Gunjan Bagla has 25 years of global sourcing and marketing experience. He has held senior positions in global technology sales and marketing. He began his career as an engineer for Larsen & Toubro Bangalore, a prominent Indian industrial firm. Mr. Bagla came to the U.S. and later worked as Director of Program Management for Tandon Computer.

Based in California, he is the author of the acclaimed title "Doing Business in 21st Century India: How to Profit Today from tomorrow's most exciting Market" published in July 2008 by Warner/Hachette Books and was the technical editor on John Wiley's Doing Business in India for Dummies (2007). He leads the executive seminar "Business with India" at Caltech, the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California. These books and seminars are a direct result of his work as an India Business Consultant for major Western clients.

Bagla has been mentioned in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Business Week, Hollywood Reporter and other global media for his expertise on India. He appears often on radio shows all over the United States as the India business expert. His articles on have appeared in Business Week, CIO Magazine, Purchasing Magazine, Quality Magazine, Business World, Daily Variety, and many other publications.

Gunjan is a Charter Member of The Indus Entrepreneur (TiE), a business association including Western and Indian organizations and serves on its Executive Council as global liaison for Southern California. He is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology and currently President of the IIT Alumni in the USA. Gunjan did his MBA from Southern Illinois University, where he was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society.

Gunjan frequently travels to India as business consultant to large Western corporations and industry trade associations.

Judy A. Benn has served as the Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) in Thailand since 2001. AMCHAM Thailand has over 700 member companies and the Chamber works with both the U.S. Government and Royal Thai Government to increase the competitiveness of Thailand and ensure that U.S. businesses have equal and fair market access to the Thai market. She has worked for over ten years on issues that include customs and trade, intellectual property rights and investment barriers.

The daughter of a U.S. State Department professional, she spent most of her early years living overseas, including Liberia and Taiwan. Prior to joining the Chamber she was a director with KPMG Consulting. She spent more than a decade in China and Taiwan where she was helped set up consulting practices. She also worked as a trade assistant for the U.S. Commercial Service in Canada and for Electronic Data Systems (EDS).

She holds a Masters of Business Administration from Minnesota State University and a Bachelors of Science from Brigham Young University. She holds a certificate in Corporate Community Living (CSR) from Boston University and completed an executive education program in Trade Policy & Practice at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Judy is also the Vice President and founder of the AMCHAM Thailand Charitable Foundation which provides student scholarships and funding for Thai schools. Additionally she sits on the boards of Make-a-Wish Thailand and the Thai-U.S. Education Foundation which administers the Fulbright program for Thailand. She is also a member of the nominating committee for the Thailand Eisenhower Fellowship program.

Judy has one daughter, Maggie Mei-Ling who is 12 years old.

Maryavis Bokal, a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., joined the Orange County, California staff of the Commercial Service in 1989. In addition to her tenure with the Commercial Service in Chicago and Washington, D.C., Maryavis held positions in the private sector as Manager of International Government Sales for a multi-million dollar telecommunications company and as an international trainer with her own international sales firm. A member of several business groups, including the Economics Club of Chicago, Maryavis is also on the Advisory Board of several not-for-profit organizations. As an International Trade Specialist in Orange County, Maryavis utilizes her 20 + years of export marketing experience today as an active member of the U.S Commercial Service’s international Cosmetics, Infrastructure, Health Care, Safety and Security and Asia/Pacific teams.

Married to Richard Toman, a corporate attorney in Irvine, CA, Maryavis fondly adds her favorite title is “Mom” of daughter, Kate, and son, R.J.

Prior to his current posting in Mexico, Brian Brisson was the Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs for the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service in Brazil, based at the U.S. Consulate General in the commercial capital of São Paulo. Mr. Brisson’s primary role is to support the President’s National Export Initiative by coordinating broad commercial engagement to advance U.S. policy, advocacy, and trade promotion goals, as well as supporting U.S. firms operating in Mexico and Mexican firms investing in the United States.

Mr. Brisson also served as the Regional Director for the Western Hemisphere in the U.S. Commercial Service from 2008-2011. In this capacity, he coordinated the 28 Commercial Offices and 220 business development professionals at Embassies, Consulates and free-standing locations in Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Before coming to Washington, Mr. Brisson served as the Commercial Counselor for Argentina and Uruguay at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires from 2004 to 2008. Brian Brisson’s other diplomatic assignments have included serving as the Director of the U.S. Commercial Center in Sao Paulo, Brazil (1999 to 2004), Regional Commercial Attaché for Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador (1994-1999), and Assistant Commercial Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City (1989-1994) where he focused on the establishment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Brian Brisson began his public service career in 1987 as an International Economist in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Latin America and the Caribbean. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and has a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Mr. Brisson speaks fluent Spanish and Portuguese.

Lee Broadhurst serves as the International Marketing Manager for UPS’s Southern California District. He is responsible for growing the company’s export business for an operating territory that encompasses all of Southern California, Hawaii and Las Vegas; serving over 17,000 exporters by focusing primarily on the global growth of direct-to-consumer needs and solutions.

Lee began his career with UPS in 1997 in Baldwin Park, California. He has served in many capacities within the organization including in Operations and Business Development functions prior to his current role in Marketing. He has a degree in Business Management from California State University-Fullerton and an MBA from the University of Redlands.

Herb Cochran, Executive Director of AmCham Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City, has helped AmCham members develop an influential organization to promote trade and investment between Vietnam and the United States, with a focus on improving the business environment and developing networking, information-sharing, and outreach activities.

