WITA Academy: Pathways To Opportunity: Careers in International Trade, Textiles, Fashion, and Apparel

The WITA Academy Pathways to Opportunity program consists of a series of career pathways sessions hosted by trade professionals from the Washington D.C. policy community. The curriculum, divided between the public and private sector, highlights different roles and career paths that are available in Washington D.C. and around the world.

Students will gain insight from trade professionals, pose questions to policymakers, and learn about exciting career opportunities in international affairs, political science, business, and trade. Students come away with an understanding of the trade policy-making community, the role of its key players, and the opportunities for internships and careers available to them.

This online event was free and open to ALL students. Hosted in partnership with the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Registration is free for students and faculty – must use university email to register.

Program Agenda:

2:15 PM – 2:25 PM ET – Welcome and Introduction

• Ken Levinson, Chief Executive Officer, Washington International Trade Association (M.A. New York University)
• Diego Anez, WITA Academy Executive Director, WITA Managing Director, Washington International Trade Association (B.A. University of Georgia)

2:25 PM – 2:55 PM – From Classroom to Career – Getting Started in Trade:

• Jade Wolanin, Executive Director, Trade Data Monitor (B.A. James Madison University)
• Alyson Demirdjian, International Trade Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce (B.A. Otis College of Art and Design; M.S. University of Delaware)
• Allison Botwinick, Textile Assistant, The Kasper Group (B.S. & M.S. University of Delaware)
• Moderator: Maya Ghazi, Program Manager, Washington International Trade Association (B.A. Damascus University)

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM – Session 1: Government Affairs, Customs, and Compliance

• Patrick Fox, Sr. Director Customs and Trade Strategy, VF Corporation (B.A. University of Maryland Baltimore County; M.B.A University of California, Irvine – The Paul Merage School of Business)
• Andrea Curtis, Classification & Rulings Director, Sorini, Samet & Associates, LLC ( M.S. University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
• Moderator: Brenda Smith, Global Director of Government Outreach, Expeditors (B.A. & M.A. Rutgers University)

3:30 PM – 4:00 PM – Session 2: Merchandising, Planning, and Design

• Benji Hoagland, Director of Outlet Women’s Merchandising, Gap Inc. (B.S. The Ohio State University)
• Sarah Holme, Head of Design and Product Development, Old Navy (Somerset College of Art)
• Moderator: Stephanie Lester, Vice President, Head of Government Affairs, Gap Inc. (B.A. Florida State University; M.A. American University)

4:00 PM – 4:30 PM – Session 3: Sourcing, Supply Chain Management, and Logistics

• Sarah Clarke, Chief Supply Chain & Technology Officer at American Eagle Outfitters (B.A. University of York)
• Moderator: Nicole Bivens Collinson, Managing Principal, Operating Committee, International Trade & Government Relations Practice Leader, Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A (M.A. The George Washington University) 

4:30 PM – 4:50 PM – Career Tips from a Recruiter

• Priyal Shah, Creative Recruiter, Gap Inc. (B.S. Philadelphia University)
• Diego Anez, WITA Academy Executive Director, WITA Managing Director, Washington International Trade Association (B.A. University of Georgia)

5:00 PM Closing Remarks and WITA Benefits

Speakers Biographies

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 is a commentator on trade matters on MSNBC, NPR, and BBC the producer of the Two Minutes in Trade podcast.

Ms. Collinson has nearly 40 years of experience in government, public affairs, and lobbying. She has drafted and guided the successful implementation of several pieces of key international trade legislation positively affecting the bottom line of many U.S. companies. Clients have saved millions of dollars through the successful drafting, guidance, and passage of legislation that reduces or eliminates duties — crafting creative measures to benefit clients such as blocking changes to the first sale doctrine, miscellaneous tariff bills, specific trade preference legislation, the Generalized System of Preferences, etc. Such a track record demonstrates her ability to effectively move your agenda forward.

Ms. Collinson has been very effective in assisting clients in finding options – through exclusion or other tariff mitigation strategies – to reduce duty liability for goods subject to section 301 or section 232 duties. In addition, she is a leader on the firm’s initiatives to address forced labor concerns via supply chain reviews, due diligence strategies, and proactive remediation to prevent the importation of any goods that may violate section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 for goods made with forced labor.

Ms. Collinson prepares countries, companies, and associations for negotiations with the United States on free trade agreements, trade and investment agreements, labor disputes, and preferential trade programs. She is well-known for her ability to foster dialogue among a diverse set of stakeholders to resolve complex issues in trade policy making and implementation. She also works directly with U.S. multinational corporations and associations, as well as foreign companies, associations, and government agencies, to clearly represent their positions in Washington. In doing so she analyzes and monitors cross-cutting trade issues, including labor, the environment, food safety, customs regulations, international development, and others, and helps build strong coalitions to advocate for change.

