Advancing the Future of International Trade Through Community & Leadership

Alex Perkins is a senior Democratic strategist who brings three decades of experience in politics, policy, and business to the Mehlman Consulting team.

An expert in geopolitics specializing in trade, supply chain, and tariff policy, Alex advises start-ups to Fortune 100 companies on how best to navigate the commercial risks and opportunities within the current political environment. Working with clients in a range of industry sectors, Alex helps companies refine their government relations objectives and implement the strategies and tactics necessary to get results.

In 2022-2026, Alex was included in the Washingtonian Magazine’s list of “500 Most Influential People Shaping Policy” in the trade policy category. In 2025, Alex was also named to The Hill’s list of “Top Lobbyists.”

Before joining Mehlman Consulting, Alex spent a decade developing and executing government relations and public affairs strategies to guide Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler) through a wide range of business and policy challenges, including the United States Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement (USMCA) negotiations. Alex helped spearhead the multi-sector USMCA business coalition of over 100 companies that successfully secured Congressional approval of the updated trade pact.

Prior to Stellantis, Alex served as a trade counsel to the House Ways & Means Committee from 2007-2012. His legislative accomplishments include the U.S.-Peru, U.S-Korea, and U.S.-Panama free trade agreements, Trade Adjustment Assistance, African tariff preference program, Burma sanctions, and Miscellaneous Tariff Bill legislation. Alex began his service on Capitol Hill in 2005 as counsel to Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), now the lead Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, where he managed a broad portfolio that included trade, judiciary, foreign policy, and national security issues.

Alex sits on the Washington International Trade Association Board of Directors and on the Silverado Policy Accelerator Strategic Council, and previously served on the boards of the American Auto Policy Council and the National Foreign Trade Council and the Steering Group of the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation. He is also a past chair of the National Association of Manufacturers’ Customs and Border Working Group.

Amanda Farrell is Director and Senior Counsel, Legal Affairs & Trade at General Motors. Before joining GM, Amanda spent five years in the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, focusing on international trade and investment law and policy. She began her legal career at Venable law firm in Washington after receiving her J.D. from Georgetown Law, where she now teaches International Negotiations as an Adjunct Professor. She has a degree in Political Science from Penn State.

Ari Giovenco is the Head of US Trade Policy at Amazon where he advocates on a wide range of trade and international economic issues with the US Government and international organizations. Previously, he was a Senior Director for Congressional Affairs in the Office of the US Trade Representative, served as a Legislative Assistant for a senior member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, and was the Director of Trade and International Policy at the Internet Association.

Audrae Erickson is the Director of External and Public Affairs, Nutrition at Reckitt. She has served on the WITA Board of Directors since 2002. Audrae Erickson joined Reckitt in 2013.

Prior to joining Reckitt, Audrae Erickson was the president of the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) based in Washington, D.C. Before joining the CRA, Erickson served as the senior director of congressional relations for the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), where she specialized in agricultural trade issues including trade policy, negotiations, dispute settlement, trade promotion authority and matters involving the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). In 1999, Erickson founded the Ag Trade Coalition to promote U.S. agricultural interests on WTO negotiating objectives. Prior to her tenure at AFBF, Erickson served as director of agricultural affairs at the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) Office. Erickson was responsible for oversight of all trade issues pertaining to sweeteners, horticultural crops, biotechnology, and sanitary and phytosanitary barriers to trade. She also oversaw agriculture policy matters related to the FTAA and the North American Free Trade Agreement and represented USTR at the WTO Committee on Agriculture meetings. Before taking the position at USTR, Erickson served as an economist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service where she specialized in trade and environment issues.

Erickson earned a Master of Arts degree in economics as a Rotary scholar from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with Bachelor of Arts degrees in economics/business and French at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon.

Ed Gresser is Vice President and Director for Trade and Global Markets at PPI.

Ed rejoined PPI in 2021, after an earlier tour from 2001-2011.  Before joining us, from 2015 to 2021 he served as the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Trade Policy and Economics at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). In this position, he led USTR’s economic research unit, oversaw the Generalized System of Preferences, and chaired the 21-agency Trade Policy Staff Committee.