He mobilized AmCham Vietnam members’ substantial efforts to conclude negotiations on the Vietnam-U.S. Bilateral Trade Agreement and Vietnam’s WTO Accession, and to have these two agreements approved by the U.S. Congress.Herb helped AmCham Vietnam develop its information and outreach activities such as organizing trade and investment missions to the U.S. by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee and the Dong Nai People’s Committee, hosting the 40th Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Council of AmChams, and developing the AmCham web site at www.amchamvietnam.com, which welcomes over 250,000+ visitors and nearly 350,000+ page views per month.

With Herb’s leadership and support, AmCham Vietnam’s committees and industry sector experts have helped improve mutual understanding on key issues in U.S.-Vietnam trade and investment, including implementation of trade agreements, preserving Vietnam-U.S. apparel trade, strengthening governance and anti-corruption efforts, improved industrial relations, Project 30 (simplification of Vietnam’s administrative procedures), work force development for modern manufacturing, and promoting trade and investment between the U.S. and Vietnam’s Southern Key Economic Region. Organizationally, AmCham never been stronger: the number of company and associate members and representatives has quadrupled and the annual revenues have nearly quintupled.

Prior to joining AmCham, Herb was Commercial Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi and Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City. He helped establish the commercial office of the U.S. Embassy, hiring staff and establishing trade and finance programs, including the U.S. Ex-Im Bank, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), and U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). In 1998-99 he established the commercial office of the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City. Herb also served as Regional Director, East Asia and Pacific, U.S. Commercial Service, based in Washington DC. His responsibilities included program, personnel, and budget support for the commercial departments of 15 United States Embassies in the Asia/Pacific region, from Tokyo, Seoul, and Beijing in Northeast Asia, to all the countries of Southeast Asia, and down to Australia and New Zealand.

Other international assignments were: Commercial Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, Commercial Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, and at the U.S. Consulate General in Osaka, Japan.

Herb has received many notable awards, including two Bang Khen awards in 2010 from the Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to AmCham Vietnam (HCMC) and to Herb personally. He received the U.S. Department of Commerce Gold Medal for Exceptional Service, for work while at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo related to opening Japan’s telecommunications market to U.S. equipment and services, and also opening Japan’s architecture/construction/engineering market with international competitive bidding for the award-winning Kansai International Airport Terminal. He also received Commerce Department Silver Medal for Meritorious Service for work related to Japan’s implementation of the “GATT Code on Technical Barriers to Trade.”

Born in North Carolina, Herb earned a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (History), and a Certificat from the Institut d’Études Politiques (Sciences Po) in Paris. He is also a graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington DC (National Defense Strategy). He is a member of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, the American Foreign Service Association, and the Army and Navy Club in Washington DC.

Ireas Cook is a career Foreign Commercial Service Officer with the U.S. Department of Commerce. She has been recently assigned to serve as the Senior Commercial Officer in Taiwan. Beginning in August of 2011, she served as the Regional Commercial Counselor for Central America. Mrs. Cook was based in El Salvador in this capacity, and advanced U.S. commercial interests in six countries of the region, which includes El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Belize.

She previously served in China, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and South Africa. While in China, Mrs. Cook was instrumental in promoting U.S. commercial interests in the South China region which represents 40 percent of China’s total imports and exports. In Saudi Arabia, Mrs. Cook was recognized for her cross cultural ability to promote U.S. export in a demanding environment. In Taiwan, she managed a team that focused on many challenging issues, including U.S.-Taiwan pharmaceutical negotiations, intellectual property rights protection, technology standards, U.S. education promotion, and environmental technology trade promotion. In South Africa, Mrs. Cook oversaw post administration and led in many international market development activities. Mrs. Cook received numerous awards for her contributions in advancing U.S business interests.

Prior to joining the U.S. Commercial Service, Ms. Cook worked for many years with the Transamerica Group to develop overseas markets on behalf of the company. Mrs. Cook oversaw post administration and was involved in many international market development activities.

Prior to his new position as Senior Commercial Officer in Burma, Manoj Desai served as head of the Commercial Affairs section at the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey. Prior to his move to Istanbul, he served at the U.S. Embassy in Brazil as Commercial Attaché. His private sector career spans various domestic and international engagements as consultant for organizations such as Scania, Panama Canal Commission, Lucent Technologies, University of Wisconsin, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, and PepsiCo. He helped companies directly improve their bottom line by leading global productivity initiatives that included business process redesign and strategic use of technology. Manoj holds an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Northeastern University, Boston, MA, and an MBA in International Marketing from Thunderbird, School of Global Management, Glendale, AZ. Manoj is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He speaks Gujarati, Hindi, Portuguese, Turkish, and conversational Spanish.

Richard Drobnick is the director of the IBEAR MBA program at the USC Marshall School of Business. He was the founding director of the School’s Center for International Business (1990-2014), which was supported by the U.S. Department of Education since 1990, as one of its 33 national resource centers on international business. Dr. Drobnick served as USC's inaugural Vice Provost for International Affairs (1994-2005). He was the inaugural Secretary General (1997-2002) and a member of the Steering Committee (1997-2010) of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), an association of presidents of 45 leading Pacific Rim research universities (www.apru.org). He launched and led APRU's Pacific Rim research programs on "Sustainability and Climate Change" and "Public Health”(2006-2010).

