To view the event video, click HERE.
Featuring
Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA), Co-Chair of the U.S. – China Working Group
Former Rep. Charles Boustany, Capitaol Counsel LLC
Former Rep. Cal Dooley, American Chemistry Council
Dean Garfield, Information Technology Industry Council
Julia K. Hughes, United States Fashion Industry Association
Scott Paul, Alliance for American Manufacturing
Thomas N. Sleight, US Grains Council
Moderator: Erin Ennis, US-China Business Council
Rep. Rick Larsen is serving his ninth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rick represents the Second Congressional District of Washington state, which is north of Seattle and includes portions of Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties and all of Island and San Juan counties. Rick is a leader on transportation and aviation, trade and U.S.-China relations. He is a strong advocate for pro-growth policies that support innovation, job creation and a strong economic foundation. The Second District is home to Boeing’s largest facility where workers make the 747s, 767s, 777s, 787s and the Air Force KC-46 refueling tanker. The District is also home to Naval Station Everett and Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, which serve central roles in the Defense Department’s Asia-Pacific mission. Rick and his wife, Tiia, are the proud parents of two sons, Robert and Per, who represent the fifth generation of Larsens in the District.
Dr. Charles Boustany is a former Congressman (R-LA) and prominent heart surgeon, and now a partner with Capitol Counsel LLC. During his 12 years in Congress, Dr. Boustany served on the influential House Ways and Means Committee and was Chairman of the Subcommittee on Tax Policy. As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Dr. Boustany established himself as an expert and leader on tax, trade, health care, and entitlement policy. Dr. Boustany is a leader in trade assistance and enforcement issues and led seminars on the conduct of legislative oversight for members of parliament from emerging democracies. He has authored numerous opinion pieces on healthcare, energy, trade and foreign policy in Politico, The Hill, Wall Street Journal, and in the peer-reviewed journal Asia Policy. For 14 years, Dr. Boustany had a private practice of medicine in the field of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, in Lafayette, Louisiana. As a member of Congress, Boustany lead the effort to get more funding for ports and waterways. Legislative victories included co-authorship and passage of MACRA and the PROTECT Act. He passed several bills benefiting veterans that included securing the construction of two new Veterans Clinics in South Louisiana. Boustany was also a leader in the efforts to pass trade promotion authority and in the passage of several free trade agreements that included Panama, Columbia and South Korea. Boustany also helped lift the ban on crude oil exports and expanded liquefied natural gas exports. Other legislative successes include health care relief for small businesses and reforming IRS practices, and key legislation on Health Savings Accounts. Before his election to Congress, Boustany launched extensive quality improvement in open heart programs in two community hospitals that led to national recognition for quality.
Cal Dooley is President and CEO of the American Chemistry Council (ACC). Since joining ACC in 2008, Dooley has enhanced member value and strengthened the competitive position of U.S. chemical manufacturers by advocating for a business and regulatory climate that drives innovation, supports job growth and enhances safety. Under his leadership, ACC has achieved some of its greatest successes in recent memory. Under his leadership, ACC has achieved some of its greatest successes in recent memory. In 2017, Mr. Dooley led industry efforts in helping secure the historic “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” that included key provisions that improve and support a vibrant and competitive U.S. chemical industry and manufacturing sector. In 2016, following three years of bipartisan negotiations, Mr. Dooley oversaw the enactment of the “The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act,” legislation which reformed the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 and ushered in a new era for U.S. chemical regulations. In 2015, ACC led-efforts resulted in the enactment of two bills governing freight rail transportation and distribution: a three-year extension for Positive Train Control implementation, and the “Surface Transportation Board (STB) Reauthorization Act of 2015.” The bill reauthorized the STB for the first time since its creation, ensuring common-sense reforms that deliver safe, reliable, and affordable freight rail transportation and distribution to chemical manufacturers and other shippers. Under Mr. Dooley’s tenure ACC also secured the “Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act,” providing industry a safe harbor against lawsuits when voluntarily sharing & receiving info on cyber threats & defenses. Earlier at ACC, Mr. Dooley oversaw the launch of a national energy advocacy and awareness campaign, “From Chemistry to Energy.” His leadership in this arena initiative has been critical to ensuring that federal and state policymakers understand the link between domestic shale gas, the chemical industry and growth in America’s