Ed began his career on Capitol Hill before serving USTR as Policy Advisor to USTR Charlene Barshefsky from 1998 to 2001. He then led PPI’s Trade and Global Markets Project from 2001 to 2011. After PPI, he co-founded and directed the independent think tank ProgressiveEconomy until rejoining USTR in 2015. He is a graduate of Stanford University and holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from Columbia Universities and a certificate from the Averell Harriman Institute for Advanced Study of the Soviet Union.

Ed is the author of Freedom from Want: American Liberalism and the Global Economy (2007), has published in a variety of journals and newspapers, and regularly testifies before Congressional Committees on trade and global-economy topics.  His research has been cited by leading academics and international organizations including the WTO, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund, and covered by leading journalism outlets from the New York Times and Washington Post to Vogue, NPR, CNN, Politico, the Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Times. In 2013, the Washington International Trade Association presented him with its Lighthouse Award, awarded annually to an individual or group for significant contributions to trade policy.

Katie Morley is Director of Federal and Diplomatic Affairs at the Coca-Cola Company. Before that, she was a Senior Legislative Assistant and trade advisor for U.S. Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE), Chairman of the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee. She handled policy related to his committee work on trade, along with agriculture, energy, and environment. Prior to working for Congressman Adrian Smith, Katie worked for Congressman Steve Womack (R-AR), handling appropriations, trade, foreign affairs, and tax issues. Katie graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016 with a BA in economics and foreign affairs.

Katrin Kuhlmann is currently a Visiting Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, where she is also the Faculty Co-Director of the Center on Inclusive Trade and Development. She teaches courses in law, development, and international trade, and she is the faculty director of the WTO and International Trade Law Certificate program. Professor Kuhlmann has over twenty-five years of experience in international law, development, and trade. Her work and research focus on trade and development, regional trade agreements (with a particular focus on Africa), trade and gender, inclusive agricultural trade, comparative economic law, and the interdisciplinary connections between law and development.

In 2010, Professor Kuhlmann founded the New Markets Lab (NML), of which she remains president, a non-profit law and development innovation lab focused on inclusive legal and regulatory design, field-based law and development programs, and capacity building among lawyers and non-lawyers in economic law and regulation. She is also a Senior Associate with the Global Food Security Program of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and she serves as a member of the Trade Advisory Committee on Africa of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). She is also a member of the Bretton Woods Committee and WTO Gender Research Hub, and she serves on the boards and advisory boards of the Trade and Investment Law Group of the Law Schools Global League; the Forum on Trade, Environment, and the SDGs of the Graduate Institute and UN Environment Programme; the Washington International Trade Association; Listening for America; the Harvard Law and Development Society; the AI Institute for Food Systems at University of California Davis; and the Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Professor Kuhlmann was previously a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School and a Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow at Harvard Law School, and she was the Yeutter Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Nebraska College of Law from 2020-21. Earlier in her career, she served as a trade negotiator at USTR and a lawyer at two international law firms, and she has held senior positions with several non-profit organizations and think tanks, including the Aspen Institute, German Marshall Fund, and an NGO focused on women’s rights. She holds degrees from Harvard Law School and Creighton University and was the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship to study international economics.

Kimberly leads Monument’s tax practice and brings more than 25 years of experience in tax and trade policy, having joined Monument in 2012 after serving as Legislative Director for former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX). She is highly respected for her work on tax and trade policy and communicates regularly with key Administration officials and staff and Members of the Committees on Ways and Means and Senate Finance. Kimberly formerly served in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and other private sector positions. She was recognized as one of The Hill‘s Top Lobbyists for 2024 and 2025, serves on the Board of Directors for the Washington International Trade Association, and is a member of the Tax Coalition. During her time on Capitol Hill, she was named one of the Top Ten Trade and Tax Staffers by Roll Call. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University.

Lisa Schroeter is the Global Director of Trade and Investment Policy for Dow. Lisa’s responsibilities focus on trade policy, negotiations, and investment issues that foster growth for Dow’s global businesses. Within the global chemical industry association (ICCA), she leads the ICCA Trade Policy Network, as well as the Global Regulatory Cooperation (GRC) task force.

Ms. Schroeter is the former President of Women in International Trade (WIIT 2018-2019)  as well as former Chair of the WIIT Trust (2019-2026), driving the WIIT Trust scholarship program and WIIT’s skills sharing outreach to local universities. In addition, Lisa co-chairs the George Washington University Institute of International Economics Policy (IIEP) Executive Circle, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).   In 2022, Lisa was honored with the WIIT Lifetime Achievement Award, and previously in 2018, received the WITA Lighthouse Award on behalf of WIIT DC.