Dr. Drobnick specializes in Pacific Rim economic and business issues and U.S. and Pacific Rim trade policies. He is the author of numerous articles regarding international economics and business, as well as the co-author of Neither Feast nor Famine: Food Conditions to the Year 2000 and co-editor of Small Firms in Global Competition. He is a member of the U.S.-Asia Pacific Council, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Asia Society of Southern California’s Executive Committee, and is a director of the Japan-America Society-Southern California. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malaysia (1967-1969), Drobnick served as an economic advisor to the Malaysian Department of Agriculture’s Farmers Association Movement.

George Marsman Drysdale is Chairman and CEO of the Marsman Drysdale Group, a diversified Philippine-based holding and management company with interests in the agribusiness, healthcare, tourism, communications, and investment management industries. The Group’s current operating interests primarily include tropical fruit plantations (bananas) for export throughout Asia and the Middle East, medical equipment distribution, and corporate travel and tour services.

Mr. Drysdale also makes direct private equity investments in high growth communications, media and consumer beverage companies. Since 1994, Mr. Drysdale has been an investor in the San Francisco Giants baseball team. Prior to joining the Marsman Drysdale Group in 1991, Mr. Drysdale was a venture capitalist, first as General Partner of Hambrecht & Quist Venture Partners of San Francisco (1983-1987), and then as a managing General Partner of Westar Capital, a management buyout firm. From 1981 to 1983, Mr. Drysdale practiced corporate, securities, and tax law for Davis, Polk & Wardwell, a Wall Street law firm.

Mr. Drysdale was born in Manila, Philippines and raised in California and the Philippines. He received a B.S. in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, CA) in 1976 and a J.D. from Stanford Law School and a M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1980. Mr. Drysdale was awarded a White House Fellowship in 1987 and served as Special Assistant to Secretary of Agriculture Richard Lyng. Mr. Drysdale served three terms as the President of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines and four terms as the Chairman of the twenty-nine member chambers of the Asia-Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce (APCAC). Mr. Drysdale divides his time between Manila, Philippines and Hillsborough, California. He has five children: Catherine (23), Jennifer (21), George (18), Caroline (16), and Jack (2). In his spare time, George enjoys golf, tennis and coaching his children’s sports teams.

Clayton Dube 杜克雷 heads the USC U.S.-China Institute 南加州大學美中學院 . The institute focuses on the multidimensional and evolving U.S.-China relationship. Dube was trained as a historian, working on modern Chinese economic history. He lived in China for five years and has visited over fifty times for research, to lead delegations, or to lecture. Dube has long been committed to working to inform public discussion of U.S.-China ties. He was associate editor of the academic journal Modern China and editorial director for the online magazines AsiaMedia, Asia Pacific Arts, and US-China Today. He’s produced documentary films, including the institute’s twelve-part Assignment:China series on American reporting on China from the 1940s to today. Dube writes the institute’s Talking Points newletter and is the author of several guides to teaching about China. He’s earned teaching awards at three universities. Contact: @claydube and cdube@usc.edu

James G. Ellis was appointed dean of the USC Marshall School of Business and holder of the Robert R. Dockson Dean’s Chair in Business Administration in April 2007. As dean, he is responsible for the education of some 5700 students, both graduate and undergraduate. In addition, he holds a full time appointment as Professor of Marketing in the Department of Marketing, where he has been since 1997.

Prior to being appointed Dean, he was the Vice Provost, Globalization, for the University, responsible for building the USC name worldwide. He also served as the Vice Dean, External Relations, at the Marshall School of Business, as well as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs. He continues to teach the Freshman Leadership Colloquium class. From 1998 to 2003, he served as the Director of the Family Business Program for four years, running seminars for families in business.

Holding an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School and a BBA degree from the University of New Mexico, Mr. Ellis worked in the corporate world from 1970 to 1997. He served as President/CEO of Porsche Design, a high-end accessories company owned by Europe’s Porsche family, from 1985-1990. From 1990-1997, he was Chairman/CEO of Port O’Call Pasadena, an upscale home accessory retailer, as well as being an owner/ partner in six other companies.

Mr. Ellis was a member of Young Presidents Organization for fourteen years, serving his San Gabriel Valley Chapter twice as Chapter Chairman as well as being Regional Vice President, and a member of the International Board of Directors for six years. He is also the Past Chairman of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce.

Ellis sits on numerous corporate and non-profit boards of directors. He has addressed many organizations around the world on various business topics. At USC in 2003, he was awarded both the “Teaching Has No Boundaries” award, given by the faculty, and the Golden Apple Award, given by the students. In 2004, was given the Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring Award from the USC Parents’ Association.

Jason M. Evans serves a Regional Manager for Asia-Pacific in the Advocacy Center of the U.S. Department of Commerce where he coordinates and manages U.S. Government support for U.S. exporters seeking public-sector contracts with foreign governments and government entities. In the Advocacy Center, he works closely with U.S. Embassies in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as other U.S. Government Departments and Agencies in Washington, D.C. to advocate on behalf of U.S. exporters.

Before joining the Advocacy Center, Jason served as a Country Manager in the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service’s Europe Office supporting our Embassies and businesses overseas, and prior to that as an Import Policy Analyst reviewing steel imports and exports. Before starting his Commerce service, he worked in a small business lobbying and consulting firm in Washington, D.C., helping small, medium, and large companies to gain federal contracts. Jason started his career in local government management in the Denver metro area.

Jason holds a BA in Political Science from West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV, and a MA in Global Finance, Trade, and Economic Integration from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado.