Further, her work representing clients before Congress has earned her a well-respected position among politicians involved in international and business affairs. She is a well-known international trade authority in Washington, regularly called upon by members of Congress and the administration to help explain complex trade programs. Her decades of work with the House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security committees and the Senate Finance; Commerce, Science and Transportation; Foreign Relations; and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees has established deep and lasting relations with members of Congress and their staffs.

Prior to joining ST&R Ms. Collinson served as assistant chief negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, responsible for the negotiation of bilateral agreements with Latin America, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, the Sub-Continent, and Africa. She also served as a country specialist in the International Trade Administration at the Department of Commerce, where she was responsible for the preparation of negotiations on specific topics between the U.S. and Latin America, Eastern Europe, China, and Hong Kong as well as the administration of complex textile agreements.

Ms. Collinson holds a master’s degree in international relations from The George Washington University and a triple bachelor’s degree in political science, European studies, and French from Georgetown College. She also studied at the Université de Caen in France. She is past chair of the Women in International Trade Charitable Trust, past president of Women in International Trade, an advisory board member of America’s TradePolicy.com, treasurer and board member of the Washington International Trade Association, and a member of the Washington International Trade Association Foundation and Women in Government Relations. She serves on the board of trustees for Georgetown College and is the past executive director for the U.S. Hosiery Manufacturers Coalition, the U.S. Apparel Industry Coalition, and the U.S. Sock Distributors Coalition. She is conversant in both French and Spanish.

Allison (Ally) Botwinick is a Textile Assistant at The Kasper Group, a portfolio of global fashion brands such as Nine West, Anne Klein, and Jones New York. In her role, she supports fabric sourcing and production for the Jones New York brand as well as denim fabrics across all brands within the company. Prior to Kasper, Ally was a member of the UD summer scholar program, completed an internship for the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), and was a trainee in the Macy’s Executive Development Program.

Ally earned her bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising and Management and her master’s degree in Fashion and Apparel studies from the University of Delaware. Her master’s thesis, which examined US retailers’ merchandising strategies for clothing made from recycled textile materials, was published in the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology, and Education.  

Sarah E. Clarke is the Chief Supply Chain & Technology Officer at American Eagle Outfitters. She is a consumer apparel and accessories senior executive, strategist, and industry leader. Ms. Clarke has been a board member of the American Apparel & Footwear Association since 2018 and held senior leadership roles in global supply chain, sourcing, merchandising, and product development at PVH Corp. and Gap, Inc. In 2022, Ms. Clarke launched Maple Cres Consulting, LLC (strategy consulting) and currently serves as a non-executive board member of American Securities, a $23B private equity firm.

Ms. Clarke holds a BA, Cum Laude, in Philosophy and Politics from the University of York, and completed The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania’s Global Leadership Program.

Andrea “Andi” Curtis is the classification and rulings director at Sorini, Samet & Associates, LLC. She provides our clients with expert advice on all matters related to classification of imports under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, both for finished products, parts, and raw materials. Andi helps our clients understand the requirements for meeting rules of origin, including under free trade agreements and preference programs.

Andi joined the firm after several years at Cabela’s Inc., leading a team of classification specialists in their Global Trade department. Prior to joining Cabela’s Global Trade team in 2013, she held various roles in apparel product development for 15 years. This knowledge and experience provided the perfect background to perform true tariff engineering – bridging the gap between design and import classification and enabling designers and product developers to understand how design, materials and construction affect duty rates. She helped achieve lower duty rates in apparel, footwear and hardgoods through education and training of the product development team, developing a process to review design concepts and perform pre-classification during initial development and submitting successful Customs ruling requests.

In her unique role at Cabela’s, Andi ensured that Cabela’s products complied with Customs and Border Protection guidelines by setting up product development testing protocols, maintaining pre-qualification paperwork for Free Trade Agreements and conducting audits of existing classifications.

Andi earned an MS in Textile Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), and maintains memberships in both ASTM International and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC ). In 2016, she became a Certified Classification Specialist®. Andi served two terms in the Professional Advisory Council for the UNL Textile, Merchandising and Fashion Design department.

In her free time, Andi enjoys sewing, doing home improvement projects and volunteering with children in her community.

Alyson Demirdjian is an International Trade Specialist at the International Trade Administration.

After 10 years of industry experience in design and product development, she pivoted to something more actionable, and that supports the domestic fashion industry from the federal government. Her objective is to help fashion production and consumption become accountable and future proof the industry. Her experience encompasses a holistic understanding of the corporate perspective on fashion, involvement in supply chain operations, and collaboration with stakeholders at all levels across the value chain. A diversity of roles has created a swath of skills that make her highly versatile, adaptable, and valuable, the result of their passion and drive for personal growth.