Maria Zieba is the Vice President of International Affairs for the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and helps represent over 65,000 U.S. pork producers. She works on NPPC’s trade policy program, which focuses on opening, maintaining and increasing market access for U.S. pork.

Prior to joining NPPC, Zieba was a Trade Policy Manager for the National Milk Producers Federation and the U.S. Dairy Export Council, where she worked on various non-technical trade issues affecting the dairy industry. Before that, she worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, managing capacity building projects aimed at increasing U.S. agricultural exports to emerging markets.

Zieba holds a M.A. in international commerce and policy from George Mason University. She received her B.A. from the University of California, Riverside with a double major in political science-international affairs and Spanish.

She is fluent in three languages and has lived in Washington, D.C., Southern California, Argentina and Brazil.

Michael Smart is a Managing Director at Rock Creek Global Advisors, where he focuses on international trade and investment policy, including market access and regulatory matters. He also advises multinational companies on sanctions, supply chain policy, and trade-related climate measures.

Mr. Smart previously served as Trade Counsel on the Democratic staff of the US Senate Committee on Finance. In that role, he advised Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and members of the committee on various trade matters, including World Trade Organization negotiations and dispute settlement, free trade agreements, agricultural trade, and the trade aspects of legislation to address climate change.

Before joining the Finance Committee, Mr. Smart was Director for International Trade and Investment on the staff of the National Security Council at the White House. Mr. Smart focused on the Doha Development Agenda, trade in financial services, free trade agreements, and bilateral investment treaties. He also served as the lead White House staff for cabinet-level dialogues with Brazil and India.

Mr. Smart was previously an associate at the law firm of Sidley Austin LLP, where his practice focused on international trade and investment policy and dispute resolution. He represented companies and governments in WTO, investment treaty, and NAFTA disputes. Earlier in his career, Mr. Smart was Legislative Director for former Congressman Earl Pomeroy (D-ND).

Mr. Smart has appeared on CNN International, BBC News, Bloomberg News, and Channel News Asia and has been quoted in publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Politico, and Financial Times.

Mr. Smart is a member of the Executive Circle of the Institute of International Economic Affairs at The George Washington University and a member of the Board of Directors of the Washington International Trade Association. Mr. Smart received his BA in International Affairs from The George Washington University (Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude) and his JD from Georgetown University Law Center (cum laude).

Nasim Fussell serves as Vice President of Trade and International at Business Roundtable, where she leads the organization’s efforts to advance policies that promote U.S. economic growth through international trade and investment.

Prior to joining Business Roundtable, Nasim was a Senior Vice President at a government relations and public affairs firm, where she led the organization’s International Trade practice.

Before that, Nasim held senior roles in both chambers of Congress. She served as Chief International Trade Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee under Chairman Chuck Grassley, and as Deputy Chief International Trade Counsel under Chairman Orrin Hatch. In the House, she was Trade Counsel for the Ways and Means Committee under Chairmen Brady, Ryan and Camp. Throughout her tenure on the Hill, Nasim contributed to major legislative initiatives including the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Trade Promotion Authority, and customs modernization reforms, among others.

Nasim also brings private sector experience from her work as a partner at a global law firm, as well as in-house roles at multinational companies and a cross-sector trade association. She began her legal career at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Nasim currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Washington International Trade Association (WITA). She holds an LL.M. in International and Comparative Law from the George Washington University Law School, a J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law, and a B.A. in History from the University of Michigan.

Neena Shenai is a Partner at WilmerHale. Neena Shenai is a seasoned legal professional with over 20 years of legal, compliance and policy experience in global cross-border activities in the private sector and in government. Ms. Shenai focuses her practice on sanctions and export controls, import/customs, CFIUS, M&A due diligence and trade policy.

From 2015-2023, Ms. Shenai held several senior roles for Medtronic, the world’s largest medical technology company. While at Medtronic, she served as chief legal counsel and head of compliance for global trade matters impacting the company’s operations in over 150 countries, including sanctions and export controls, import and strategic supply chain issues, risk management and mitigation, corporate due diligence and trade policy.