Prior to her joining the U.S. Department of Commerce as the Global Markets Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia, Ms. Farrell was Executive Vice President at the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) with responsibility for policy and government relations. Before joining USIBC, Ms. Farrell served on the Board of Directors of the Export Import Bank of the United States (U.S. EXIM). She was responsible for voting on transactions in excess of $10 million as well as addressing significant policy matters including environmental criteria. Her portfolio responsibilities included small business, India, Southeast Asia, and portions of Latin America. In addition, she was named a member of the White House Business Council to promote U.S. exports. Ms. Farrell began her public service career as First Selectwoman (mayor) of Westport, Connecticut. Recognized as a regional leader, she was selected as a member of the National League of Cities Transportation and Infrastructure Steering and Policy Committee, which helped set policy goals for transportation and infrastructure initiatives in support of cities and towns across the United States. Ms. Farrell is a 1977 graduate of Wheaton College, Norton MA, with a B.A. in American Government.

Ambassador Judith Fergin officially joined AmCham in December 2013. Ambassador Fergin is a career Foreign Service Officer and brings a wealth of experience to the position. Her most recent posting was as the U.S. Ambassador to Timor-Leste. Prior to that posting she served as the U.S. Consul General in Sydney, Australia, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore, and Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassies in Jakarta and Canberra. During her time in Singapore, Ambassador Fergin had the opportunity to work closely with AmCham and to learn about the American business community here and the challenges businesses face in Singapore and in the region.

Ambassador Fergin also served in Moscow, Russia; Pretoria, South Africa; Monrovia, Liberia; Munich, Germany; and Washington, DC. In each of the locations she has served, Ambassador Fergin has worked closely with the American business community to create opportunities, promote U.S. exports, and expand commercial ties between the United States and the host country. She received a BA in Political Science from Smith College, an MA in International Relations from the University of Virginia and an MS in National Resource Management from the Industrial College of Armed Forces, National Defense University.

Since 1987 Wayne Forrest has been Executive Director and then President of the American Indonesian Chamber of Commerce, a private not for profit membership organization based in NY. Founded in 1949, the Chamber has been the principal US business organization devoted to promoting better commercial ties between the US and Indonesia. With a national membership of over 160 members, the Chamber assists new entrants and established players develop and strengthen their business ties with Indonesia. AICC's counterparts in Indonesia are the American Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia (AMCHAM) and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN).

Mr. Forrest edits "Outlook Indonesia", the Chamber's newsletter, and contributes regularly to other publications such as The Economist and Architectural Record. In response to an increase in demand for manufactured products from Indonesia, he edited “Sourcing Products in Indonesia: A Guide for Importers", the first publication of its kind. Frequently on call to provide orientations to Americans moving or traveling to Indonesia, Mr. Forrest is also a regular visitor. A graduate of Wesleyan University, Mr. Forrest spent 18 months studying the Indonesian language at Yale University and in Indonesia, where he lived in Surakarta and studied Javanese music and culture. Mr. Forrest maintains an active interest in Indonesia's music and is a member of several gamelan music study groups in the US.

In August 1996, he traveled to Indonesia with a group of 30 US students and teachers who had won an essay contest on why Indonesia is important to the United States. Sponsored by member firms such as Texaco, Chevron, and Mobil, the trip grew out of a major public education program geared at high school students that the Chamber organized with a leading educational publisher, Scholastic Inc. The group traveled throughout Indonesia and met Indonesia's President, Soeharto, and Vice President, Try Soetrisno.

In 1998, in response to the economic crisis and collapse of the value of Indonesia’s currency, Mr. Forrest organized a major campaign to assist Indonesia’s children and mothers: “Preventing a Lost Generation”. Members of AICC and others contributed over $2 million for programs in Indonesia designed by UNICEF and CARE to keep children in school.

In 2005, Forrest and AICC created “A Comprehensive Indonesian-English Dictionary”, authored by Dr. Alan Stevens, the first new dictionary of its kind in 20 years. Forrest’s work on behalf of the international interests of US businesses was recognized by the US Department of Commerce who awarded him its “Certificate for Achievement in Trade” on March 2004. Mr. Forrest serves on the board of directors of the American Indonesian Education and Cultural Foundation, the Kartika Sukarno Foundation for Indonesian Children as well as the American Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (President) and is a member of the board of advisors of the US-Indonesia Society. He frequently comments to the press and government committees on commercial developments in Indonesia.

Derek Fried is a senior vice president and manager of the Structured Finance Group within Wells Fargo Global Banking. Based in Minneapolis, Derek manages a team of specialists who provide middle-market and corporate customers with structured fi nance solutions backed by loan guarantees or insurance policies from the ExportImport Bank of the United States, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, or private underwriters.

Prior to Global Banking, Derek worked as a relationship manager in the Media Finance division of Wells Fargo and completed the bank’s formal credit training program.

Derek graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in history from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, and received an M.B.A. in strategic management from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. In addition, he holds an M.S.F.S. degree with distinction in foreign policy from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where he also completed the Landegger Program in International Business Diplomacy.

Active in the community, Derek has been involved with the Carleton College Alumni Annual Fund for fifteen years, including serving as board chair. He also served on the school’s presidential search committee. He is currently a member of Carleton’s Alumni Council and also volunteers as treasurer for the parent teacher organization of a local public school. A New York City native, Derek resides in St. Paul, Minnesota with his wife and three daughters.

