Please join WITA as we convene the agriculture community from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to discuss how USMCA is working in practice, key challenges, and priorities as the review process continues.
Featured Speakers:
John Bode, President & CEO, Corn Refiners Association
Joseph Glauber, Research Fellow Emeritus, International Food Policy Research Institute
Sergio Gómez Lora, CEO, Mexico’s Business Coordinating Council
Michael Harvey, Executive Director, Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance
Moderator: Darci Vetter, Vice President of Public Affairs, Driscoll’s; former Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
John Bode, President & CEO, Corn Refiners Association
John Bode is President & CEO of the Corn Refiners Association, the trade association representing the corn milling industry.
John was chosen by his peers as the chair of the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee leading a select group of senior ag community representatives to provide advice to the Administration on matters of trade policy.
John has been involved in every significant change in federal food law since the 1981 Farm Bill. In private practice, he counseled leading food and agriculture trade associations and companies regarding legislative and regulatory policy advocacy, regulatory compliance and congressional investigations. He has also served as lead counsel for several of the nation’s largest food recalls and general counsel for leading food trade associations.
John served in three Presidential appointments at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Food and Consumer Services. Before joining the USDA in 1981, he was on the staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and served on the staff of then-Governor of Oklahoma David L. Boren.
Born in Oklahoma City, John was educated at the United States Naval Academy and the University of Oklahoma, receiving his B.A. in 1977. He received his J.D. from George Mason University School of Law in 1983.
Joseph Glauber, Research Fellow Emeritus, International Food Policy Research Institute
Joe Glauber is a Research Fellow Emeritus in the Director General’s Office. His areas of interest are price volatility, global grain reserves, crop insurance, and trade.
Prior to joining IFPRI, Joe spent over 30 years at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including as Chief Economist from 2008 to 2014. As Chief Economist, he was responsible for the Department’s agricultural forecasts and projections; oversaw climate, energy, and regulatory issues; and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation. From 2007 to 2009, Joe was the Special Doha Agricultural Envoy at the office of the U.S. Trade Representative where he served as Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the Doha talks. He served as economic adviser at the “Blair House agreements,” leading to the completion of the Uruguay Round negotiations.
Joe is the author of numerous studies on crop insurance, disaster policy, and US farm policy. In 2012, he was elected Fellow of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association. He received his PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Wisconsin and holds an bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Chicago.
Sergio Gómez Lora, CEO, Mexico’s Business Coordinating Council
Mr. Gómez Lora is a distinguished expert on North American trade policy with over 30 years of experience spanning government negotiations, private sector advisory, and business leadership.
As a member of Mexico’s Trade Negotiations team (1993–2001), he participated in the NAFTA Side Agreements negotiations, implementation of NAFTA and Latin American free trade agreements, and the Mexico-EU FTA negotiating team.
During the USMCA renegotiation, Mr. Gómez Lora served as senior advisor to the Mexican private sector coalition and was an active member of the Mexico’s private-sector technical advisory group on trade negotiations “Cuarto de Junto” during negotiations, directing business strategy and cross-border advocacy on rules of origin, labor standards, digital trade, and manufacturing competitiveness.
In 2005, together with Herminio Blanco, Jaime Zabludovsky and Fernando Salas founded IQOM Inteligencia Comercial. After 21 years of existence, IQOM is a leader in the Mexican and Latin American markets, providing strategic trade and investment solutions to national and transnational corporations, Mexican federal and local governments, foreign governments, national and foreign business associations and intergovernmental institutions
Since 2019, Mr. Gómez Lora leads the Washington, D.C. presence of Mexico’s Consejo Coordinador Empresarial (CCE) — business umbrella organization representing chambers and associations across all industrial sectors. The CCE serves as the unified voice of Mexican private sector in dialogue with government, advancing bilateral economic relations and strategic advocacy between the United States and Mexico.
Mr. Gómez Lora holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations at Laval University, Quebec, Canada.
Michael Harvey, Executive Director, Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance
Michael Harvey has been Executive Director of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance since 2023. He knows international trade from all the vantage points, having extensive Canadian and international experience in the private and non-profit sectors, as well as in government. For seven years he was Director of Corporate Affairs for the Latin American operations of one of the world’s leading gold mining companies. He was also a Canadian diplomat for 15 years, with postings to the United Nations, Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. Michael was the President and CEO of the Canadian Council for the Americas and Vice-President, International with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
A native Nova Scotian, Michael is a member of the Quebec Bar and holds a master’s degree in international Commercial Law and Practice from the University of Edinburg. He speaks fluent French, Spanish and Portuguese, having been interviewed by the media, appeared before Parliamentary committees and engaged in complex negotiations in all these languages.
Darci Vetter, Vice President of Public Affairs, Driscoll’s
Ambassador Darci Vetter is a global public policy leader and trusted advisor working at the intersection of agriculture, sustainability, and international trade. With more than two decades of experience across government, business, and the nonprofit sector, she helps organizations navigate complex global policy environments and advance more resilient food systems.
Darci served as Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, a Senate-Confirmed appointment where she led agricultural negotiations for a 12-nation Asia-Pacific trade agreement and concluded key agreements with Brazil, China, and other major partners. She also served as Deputy Under Secretary of Agriculture for International Programs, where she oversaw the Foreign Agricultural Service, including global market access, food assistance, and trade capacity-building programs.
Darci currently serves as vice president of public affairs at Driscoll’s, the world’s largest berry company, and has held executive leadership roles at both The Nature Conservancy and PepsiCo, advancing policies on regenerative agriculture, climate action, renewable energy, health and nutrition, and sustainable packaging. She also advises companies, nonprofits, and international organizations on aligning policy and market incentives to support sustainable agriculture and global trade through her consulting practice, Sower Strategies LLC.