Patrick Fox is an accomplished global trade and customs executive who delivers value to companies by designing, developing and leading strategies that enable efficient access to markets around the world. He has a long leadership track record of building diverse talent and delivering value across the multinational enterprise supply chain; he is an expert in trade agreements, tariffs, customs regulations, origin and import logistics operations, with a results-proven track record of building and leading best-in-class compliance organizations, systems and import operations platforms delivering multi-million-dollar cost savings initiatives for Fortune 500 organizations.

As a recognized industry expert on the global stage, Patrick has participated in panel discussions at the WTO, engages extensively with members of the U.S. Congress, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Department of Commerce, U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as senior foreign government officials in Mexico, Vietnam, China, Indonesia and Cambodia. Patrick has testified to U.S. inter-agency government committees on matters related to trade legislation, and he holds memberships on trade and government affairs committees with key industry associations.

Benji Hoagland is the Director of Outlet Women’s Merchandising at Gap, where he leads the overall strategy and product vision for the entire outlet women’s assortment. He began his career at Gap Inc. in 2018 through the company’s Rotational Management Program (RMP), an intensive 11-month program designed to develop future leaders through hands-on experience in all the core product to market functions- Production, Inventory Management, and Merchandising.

Following the program, he was placed in Men’s Merchandising, where he spent two years managing both Knit and Woven categories. He later transitioned to Women’s, where he continued to grow his career before moving into a leadership role overseeing the Toddler and Baby teams. Most recently, he returned to Women’s to lead all Woven, Denim, and Accessories businesses—and is now leading the entire Women’s division in an interim capacity.

Throughout his time at Gap, he has managed cross-functional teams, led global vendor trips, launched over 40 collections, and participated in company-wide initiatives focused on innovation and new ways of working.

Benji earned his degree in Business Administration and Management from The Ohio State University. During college, he held internships at NetJets and worked at Abercrombie & Fitch’s headquarters—experiences that helped solidify his passion for the retail and merchandising industry.

He’s passionate about mentorship and encouraging students to stay open to new experiences, embrace learning, and remain curious as they navigate their early careers.

Stephanie Lester is the Vice President and Head of Government Affairs atGap 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.

Priyal Shah is a Recruiter on the Creative Talent Acquisition team at Gap Inc. Shah focuses on brand recruiting across Creative Marketing, Design, and Visual Merchandising functions, supporting all four of their brands—Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Athleta. Shah has been with the company for almost four years now and she is passionate about connecting talented creatives with roles where they can truly make an impact and bring their brand stories to life.

Brenda B. Smith is serving as the Global Director of Government Outreach at Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. She is responsible for Expeditors’ partnerships with government agencies and international organizations focused on supply chain regulation and trade facilitation.

Brenda has extensive experience in international trade and compliance and recently completed a 34-year career with the U.S. government, which included five years on Capitol Hill and responsibilities at the Department of Treasury and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

At CBP, Brenda served as the Executive Assistant Commissioner of Trade from 2014 until 2021. In this role, she led CBP’s trade mission, overseeing trade enforcement, security, and facilitation matters to enable legitimate trade, contribute to American economic prosperity, and protect against risks to public health and safety. She oversaw trade policy implementation, national compliance audits, management of trade data, and CBP’s regulatory processes for administering trade and border operations. She partnered with CBP’s IT experts to expand trade automation and analytics technologies through agile user-based processes and change management.

Brenda serves as part of Expeditors’ delegation to the World Customs Organization Private Sector Consultative Group and as a board member of the Association of Women in International Trade.

Jade Wolanin is the Executive Director at Trade Data Monitor. She provides corporations, government agencies, trade associations and other TDM clients with support in the North American and Asian regions. Her responsibilities include maintaining and creating client relationships, building and managing marketing campaigns, and assisting with the analysis of international trade data. She has trained over 90 overseas officials at the United States Department of Agriculture to use TDM trade statistics databases, helping them to improve management of U.S. agricultural policy.

Jade possesses an advanced understanding of Google Analytics and is certified as an expert in International Merchandise Trade Statistics by the World Trade Organization and United Nations.

Jade is an active participant in the Washington, D.C. international trade community and the World International Trade Association, and a member of the Young Trade Professionals, a niche group within the Washington International Trade Association, and often attends Global Business Dialogue events. She is co-VP of Special Events for Women in International Trade (WIIT)’s DC Chapter.

Jade started her career with TDM as a marketing coordinator/trade data analyst intern while attending the Zane Showker College of Business at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She has a working knowledge of Spanish and attended the University of Salamanca in Spain during the summer of 2018. She received her bachelor’s degree in International Business with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Business Spanish in May 2019.

In Partnership with