Rosemary Gallant is the Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta responsible for trade promotion and commercial affairs in Indonesia since 2014. She has spearheaded the development of programs targeting several of the most promising sectors for US companies, establishing an Aviation Working Group program and a Power Working Group program. Previously Ms. Gallant was the Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Ms. Gallant moved to Beijing in 2008 following a four-year assignment at the US Mission to the European Union in Brussels as the Commercial Attaché. She joined the US Department of Commerce Office of China in 1988 and has also served in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Export Assistance Center in Connecticut. Ms. Gallant is the author of several articles on doing business in China published in Export America and China Business Review. She graduated from Wellesley College. She studied in Beijing in 1982-83 and at the Hopkins Nanjing Center in 1986-87.

James Golsen is the Executive Director for Asia at the International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce. In this role, Mr. Golsen oversees the Commerce Department’s operations in 14 Asian posts and manages three Asia-focused policy offices in Washington, DC.

Before assuming the role of Executive Director, Jim was the Commerce Department’s coordinator for the U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.

Previously, Jim was the first Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Myanmar/Burma. He opened the office in August, 2014 and has worked with hundreds of US companies to explore the Myanmar market.

In addition, Jim held positions with the U.S. Commercial Service in India as the Principal Commercial Officer for South India (Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai), with the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai, China and Memphis, TN at the U.S. Export Assistance Center and as the Commercial Service Partnership Manager at FedEx World Headquarters.

Before joining the U.S. Department of Commerce, Jim worked at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with a focus on China.

Chris Goode’s major focus is to develop both the products and business of Danfoss Power Solutions-Work Function Division. In September 2016, Danfoss Power Solutions acquired Propulsys Inc., parent company of White (China) Drive Products Co. Ltd., where Goode served as its president. He is the “father” of White (China) Drive Products Co. Ltd, having taken it from concept to profitability in its first full year of operation in 2006. He is an honoree Member of the RunZhou District Economic Development Council, and in December 2006 was voted Business Entrepreneur of the year by members of the RunZhou District Government. He was made an Honorary Citizen of Jiangsu, China.

Prior to joining White Drive Products in 2000, he spent most his diverse career with Eaton Corporation in Europe, Africa, Asia and finally in the USA. Chris has an engineering background but held global sales, marketing and general management positions with Eaton Corporation. In addition he has managed joint ventures in Mexico, Argentina, Korea and Japan. He also managed two equipment distributorships in the US and South Africa.

David Gossack is the Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. He previously served as Senior Commercial Officer in Jakarta. Prior to that, he was Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai from 2008-2011. He previously served as Commercial Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing from 2003-2007, in Bangkok from 1999-2002, and in Tokyo from 1995-1999. He is the recipient of numerous awards from the Department of Commerce. Earlier in his career he held positions in the State Department, at the American Embassy in Tokyo and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. From 1987 to 1990, he was Counsel to U.S. Senator Spark Matsunaga of Hawaii, Chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, where he was an active participant in drafting legislation in the Senate. Mr. Gossack subsequently practiced international trade and business law in a Washington, DC firm. He is a graduate of Stanford University and the School of Law at the University of Washington.

Maggie Hanson-Muse is a second generation Senior Foreign Service officer who has served in Mexico, Cote d’Ivoire, New Delhi, Costa Rica, Peru and Colombia. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Maggie held positions of increasing responsibility at Allstate Insurance, General Electric and Sprint.

Maggie began her career at the U.S. Trade Center in Mexico and subsequently joined the Commercial Service in Cote d’Ivoire where, as Commercial Attachée, she supported the bilateral program and the African Development Bank and West Africa regional programs. Assigned to New Delhi, she managed operations, market research and the U.S. Asian-Environmental Partnership program as Deputy Senior Commercial Officer.

As Senior Commercial Officer in Costa Rica, Peru and Colombia, in addition to trade promotion work, Maggie worked with the Market Access and Compliance team, the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on three free trade agreements (FTAs). Directly, or as part of a team, Maggie successfully resolved 30 Commercial Diplomacy cases, a precondition to concluding the FTAs. In Peru and Colombia, she extended the reach of CS programs to second tier cities working with the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), municipalities and universities to implement business integrity programs or to establish AmCham branch offices. In Peru and Colombia, she pinpointed shortcomings of the arbitration legal framework that led to changes in the investment chapter of the pending FTAs and the development of the “Arbitration Guide for U.S. Exporters in Colombia”. She also worked on IPR initiatives and produced the “Ambassador’s IPR Toolkit” for both countries. Maggie frequently appeared on Spanish-language TV, live radio broadcasts or in the print media promoting CS programs or discussing the benefits of free trade, governance or diversity issues.

In 2011, Maggie returned as Deputy Senior Commercial Officer in New Delhi. She provides program management and operations support for 70 people in seven locations representing four agencies. She directly supervises the market access and compliance portfolio, market research, and services delivery. She oversees multiple budgets, manages human resources issues and handles physical plant concerns such as IT, construction and leasing projects that often require extensive interagency coordination. In India, Maggie has replicated successful trade promotion activities that advance market access and compliance priorities. Her programs have led to new partnerships with new multipliers in the area of standards, FCPA, good governance and diversity. She actively incorporates social media into all CS programs to expand their reach.

Maggie graduated from Brandeis University with a B.A. cum laude in Spanish and Latin American Studies and earned a MBA in Marketing and Finance from the Columbia University (NY) Graduate School of Business. She is fluent in Spanish and French and has two adult daughters.

Diane Jones assumed her duties as the Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Commercial Service Office at the U.S. Embassy, Manila Philippines on August 1, 2016.