Ms. Shenai served as a trade counsel for the House Committee on Ways and Means during the chairmanships of then-Reps. Dave Camp (R-MI) and Paul Ryan (R-WI). She has also worked as a trade policy counsel for the Senate Republican Policy Committee and as the senior adviser to the assistant secretary for export administration in the Bureau of Industry and Security at the US Department of Commerce.

Ms. Shenai previously was in private practice as an associate in the Washington, DC office of another international law firm and a professional trainee in the Rules Division of the World Trade Organization. She clerked for the Hon. Evan J. Wallach on the US Court of International Trade.

Nicole Bivens Collinson is a Managing Principal, Operating Committee, and International Trade and Government Relations Practice Leader with Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. She is located in the Washington, D.C., office. Ms. Collinson has 40 years of experience in international trade and is a commentator on trade matters, having appeared on MSNBC, NPR, and BBC Worldwide. She is also the producer of the podcast Two Minutes in Trade, available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Paul H. DeLaney, III is the Founder and Principal of Delphi Trias Group, an independent government relations, client advisory, and advocacy practice based in Washington, D.C. Over 25 years across five U.S. Administrations, Paul has directly shaped policy, designed and implemented company advocacy plans, and advocated for his company, his clients, and trade association members to consistently achieve significant and creative results. He has served in senior roles across government, corporate leadership, and private advisory practice.

In senior government service, Paul served as International Trade Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, advising Chairman and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch and Republican Finance Committee Senators on trade, investment, customs, and international tax policy. He earlier served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in the Bush Administration under Ambassadors Rob Portman and Susan Schwab, leading work across all aspects of USTR’s policy agenda and operations.

In corporate and trade association leadership, Paul most recently led the Washington office of SK Americas, representing a Fortune Global 500 South Korean conglomerate. He managed the team’s work on trade, supply chain, semiconductor, energy, AI, and manufacturing business policy priorities at all levels of federal and state government, while managing an extensive group of outside consultants, law firms, think tank relationships, and trade association memberships. He previously led the Business Roundtable’s trade and international work, managing a CEO-level committee chaired first by the CEO of Cummins and later by the CEO of Union Pacific, and working with three Business Roundtable CEO Chairs and their teams from J.P. Morgan, Walmart, and GM to advance BRT member trade, supply chain, and international priorities. Paul played a central advocacy role in the negotiation, enactment, and implementation of USMCA and the enactment of the CHIPS and Science Act. Earlier in his career, Paul led international trade policy advocacy in D.C. at FedEx Express and worked with USTR, Commerce, and other federal agencies as well as advocated for the company’s priorities with foreign governments, the WTO, APEC, ASEAN, and other international organizations.

In client advisory and advocacy work, Paul founded Delphi Trias Group as an independent advisory practice to support client’s trade, technology, supply chain, and international priorities. Previously, he was a partner at the Kyle House Group, where he advanced Fortune 500 client priorities across trade, technology, national security, investment, and regulatory issues. He worked with his brother, the Founding Partner of Kyle House Group, to build up the firm’s commercial practice. After law school, Paul worked as an associate in the white-collar litigation and government investigations practice at Vinson & Elkins, LLP in the Washington, D.C. office.

Paul holds a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University. He is admitted to practice in Virginia and the District of Columbia, serves as Treasurer and Board member of the Washington International Trade Association, and sits on the Advisory Board of the Indiana University Manufacturing Policy Initiative.

Ralph Carter is Staff Vice President for Regulatory Affairs at FedEx. Mr. Carter leads a team of regulatory attorneys responsible for compliance and policy advocacy at FedEx.  Areas of responsibility include aviation law, security, customs, export controls, workplace safety and trade policy.  Mr. Carter also coordinates global regulatory and trade policy across all FedEx international regions. Mr. Carter’s team advocates for simpler, more open trade rules that reduce barriers and help FedEx customers expand their international business. Mr. Carter is a frequent speaker and contributor to international trade and economic policy organizations including APEC, the WTO, the World Bank and the World Economic Forum.  Mr. Carter has also served as Managing Director in the legal department of FedEx’s Europe, Middle East and Africa headquarters in Brussels Belgium.  Prior to FedEx, Mr. Carter served in the State Department as Special Assistant to the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union.

