This event will take place on Monday, November 10, from 4 PM – 5 PM ET (3PM – 4 PM CST).

Pathways to Opportunity: Working in a Time of Tariffs

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 is free and open to ALL students. Hosted in partnership with University of Kansas Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS), Department of Political Science, Business School, Law School, and Center for Global and International Studies.

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

Featured Speakers: 

Laurie Holmes, Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs; former Senior Manager, Government & Regulatory Affairs,
Kia Worldwide (B.S. University of Kansas – M.P.P George Mason University)

Luis Jimenez, Principal, LJ Strategies, LLC; former Senior Counselor to the Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce (B.A. University of Kansas)

C.J. Mahoney, Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Cloud + AI Corporate, Microsoft; Former Deputy United States Trade Representative, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (A.B. Harvard University – J.D. Yale University)

Devin S. Sikes, Partner, Akin; former Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Evan J. Wallach, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (B.A. University of Kansas – J.D. University of Kansas)

Additional Speakers to be Added!

Speaker Biographies

Laurie Holmes is Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at the Hyundai Motor Group Washington Office with a special emphasis on vehicle emissions standards and electric vehicles. Laurie has over 20 years of federal and state legislative and regulatory affairs experience in environmental, energy, chemical, and transportation policy.

Prior to Kia and Hyundai Motor Group, Laurie was head of environmental policy advocacy at the vehicle suppliers trade association (MEMA), representing 900 vehicle supplier companies. Laurie also worked with federal and state regulatory and legislative
issues at the American Forest & Paper Association, National Conference of State Legislatures, and at the American Institute of Architects. Laurie started her career in energy policy in London working for a global energy industry journal, Petroleum Economist.

Laurie earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Kansas and holds a Master’s in Public Policy from George Mason University.

C.J. Mahoney joined Microsoft as Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel Cloud + AI at Microsoft working in U.S. International Trade and National Security, in 2021 after serving as Deputy United States Trade Representative from 2018 to 2020.C.J. leads Microsoft teams responsible for export control and sanctions compliance, international trade, and technology and national security policy.

While at USTR, C.J. led negotiations over the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and helped shepherd the agreement through Congress, where it passed with the largest margin of any trade agreement in over 30 years.He personally negotiated key aspects of the agreement’s landmark labor chapter, including the first-of-its-kind, rapid-response enforcement mechanism.

C.J. also oversaw USTR’s digital trade portfolio and helped launch free trade agreement talks with the United Kingdom and Kenya.Under his leadership, USTR launched its first dispute settlement actions to enforce environmental obligations in U.S. free trade agreements.He represented USTR on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and the boards of the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

Prior to his unanimous confirmation as Deputy USTR, C.J. was a partner at Williams & Connolly LLP where his practice focused on complex commercial litigation, white collar defense, and international disputes.He was a law clerk to Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy during the Supreme Court’s October 2007 term and has served as a Visiting Lecturer at Yale Law School.He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the State Department’s Advisory Committee on International Law.

C.J. is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law Journal.Between college and law school, C.J. worked as a business analyst at McKinsey & Company.

A native of Russell, Kansas, C.J. and his wife Becca have two children, Eleanor and Patrick.

Devin S. Sikes helps government and corporate clients across the globe navigate complex international trade laws and policies to seize opportunities and avoid risks. With a particular focus on trade policy and trade remedy matters, Devin has represented corporations, big and small, across numerous industries, as well as counseled industry associations and sovereigns.

Clients look to Devin for advice on a broad range of questions related to imports, including antidumping and countervailing duty measures, trade policy and customs matters. He also advises clients on a wide variety of issues arising under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974, Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, Section 332 of the Tariff Act of 1930 and Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930.

Thanks to his extensive experience before U.S. courts and international tribunals, Devin regularly leads clients through high-stakes litigation challenging unfavorable international trade laws and determinations. Those high-profile trade disputes have concerned imports whose value exceeded billions of dollars. In these matters, Devin develops effective strategies, authors briefs and argues cases. He frequently appears before the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as well as before dispute settlement panels established under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Chapter 10 and the World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Understanding.

In April 2020, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) appointed Devin to the U.S. roster of panelists who resolve antidumping and countervailing disputes arising under Chapter 19 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Following the implementation of the USMCA, Devin’s appointment carried over to the U.S. roster of panelists who resolve disputes arising under USMCA Chapter 10. USTR has reappointed Devin to that roster each year since 2020.

In October 2023, the CIT appointed Devin to its Rules Advisory Committee, carrying a term of five years.

Apart from his work on international trade matters, Devin has counseled clients on a broad range of issues in disputes before the Supreme Court of the United States and the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the D.C., Federal, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th and 11th Circuits.

Prior to joining Akin, Devin served in the U.S. government for nearly a decade in various roles in the judicial and executive branches. Most recently, he served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Evan J. Wallach of the Federal Circuit.

Earlier in his career, Devin was a senior attorney in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement and Compliance. He represented Commerce in a series of significant antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings. Devin received numerous awards for his advocacy, including a Gold Medal (the highest form of honorary recognition for distinguished performance bestowed by the Secretary of Commerce) and a Bronze Medal (the highest honorary award for superior performance granted by Commerce’s International Trade Administration).

Devin began his career as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Judith M. Barzilay of the CIT. In that role, he assisted Judge Barzilay in actions before her at the CIT and in matters assigned to her when she sat by designation on the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the 6th, 9th and 11th Circuits, as well as on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Devin is a native Kansan and citizen of the Cherokee Nation.

Bringing Trade Education and Career Development Opportunities to Communities Across the United States and Around the World

The mission of the WITA Academy™ is to provide trade education and career development opportunities in international trade to individuals across the United States and around the world. By expanding the network, the WITA Academy™ builds a stronger and more dynamic trade community.

The WITA Academy™ is a program of the Washington International Trade Foundation. Through its programs, the WITA Academy is committed to strengthening the trade community by bringing together a broad range of perspectives and creating opportunities for engagement amongst the trade community. These educational and professional development programs ensure the continued growth and success of the trade community, shaping the future of trade policy.

Thank you to our WITA Academy Sponsors