Prior to this, Diane served as the Deputy Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Commercial Service office in Cairo, Egypt. Prior to Egypt, Diane served one year in the SelectUSA office at the Department of Commerce, working to develop a federal program to attract Foreign Direct Investment into the United States. Preceding her work in SelectUSA, Diane served as a Commercial Officer at the Northern Virginia U.S. Export Assistance Center (USEAC) from 2010-2012, assisting U.S. companies to enter foreign markets.

Diane served as the Senior Commercial Officer for the U.S. Commercial Service in Tripoli, Libya from 2008 – 2010, where she successfully opened the first Commercial Service office in the country following nearly 20 years of U.S. sanctions. Prior to serving in Tripoli, Diane completed a 3 year tour of duty as the Senior Commercial Officer for the U.S. Commercial Service in Accra, Ghana where she worked extensively to ensue U.S. companies were actively involved in the development of the country’s nascent oil & gas sector. Diane also served as a Commercial Officer in Moscow, Russia from 2002-2004.

Prior to joining the U.S. Commercial Service, Diane served as the Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Uzbekistan, where she worked extensively on U.S.-Uzbek trade and investment issues in the country.

Domestically, Diane worked for over 10 years in the Insurance and Financial Services sectors. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in small business development projects in Uzbekistan.

Diane earned an M.B.A. with concentrations in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the University of South Florida and a B.A. in Business and Psychology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Jonathan joined Asia Society in January 2014, after a distinguished career in journalism, including a decade of reporting in Asia. Jonathan began his journalism career in Israel in 1986 and continued as a foreign correspondent based in Hong Kong, New Delhi and Sao Paulo, Brazil, the last two posts as a staff writer for The Wall Street Journal. In 2004, he moved with the Journal to Los Angeles. From 2010 to 2014, Jonathan served as Senior Editor at Marketplace Radio, leading the business coverage for their family of public radio shows. He studied Middle Eastern History at Princeton.

Dr. Ira Kasoff is a recognized expert on Asia. He has lived and worked extensively in the region – ten years in mainland China (Beijing and Shanghai), eight years in Japan, eight in Hong Kong, and two in Taiwan. From 2010-13 he was Senior Counselor at APCO Worldwide, a global public affairs consultancy, and serves currently on APCO's International Advisory Council. Before joining APCO, Kasoff served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Asia, where he oversaw Asia trade policy for the Department, engaged in trade negotiations with officials of key counterpart governments, including China, Japan, and Korea, and served as the senior advisor on Asia to two Secretaries of Commerce, Carlos Gutierrez and Gary Locke.

From 1985 to 2007, Kasoff was a diplomat, serving seven assignments in Asia with the U.S. Commercial Service, including senior positions in the US Consulates General in Shanghai and Hong Kong and the US Embassy in Tokyo. Kasoff has also worked for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he specialized in Asia business strategy. Earlier in his career Kasoff worked as the Beijing representative for Fuqua World Trade Corporation, where he arranged and oversaw manufacturing of consumer goods in China for the US market; and at the National Committee on US-China Relations, where he managed US-China exchange programs.

Dr. Kasoff received his B.A. from Harvard University in 1973, and his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1982. Following the normalization of relations between the US and China in 1979, Kasoff was part of the first group of American scholars sent to China, spending a year doing research at Beijing University. He is the author of a book on Chinese intellectual history, The Thought of Chang Tsai (1020-1077), published originally by the Cambridge University Press, which has recently been translated into Chinese and published by the Shanghai Classics Publishing House.

Ira Kasoff is married to Ms. Ellen Eliasoph, CEO of Village Roadshow Asia, and has one daughter.

Evan Kent represents clients in intellectual property matters, and has extensive experience in the procurement and administration of trademarks, patents and copyrights in the United States and abroad. Much of his practice focuses on issues related to the electrical, chemical, biotechnical and mechanical industries, with special emphasis on trademark and patent protection in the United Kingdom, Pacific Rim and Central and South America. He received his Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Stanford, with honors, and his J.D. from the University of Chicago. He is a frequent speaker on trademark and patent protection in the United States and United Kingdom.

McAuliffe is Founder and President of Newport Ltd., a consumer products and services marketing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1994, Newport’s clients include both American and international consumer product companies as well as some of Japan’s most respected corporations. Newport distributes products and services through a nationwide, face-to-face marketing organization with over 1,000 sales professionals in 80 independently owned sales offices. Depending on the product and service Newport also uses digital marketing and ecommerce, direct marketing as well as retail distribution throughout Japan. Newport obtained ISO14001 certification in 2004.

Prior to founding Newport, McAuliffe held senior-level marketing and strategic development positions for seven years with Reuters Japan Ltd. Before joining Reuters, he worked in Hong Kong for Time Inc. for six years as advertising manager for Time Magazine and later as circulation director for Time in Southeast Asia and then Asian circulation director for Fortune International where he launched the Asian/Pacific edition.

McAuliffe received an MBA from the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business IBEAR Program in 1987 and took his undergraduate degree in English Literature from San Diego State University in 1973. He is active in the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan.

Perry Moreth is a senior vice president and consultant for Wells Fargo Global Banking. Based in Los Angeles, he is responsible advising corporate and middle-market multinational companies on a broad range of global products and services including import and export financing, supply chain finance, cross-border lending, international treasury management, trade services, foreign exchange, and risk management solutions.