manufacturing sector that will drive U.S. competitiveness, boost exports, and create new, high-paying jobs. In addition to his commitment to updating federal chemical safety regulations, Dooley has led efforts urging Congress and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure the best available science and technology are at the foundation of government science and risk assessment programs. A current focus is on reforming EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) so that chemical safety determinations can be credible and reliable. Not waiting for regulatory reform, however, Dooley oversaw the establishment of ACC’s Value Chain Outreach initiative, a long-term, comprehensive program designed to address misplaced and ill-informed information about chemicals in the value chain and consumer marketplace. Prior to joining ACC, Dooley served as President and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). He took over leadership of GMA after serving as President and CEO of the Food Products Association (FPA), which merged with GMA in January 2007. In Congress, Dooley represented the 20th District of California as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 2004. He served on the House Agriculture Committee, as well as the House Resources Committee. Dooley holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of California, Davis and, as a Sloan Fellow, earned a master’s degree in management from Stanford University.
Dean Garfield is President and CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI). Dean leads the most effective and respected global advocacy organization for the world’s most innovative and dynamic companies. Dean leads a team of professionals who, combined, bring nearly three centuries of advocacy experience to bear on the world’s most complex policy challenges. Since joining ITI in 2009, Dean has leveraged his skills as a high integrity, high performance leader with proven visionary and strategic skills and demonstrated operational and organizational acumen to double the organization’s membership, revenue, and impact. Dean has worked to foster a policy environment that embraces cutting-edge research, game changing technologies, and pragmatic solutions as central to achieving sustained job creation and economic growth. Under Dean’s leadership, ITI has defined the tech agenda for global policymakers, expanded its membership and influence, and established a research foundation that serves as the preeminent thought leader on innovation. ITI has deepened its expertise on issues ranging from trade to taxes, from cloud computing to core standards, from AI to advanced manufacturing. During Garfield’s tenure, ITI’s advocacy experts have helped to achieve critical legislative victories in the U.S. and internationally, knocking down barriers to innovation, strengthening America’s economic competitiveness, and advancing sustainable technologies that will be at the heart of 21st century innovation. Prior to joining ITI, Dean served as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategic Officer for the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). While there, he developed the association’s global strategies, securing accomplishment of key operational objectives, forged industry alliances on behalf of the MPAA, and led the MPAA’s Research and Technology Departments. Dean also represented the MPAA before legislative bodies and at key conferences around the world, including the European Commission and Oxford University. Dean also served as Vice President of Legal Affairs at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He helped to develop the organization’s comprehensive intellectual property policy and litigation strategies and managed several of the United States’ most important intellectual property cases, including the Grokster/Kazaa case, from its filing to it successful resolution at the Supreme Court. Dean has been regularly recognized for his strong motivational and diplomatic skills, his commitment to consensus building, and for achieving results. In 2016, and 2015, Dean was named “Top Lobbyist” by The Hill for his leadership of ITI. Dean was honored with the first REACH Breaking Barriers Award recognizing him for his deep commitment to leading the world’s most dynamic industry in its efforts to support and inspire young people to develop the important science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills they must have to become tomorrow’s scientific problem solvers. Dean was appointed by President Obama to the President’s Trade Advisory Council and was recently appointed to the Department of Transportation Advisory Committee on Automation. Dean serves on the boards of College for Every Student, the SEED School of Washington, D.C. and serves as the Board President of Aiden Montessori School. He has been featured in several national publications, on National Public Radio, CNBC, and Bloomberg TV News, representing the tech industry on the issues that matter most to the sector. He received a joint degree from New York University School of Law and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Administration and International Affairs at Princeton University. He was a Ford- Rockefeller as well as a Root-Tilden-Snow scholar. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Dean is a naturalized U.S. citizen who resides in Washington, DC with his wife and two daughters.
