At this Zoom event, speakers will discuss the importance of the U.S. – Mexico -Canada Agreement to the U.S. automotive sector. How has the Agreement succeeded in meeting its goals of driving greater investment in manufacturing and jobs in the U.S.? What has it meant for employment across the sector, and in bringing automotive supply chains back to the region. Speakers will also discuss where improvements could be made as part of the review, including how to modernize the Agreement for the U.S. to better compete with China.
Featured Speakers:
Matt Blunt, President, American Automotive Policy Council
Cody Lusk, President and CEO, American International Automobile Dealers Association
Paul McCarthy, President & CEO, MEMA – the Vehicle Suppliers Association
Jennifer Safavian, President & CEO, Autos Drive America
Moderator: Arun Venkataraman, Partner, Covington; former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service
Matt Blunt, President, American Automotive Policy Council
Governor Matt Blunt is the President of the American Automotive Policy Council, a trade association for Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, and the former governor of Missouri. He was elected Missouri’s 54th governor in 2004, carrying 101 of the state’s 114 counties.
As governor, he erased a $1.1 billion budget deficit, cut taxes, enacted lawsuit reform, fostered a business climate that created over 70,000 new jobs, and increased education funding by $1.2 billion.
Prior to his election as governor, Governor Blunt 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 graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science in History. Upon leaving active duty in 1998, he remained in the Naval Reserve for nearly ten years and was mobilized for six months after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Governor Blunt serves as a director for Copart, USAA Life Insurance Company of New York and other private companies.
Governor Blunt and his wife Melanie have two sons, William Branch and Brooks.
Cody Lusk, President and CEO, American International Automobile Dealers Association
Cody Lusk is President & CEO of the American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA). Founded in 1970, AIADA represents American automobile franchises that sell and service international nameplate brands.These retailers have a positive economic impact both nationally and in the local communities they serve, providing more than 560,000 American jobs.
From 2002-2006, Lusk served as chief of staff to Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas-03), a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and a subcommittee chairman on the Education and Workforce Committee. As chief of staff, Lusk served as principal advisor and strategist to the Congressman, managing a broad range of legislative issues, including taxes, international trade, and health care.
Prior to his tenure with Rep. Johnson, Lusk was an appointee of the Bush Administration, serving under Secretary of Commerce Don Evans. In this role, he served as liaison between Capitol Hill and the Secretary of Commerce on all international trade-related issues.
Before joining the Department of Commerce, Lusk spent 10 years as a staff member of AIADA, serving as director of legislative affairs from 1995-2001 where he was responsible for reaching out to members of Congress and other federal agencies on behalf of international nameplate auto dealers.
Mr. Lusk holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Texas, Austin. He lives in Alexandria, Va. with his wife, Michelle, and their three sons.
Paul McCarthy, President & CEO, MEMA – the Vehicle Suppliers Association
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.
Jennifer Safavian, President & CEO, Autos Drive America
Jennifer Safavian was named Autos Drive America first president and CEO in April 2020.
She is an accomplished government relations professional with two decades of policy experience both in government and the private sector.
Before joining Autos Drive America, Safavian was Executive Vice President for Government Affairs at the Retail Industry Leaders Association. Prior to holding that position, she spent the majority of her career on Capitol Hill, serving as Staff Director and General Counsel on the House Ways & Means Committee, and holding senior positions on other key House Committees, including Energy & Commerce and Oversight & Government Reform.
Among her various accolades, Safavian has been named one of the “Top Trade Association Lobbyists” by The Hill seven times since 2017. She has been named by the National Law Journal as one of the “Top 10 Lawyers on Capitol Hill” and one of the “Fabulous 50” top congressional staff members by Roll Call. Safavian has a J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law and holds a B.A. from Saint Louis University.
Moderator: Arun Venkataraman, Partner, Covington; former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service
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.