With more than 25 years of international and commercial banking experience, Perry is active in the international trade community in Southern California and an invited speaker on a wide range of international topics. He is on the board of directors of Japan America Society of Southern California and co-chairs its membership committee. Perry is also a member of the Hong Kong Association of Southern California and has provided advisory support to the Asia Society of Southern California in the development of its report on Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in California.

He holds a bachelor's degree in finance, real estate, and law from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Dr. Mu, Dan Ping is a co-founder and Executive Director of the World Heritage Foundation, which was founded in 1998 by a group of individuals who recognized the importance to world understanding of the cultural and natural wonders that are embraced by the UNESCO World Heritage Program.

She was formerly a partner with Ernst & Young LLP and a partner with Mu & Kang Consultants LLC focusing on China business; Prior to that she was with Bryan Cave International Law Firm. In her capacity at the former three firms she represented U.S. companies with their China business and was in charge of China business development.

Dr. Mu has extensive knowledge of China from a business, cultural, political and academic perspective. She focuses on strategic planning, market research and market entry, intercultural communications, strategic partnering, government relations, deal structuring and negotiations and cross cultural management training. She frequently lectures and publishes articles on the impact of cross-cultural interchange on business transactions.

Dr. Mu received her bachelor's degree in English from Beijing Normal College, her L.S.M. degree from the Law School of University of Southern California (USC), her MBA in International Business Education and Research from USC, and her Masters and Doctorate of Public Administration degree from USC. She is also an adhoc advisor to the faculty at USC and participates in the school's Pacific Rim forums. Mandarin Chinese is her native language.

Since 1992, Dr. Mu has been a frequent speaker on subjects related to the cultural implications of doing business in China at the USC Annual Asia/Pacific Business Outlook Forums, the USC Annual Pacific Rim Management Programs, the Asia Society/ the Japan American Society's China Forums, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce's China Trade Seminar, the AT&T Senior Management Development Program, Hewlett Packard's China Forums, the Association of Woodworking & Furnishing Suppliers (AWFS)'s Woodworking Industry Conference, the California State Bar International Law Section's China conference, Universal Studio Orlando's China program, the Collaboratory for Research on Global Projects of Stanford University and among others.

Dr. Overholt has been Senior Fellow at Harvard since 2008. From 2013-2015 he was also Senior Fellow and then President of the Fung Global Institute in Hong Kong. From 2002-2008 he was Distinguished Chair and Director of the RAND Corporation’s Center for Asia Pacific Policy. He served as Asia regional Head of Strategy and Economics for Nomura from 1998 to 2001. Before that, he was Managing Director and regional Head of Research at Bank Boston Singapore. During 18 years at Bankers Trust, he managed a country risk team in New York from 1980 to 1984 and then served as regional strategist in Hong Kong. At Hudson Institute, 1971-1979 he directed planning studies for the U.S. Department of State, National Security Council, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Council on International Economic Policy.

Dr. Overholt is author or co-author of seven books, including Renminbi Rising: The Emergence of a New Global Monetary System (2015); Asia, America and the Transformation of Geopolitics (2008); The Rise of China (1993); Political Risk (1982); and (with William Ascher) Strategic Planning and Forecasting (1983). He is principal co-author of: Asia's Nuclear Future (1976) and The Future of Brazil ( 1978). With Zbigniew Brzezinski, he founded the semi-annual Global Assessment in 1976 and edited it until 1988.

Dr. Overholt received his B.A from Harvard and his Ph.D. from Yale. `

Richard Pearson is Business Development Officer for the Asia-Pacific at the Export-Import Bank of the United States. He is responsible for Ex-Im Bank business development and outreach activities in East and Southeast Asia, for coordinating with relevant Asian and U.S. government agencies and marketing Ex-Im’s products throughout Asia. Prior to joining the Export-Import Bank Mr. Pearson held Asia-focused positions at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation and the Central Intelligence Agency. He started his career as a business reporter and translator at The China Post in Taipei.

Mr. Pearson holds a B.A. from St. Olaf College and an MALD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy focusing on economics and Asia at both institutions. He held a Fulbright grant to Taiwan.

Mr. Petrilla joined ChinaVest in September 2015 as Managing Director. Prior to joining ChinaVest, Mr. Petrilla was Executive Director of the California-China Office of Trade and Investment. Prior to that, Mr. Petrilla was an Executive Vice President with Wells Fargo Bank. During a career that spanned over 30 years with Wells Fargo, Ken held many positions, including Head of the China Desk, Regional Manager of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Wells Fargo Bank International, Dublin, Ireland, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Wells Fargo Securities International Limited, London, England, Managing Director of the Wells Fargo HSBC Trade Bank and other senior international banking positions. Ken has significant corporate governance experience. He has served and continues to serve on numerous boards, associations and organizations.

Tom Plate writes about America’s relationship with the Pacific Rim and over the last dozen-plus years, Prof. Plate’s columns have appeared and continue to appear in many world papers, including The South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, The Straits Times in Singapore, The Khaleej Times (Dubai, United Arab Emirates), The Japan Times in Tokyo, The Korea Times in South Korea, The Jakarta Post (Indonesia), The Seattle Times, The Providence Journal and some mid-sized and small U.S papers. The collective circulation of these core newspapers is easily in the millions. Last June, he began a fortnightly series of essays on China as a columnist for the South China Morning Post, the historic ‘listening post of China’.