Julia K. Hughes is President of the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA), which represents brands, retailers, importers, and wholesalers based in the United States and doing business globally. USFIA supports fashion made possible by global trade. Ms. Hughes represents the industry in front of the U.S. government as well as international governments and stakeholders, explaining how fashion companies create high quality jobs in the United States and economic opportunities around the world. An expert on textile and apparel trade issues, Ms. Hughes has testified before Congress and the Executive Branch. She frequently speaks at international conferences including the China & Asia Textile Forum, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Harvard University’s Bangladesh Development Conference, MAGIC, Prime Source Forum, Vietnam Textile Summit, and others. Ms. Hughes served as the first President and is one of the founders of the Washington Chapter of Women in International Trade (WIIT) and is one of the founders of the WIIT Charitable Trust. She also was the first President of the Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT). In 1992, she received the Outstanding Woman in International Trade award and in 2008, the WIIT Lifetime Achievement Award. She also is a member of the International Women’s Forum. Ms. Hughes has an M.A. in International Studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.
Scott Paul is President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), a partnership established in 2007 by some of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers union. Scott and AAM have worked to make American manufacturing and “Made in America” top-of-mind concerns for voters and our national leaders through effective advocacy and data-driven research. Scott served as a member of the White House Manufacturing Jobs Initiative before resigning on August 15, 2017. He authored a chapter in the 2013 book ReMaking America and has written extensively about Alexander Hamilton’s role in forming U.S. national economic policy. Scott hosts the Manufacturing Report podcast. Scott currently serves as the Board Chair of the National Skills Coalition and on the Board of Visitors of the Political Science Department at the Pennsylvania State University. He sits on the Leadership Council of the Alliance for Manufacturing Foresight. Scott earned a B.A. in Foreign Service and International Politics from Penn State and an M.A. with honors in Security Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Raised in the small town of Rensselaer, Indiana, he currently resides in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his spouse Ilisa Halpern Paul and twin boys.
Thomas N. Sleight serves as the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the U.S. Grains Council, a non-profit organization that promotes the global use of U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including ethanol and distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS). Sleight brings a unique perspective to his position, having worked at the Council from 1983 until 1999 in a variety of roles both in the United States and internationally, including as executive director and director of international operations in Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East and regional director for Eastern Europe and the USSR. Sleight later worked for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services as the Director of the Division of Marketing and became the executive director of the New York Farm Viability Institute in 2006. Sleight returned to the Council in 2010 as vice president and became president and CEO in 2012. Sleight is the eighth generation to have grown up and worked on his family’s farm in upstate New York. He attended Cornell University for both undergraduate and graduate studies in agronomy and agricultural economics. Founded in 1960, the U.S. Grains Council works to promote exports of U.S. grains and related products through a network of 10 overseas offices and 30 in-country representatives. The Council believes exports are vital to global economic development and to U.S. agriculture’s profitability. Support for the Council comes from its producer and agribusiness members and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) through programs authorized in the U.S. farm bill.
Erin Ennis has been Senior Vice President of the US-China Business Council (USCBC) since February 2015, after serving as Vice President since 2005. She directs USCBC’s government affairs and advocacy work and oversees USCBC’s Business Advisory Services. Founded in 1973, USCBC provides extensive China-focused information, advisory, and advocacy services, to more than 215 US corporations. She is a cleared advisor as part of the US Government’s International Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC) system. Prior to joining USCBC, Ennis worked at Kissinger McLarty Associates, assisting clients on trade matters, primarily in Vietnam and Japan. At the Office of the US Trade Representative from 1996 to 2000, Ennis worked in Congressional Affairs on Asia issues, and as assistant to Deputy US Trade Representative Richard Fisher. From 1992 to 1996, Ennis was a legislative aide to then-US Senator John Breaux, working on international trade and commerce issues. A native of Louisiana, Ennis has a BA from Mount Holyoke College and a Masters in International Affairs from The Catholic University of America.