Sarah V. Stewart is the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Silverado Policy Accelerator. Ms. Stewart has nearly two decades of experience as an international trade lawyer, trade policy expert, and trade negotiator. Immediately prior to joining Silverado, Ms. Stewart led the public policy efforts at Amazon on U.S. trade policy and export controls matters. From 2013 to 2018, Ms. Stewart worked for the Office of the United States Trade Representative, with her most recent position being the Deputy Assistant USTR for Environment and Natural Resources. During her time at USTR, Ms. Stewart was the lead environment chapter negotiator for the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations with the European Union. Prior to joining USTR, Ms. Stewart served in different legal and policy roles at the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International, including spearheading a first-ever international legal group. Ms. Stewart began her career at the Law Offices of Stewart and Stewart, where she worked on behalf of U.S. manufacturing companies and workers. Ms. Stewart serves as a policy advisor for the Center for Climate and Trade, is a fellow at the National Security Institute, and is on the advisory board of American University’s Washington College of Law Program on Environmental and Energy Law.

Stephanie Lester is a Director of Government Affairs at Gap Inc. In this capacity, she leads Gap Inc.’s trade affairs portfolio, including trade agreements, preference programs, and capacity building programs to contribute to communities in which Gap Inc. sources by utilizing trade to build sustainable apparel industries. Ms. Lester was previously Vice President for International Trade at the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA). In that role, she advocated on behalf of the largest, most successful retailers on international trade, customs, and product safety issues. From 2001-2006, Ms. Lester served as a professional staff member for the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade. In that capacity, she advised members of the Committee on a variety of trade matters including free trade agreements, WTO negotiations on rules and dispute settlement, trade preference programs, U.S. trade remedy laws, and investment. Ms. Lester also worked as an international trade analyst at the U.S. Department of Commerce and later served as the Chief of Staff for the Assistant Secretary for Import Administration. Ms. Lester holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Multinational Business from Florida State University, and a Master of Arts degree in International Affairs from American University in Washington, DC. Ms. Lester has served on the WITA Board of Directors since 2006, and currently serves as Vice President.

Stephen E. Lamar is President and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, the national trade association representing more than 1,000 brands in the apparel and footwear industry. Steve leads a dedicated team of professionals who represent AAFA members before the government, through the media, and in industry settings on key brand protection, supply chain and manufacturing, and trade issues. Steve also advises AAFA member companies on legislation and regulatory policies. Prior to becoming President and CEO, Steve served as Executive Vice President for the association.

Prior to AAFA, Steve spent more than a decade engaged in international public policy work, including stints at the U.S. Commerce Department and in the Peace Corps. A runner, juggler, and genealogist in his spare time, Steve was President of the Washington International Trade Association until 2025. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Colgate University and a Master of Arts Degree in International Affairs (with a concentration on African politics and international trade) from George Washington University.

Tim Keeler is a partner and Co-Lead of Mayer Brown’s International Trade Product Team, as well as heading the firm’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) practice. He is also a member of the firm’s Public Policy, Regulatory & Government Affairs group. Tim joined Mayer Brown in 2009 after a varied career in the US Government, serving at the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), the US Treasury Department (which chairs CFIUS), and the US Senate Finance Committee.

Prior to joining Mayer Brown, Tim served in a variety of senior positions in the U.S. Government for almost 12 years. Most recently he was the Chief of Staff in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) from 2006 – 2009, where he oversaw implementation of U.S. policy, strategy and negotiations involving all aspects of international trade and investment matters. He worked on a number of key issues including: climate change and trade; US and China relations; WTO negotiations and litigation; free trade agreement negotiations and implementation; and CFIUS decisions.

In recognition of his government service, Tim was awarded the USTR Distinguished Service Award, the Treasury Distinguished Service Award, and the Treasury Secretary’s Honor Award twice.

Bill Lane is Executive Director of Trade for America, and one of the business community’s leading advocates for free trade and global engagement. A 40-year Caterpillar veteran, Bill led a global team of 38 government affairs professionals in 12 countries. In that capacity, Bill was responsible for Caterpillar’s international advocacy in support of competitiveness, trade liberalization and economic growth.

Bill has held numerous leadership positions in Washington most recently chairman of the Russia PNTR coalition and the U.S. Latin America Trade Coalition, a group that supported Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with Colombia and Panama. He is also co-president of the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign, a coalition supporting a robust international affairs budget.

Appointed by Speaker Hastert, Bill served on the HELP Commission, a presidential committee examining the effectiveness of U.S. foreign aid. He was a member of the German Marshall Fund Task Force on Development and Peace Corps Review Team.

