast organization. He has conducted business in 18 countries and traveled to over 60 countries.He has an MBA from Duke University, where he was awarded the Fuqua Scholar designation.  He has served on the boards of MEMA, MEMA Original Equipment Suppliers, MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers, AASA, the University of the Aftermarket Foundation (UAF) and the Aftermarket Charitable Foundation (AACF). He has been presented with the Northwood Education Award and the AWDA Outstanding Leadership Award.

Peter E. Harrell is a Visiting Scholar at Georgetown’s Institute of International Economic Law. Harrell has had a diverse career across both the public and private sectors and currently serves as an attorney advising companies and investors on international legal, regulatory, and geopolitical risks, including economic sanctions and trade compliance matters. As a Visiting Scholar, Harrell’s research agenda focuses on the future of U.S. trade law and policy and the global trading order.

From January 2021 through 2022, Harrell served at the White House as Senior Director for International Economics, jointly appointed to the National Security Council and the National Economic Council. In that role, Harrell led White House initiatives to secure U.S. supply chains for critical products, worked on international digital and telecommunications policy and negotiations, served as the White House representative to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, and led policy processes to impose sanctions and export controls on Russia in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

From 2015 to early 2021, Harrell was an attorney in private practice and served as Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Harrell’s articles and essays have appeared in publications including the Fordham International Law Journal, the Journal of International Economic Law, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Politico, and Lawfare, among other outlets. Harrell has also testified in front of multiple congressional committees. He is also the host of a podcast, Security Economics.

Between 2009 and 2014, Harrell served at the U.S. State Department, first on the Policy Planning Staff and subsequently in the Department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. Earlier in his career, Harrell served on President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and as a reporter for Congressional Quarterly.

In addition to serving as a Visiting Scholar at the Institute of International Economic Law, Harrell is also a nonresident fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Harrell is a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University and holds a JD from Yale Law School.

Arun Venkataraman leverages 20 plus years of government and private sector experience to provide legal, policy, and strategic advice to clients on a range of international trade matters.

Arun joined the firm after serving in senior roles at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Most recently, he served as the Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service at the International Trade Administration (ITA) from 2022-2025. Arun led the federal government’s efforts to expand commercial opportunities for U.S. firms overseas and foreign firms in the United States, including by facilitating deals between U.S. and foreign companies, improving commercial policy environments, resolving barriers to trade and investment, and negotiating governmental agreements to promote commercial partnerships. He also served as Counselor to the Secretary of Commerce, advising the Secretary on all aspects of foreign economic policy within the Department. In this role, Arun led negotiations with foreign governments on technology policy, as well as Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs.

Before joining the Biden Administration, Arun was Senior Director, Global Government Engagement, at Visa. He developed and executed engagement strategy, in advocacy before the U.S. and foreign governments, as well as with trade associations, international organizations, and other stakeholder groups on a range of international policy issues including digital economy, trade, tax, and sanctions.

During the Obama Administration, Arun served as ITA’s first-ever Director of Policy, where he led efforts across the Commerce Department to remove global trade and investment barriers and strengthen the global competitiveness of U.S. industry, including in such markets as China and India. This included leading Department efforts to support Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, pass Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation, and secure improvements in China’s competition law and semiconductor policies.

Arun also served in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) as the Director for India, where he led the development and implementation of U.S.-India trade policy, for which he received the agency’s Kelly Award for outstanding performance and extraordinary leadership. He also served as USTR’s Associate General Counsel, representing the United States in litigation before the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in bilateral and multilateral negotiations on international trade agreements.

Prior to USTR, Arun was a Legal Officer in the Appellate Body Secretariat at the WTO, where he advised on appeals in litigation between countries under WTO rules. He also served as a Law Clerk for Judge Jane A. Restani at the U.S. Court of International Trade.