Previously, Bill founded and led the USA Engage Effort, the Coalition of American Steel Using Manufacturers (CASUM) and helped lead the business advocacy efforts in support of the Australia, Chile and Peru FTAs. He was the Company Spokesman in Peoria during the Caterpillar-UAW labor dispute (1991-1993). For ten straight years (2004- 2013), Bill has been named one of Washington’s top corporate lobbyists by the Hill newspaper.

Bill is a 2011 Penn State Alumni Fellow and a member of the Penn State Hammond Society. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. Bill received his BS and MA degrees from Penn State and attended the University of Cologne in Germany. He was also a Certified Management Accountant. Bill is on the boards of Global Communities, US-Russia Business Council, National Foreign Trade Council and Washington International Trade Foundation.

Bill received his BS and MA degrees from Penn State and attended the University of Cologne in Germany.

Andrea Durkin leads international policy for the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the largest manufacturing association in the United States.Ms. Durkin and her team advocate for trade policies that work for the success of the more than 13 million people who make things in America.

Before joining the NAM, Ms. Durkin served as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for WTO and Multilateral Affairs at the Office of the United States Trade Representative, where she was responsible for trade negotiations and U.S. policy coordination regarding matters before the World Trade Organization includingWTO committees related to industrial subsidies, technical barriers to trade, customs and trade facilitation, government procurement and other subject areas.  Ms. Durkin also led the development ofU.S. trade positions in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and intergovernmental forums such as G7 and G20.

Ms. Durkin returned to U.S. Government service after two decades in the private sector as an entrepreneur, author, and corporate global government relations executive for a Fortune 200 life sciences company. She has served as a non-resident senior fellow and advisor to leading think tanks inWashington, Dallas and Chicago on trade policy, economic growth, and food and agricultural trade.

Over the span of a decade of previous government service with USTR and the International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Ms. Durkin led negotiations that included free trade agreements in the Western Hemisphere, the trade-related aspects of United Nations multilateral environment and public health agreements, and sectoral initiatives in APEC.

Ms. Durkin proudly taught hundreds of students International Trade and Investment Policy for twenty years as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University’s Master of Science in Foreign Service program and served as president of the Women in International Trade association (WIIT). She is currently a board member of the Washington International Trade Foundation, the 501(c)3 charitable non-profit educational organization that supports the educational efforts of the Washington International TradeAssociation (WITA).

Kaitlin Sighinolfi is the Senior Director of Government Relations, and International Affairs at International Paper, where she focuses on issues regarding tax and trade. She comes to International Paper most recently from Siemens Corporation where she worked as Director, Tax and Trade. Previously, she worked on Capitol Hill as Legislative Director for Rep. Charles Boustany of Louisiana and as a Legislative Assistant for Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine. A native Mainer, from Brewer, ME, Kait grew up joining her elementary school class learning about pulp and paper by touring the local Eastern Fine Paper mill. Kait’s expertise and knowledge of the industry will be invaluable.

Dontai Smalls joined the UPS Global Public Affairs function in the Washington, DC office in October 1999. He coordinates all international issues on Capitol Hill for UPS, particularly global trade and customs modernization policy. He also coordinates UPS’ global aviation portfolio in DC. He is responsible in Washington for managing the relationships between UPS and Europe, including the embassies. Dontai also manages the relationship between UPS and the Congressional Study Groups, which provides substantive, issue-based opportunities for Members of Congress to engage with their counterparts abroad.

From 2005-2007, he served as counsel to UPS’s Air Group Legal Department in Louisville, KY. In that capacity, he focused on all brokerage/customs, flight operations, international operations and real estate/airport property issues relating to UPS Airlines, one of the largest airlines in world.

Prior to coming to UPS, Dontai completed various internships in Washington, including The White House, Department of Energy, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

He is Chairman of the Board of Directors at the United Planning Organization, the City’s largest anti-poverty nonprofit organization and also serves on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, the Express Association of America (Vice President), the South Carolina Business Council in Washington, and the International Aviation Club (Treasurer).

Dontai received his Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center and his Bachelor of Arts cum laude in political science from Howard University.

Sarah Thorn is the Vice President, Global Government Affairs, International Sourcing at Walmart Stores, Inc. She is primarily responsible for managing international policy issues at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. In this capacity, she advocates for Walmart priorities in legislation and trade negotiations that impact the company’s worldwide sourcing, e-commerce and retail distribution rights. She also leads a team that manages global supply chain policies, including responsible sourcing and labor issues.

In 2011, Sarah led the strategy team that developed Walmart’s Global Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative, which is focused on empowering women throughout Walmart’s global supply chain. She is actively involved in the implementation of the initiative, focusing primarily stakeholder engagement and global partnerships.

Before joining Walmart, Sarah worked for seven years at the Grocery Manufacturers Association where she led the food, beverage and consumer products industry advocacy on international trade issues. Sarah has also worked as a consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers on business mobility issues and served as an international relations representative with AMP Incorporated. Sarah began her career in Washington as a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Information Agency.

She holds a Master of Arts degree in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a Bachelor of Arts degree in comparative area studies and comparative literature cum laude from Duke University.

Nicole Venable is a senior Democratic strategist with nearly 30 years of experience across the private sector, Capitol Hill, and the executive branch. At Invariant, she drives coalition-building efforts across tax, trade, healthcare, energy, labor, and tech policy. Regularly named among Washington’s “Top Lobbyists,” she leverages a broad, trusted network to deliver results.

Focus Areas

• Curating high-impact forums that deepen client engagement with policymakers and influencers
• Advising on clients on Democratic leadership, the Congressional Black Caucus, and aligning complex business challenges with persuasive policy solutions
• Shaping bold messaging and executive engagement strategies to amplify client influence in Washington

Nicole previously served as Chief of Staff to a senior Ways and Means Committee member and as a congressional affairs lead at the U.S. Trade Representative. She also held senior roles at PhRMA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Nicole is the founder of the Black Girl Magic (BGM) Network, a coalition of senior women in government affairs.

Christopher Wenk is the Vice President External Affairs at Mercedes-Benz AG.

Wenk brings with him nearly 20 years of government relations experience both on and off Capitol Hill. He came to Kia from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce where he led bipartisan efforts to promote the Chamber’s international trade and investment agenda. Prior to the Chamber, Wenk directed international trade policy at the National Association of Manufacturers and worked on Capitol Hill for the House Small Business Committee, U.S. Representatives Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) and Dave Camp (R-Michigan).

Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Wenk holds a Master of Arts in Political Management and Corporate Public Affairs & Government Relations from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and his Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Spanish from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. He and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Silver Spring, Maryland, with their three daughters and one son.

Jackson works as a Policy Associate at Sorini Strategic Advisors where he conducts research on a wide breadth of trade issues, drafts materials for policy briefings, analyzes trade data to promote client interests, and supports all firm advocacy efforts. Before joining Sorini Strategic Advisors, Jackson was an intern for WITA where he helped coordinate over a dozen trade-related webinars and in-person events, conducted weekly research on new trade policy developments, and assisted in managing relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders. Jackson graduated from Saint Louis University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science.

Madeline Chalecki is an assistant director at the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center, where she leads the center’s work on trade policy, tariffs, and supply chains.

Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, Chalecki worked at Trade Partnership Worldwide, where she conducted quantitative analysis on international trade, tariffs, and supply chains for businesses, industry associations, and policymakers.

Chalecki holds a bachelor’s degree from American University’s School of Public Affairs, where she graduated magna cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Rafael Centeno is a Policy Associate at Sorini Strategic Advisors, a Washington, DC-based international trade policy and government relations firm, where he supports client work across trade policy research, congressional outreach, and regulatory advocacy.

Before joining SSA, Rafael was the 2024–2025 WITA Academy Fellow at the Washington International Trade Association, where he had previously interned in 2023. At WITA, he supported daily operations and programming for in-person and virtual trade policy events, engaging with U.S. government officials, private sector stakeholders, and embassy delegations, and contributed to the production of WITA’s weekly trade policy newsletter.

Rafael graduated from Florida International University in 2024 with a BBA in International Business. During his time at FIU, he held leadership roles in the International Business Honor Society and took part in the Hamilton Scholars Program in Washington, D.C.

Rafael is fluent in Spanish and German and has a strong interest in international collaboration. He enjoys learning about new cultures and languages, and served as President (2025–2026) of the Rotaract Club of Washington, D.C., where he leads professional development, community service, and fellowship-building initiatives.

In his free time, he enjoys reading, cooking, taking care of his houseplants, and volunteering.