Today, Prof. Plate is the Distinguished Scholar of Asian and Pacific Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he supervises ‘Asia Media International’ (see: asiamedia.lmu.edu), and leads an education innovation program that conducts live interactive university courses with universities in Asia. Between 1994-2008, Prof. Plate taught, full-time, undergraduate courses in media, ethics and Asian politics at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). He has lectured at UCLA’s Anderson School, the East- West Center at the University of Hawaii, California Polytechnic State University at Pomona, The Getty Museum and Trust in Los Angeles, the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii and at universities in Asia, including the LKY School of Public Policy in Singapore. With Kyoto University in Japan, United Arab Emirates University, Fudan University and (this semester) Yonsei University, he has taught or co-taught courses in live time via skype-type internet hookups.

He is the author of the well-received ‘Giants of Asia’ quartet, which feature separate editions on Lee Kuan Yew, Mohamad Mahathir, Thaksin Shinawatra and Ban Ki-moon; and in the coming fifth volume of the well-received series he proposes to illuminate the thinking of Xi Jinping, the president of China (‘Giants of Asia: Searching for Xi’). His most recent books are ‘In the Middle of the Future: Tom Plate on Asia’ (2013), ‘In the Middle of China’s Future’ (2014), and ‘The Fine Art of the Political Interview’ (2015). ‘Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew’ (2010) garnered the 2011 People’s Choice Award in Asia for best non-fiction book in English, and is currently in its third edition, seventh printing. His 2007 book ‘Confessions of an American Media Man’ and other books are in multiple editions and/or have been translated into Chinese (traditional and simplified), Bahasa (standard Malay), Vietnamese, Korean, Russian and others. Special English editions for India and other countries have been published.

He is a graduate of Amherst College (Phi Beta Kappa) and Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, where he earned his master’s degree in public and international affairs. He has been a staff editor or writer at Time, Newsday, New York Newsday, New York Magazine, CBS and The Daily Mail of London, where he served as guest American editor. From 1989-1995 he was Editor of the Editorial Pages of the Los Angeles Times. He has been honored with major journalism awards, including the coveted American Society of Newspaper Editors Deadline Writing Award, the Greater Los Angeles Press Club Award for “Best Editorial” (three years in a row) and the California Newspaper Publishers Award (three times). He has been a Media Fellow at Stanford University and a fellow in Tokyo at the Japanese Foreign Press Center’s annual Asia-Pacific Media Conference.

He resides in Beverly Hills with his wife Andrea, a licensed clinical social worker, and their three cats. She has two master’s degrees; the cats have no higher-education degrees --- but they do sport their pedigrees.

Stella Poon is currently the Director, Los Angeles, of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) who leads the Council’s team in Los Angeles in facilitating companies in the western states with their business needs in Hong Kong and China using the Hong Kong business platform.

Stella joined the HKTDC in 1999 under the Executive Trainee and was posted to HKTDC’s Beijing office as the Marketing Officer during 2006 – 2008, managing TDC’s promotional activities in the northern China and liaison with the local governments. She repatriated to Hong Kong in 2008 as the Manager of Service Promotion Department overseeing promoting several key creative industries’ sectors such as the digital entertainment, licensing and Information Technology.

Stella joined the HKTDC Los Angeles team in September 2012 and led the team to accomplish the mega campaign “Think Asia, Think Hong Kong”, which attended by close to 1000 business executives. Under her leadership, the Los Angeles Office was recognized by HKTDC management as “Best Branch Office” of the year in 2013. Stella was also awarded as the Global Trade Ambassador – Hong Kong in 2015 by Women in International Trade--Los Angeles (WIT-LA), recognizing her effort in promoting trade between Hong Kong and the United States, in particular California.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Stella graduated from Hong Kong Baptist University with an honour degree in Bachelor of Communication (Chinese Journalism). She is fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.

Since June 3, 2013, Judy Rising Reinke has served as the Deputy Director General of the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service (US&FCS). In this role, Judy is the chief operating officer of the U.S. Government’s premier export promotion agency managing its 100 domestic and 75+ overseas trade offices. In January 2017, Judy began serving in the position of Acting Assistant Secretary for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (US&FCS). She previously served in this capacity during the period of June 2013 through March 2014, where she carried out an expansion that doubled the number of offices in sub-Saharan Africa, opened the agency’s first office in Burma, and deepened staff presence around the world.

From August 2010 to June 2013, Judy served as the Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs in New Delhi, India. In this capacity, she was the senior representative of the U.S. Department of Commerce responsible for the operations of the US&FCS in India, supervising the strategic program of seven trade promotion offices and four related agencies.

Prior to this position, Judy served as the Regional Director for Western Europe overseeing the operations of the US&FCS at U.S. Embassies and Consulates in 14 countries in Europe, as well as the US&FCS liaison office at the European Union. Previously, Judy served as the Senior Commercial Officer in Manila, Philippines (2005 to 2008) and in Bangkok, Thailand (2002-2005). She also served as Deputy Senior Commercial Officer in Jakarta, Indonesia from 1999-2002, responsible for overseeing the operations of the U.S. Commercial Center; Commercial Attaché in Bonn, Germany (1993-1998); and Commercial Officer with responsibility for export control matters in Bern, Switzerland (1990-1992). Judy began her career at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. in the Bureau of Export Administration (1986-1990) and in the Import Administration (1983-1986).

Judy holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University and a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College. Raised in Provo, Utah as the daughter of a U. S. Army Officer, Judy now lives in Falls Church, Virginia with her husband and daughter.

Sidney Rittenberg has known every Chinese leader: Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, the notorious Gang of Four, Deng Xiaoping, and the present president and premier. The Army trained Mr. Rittenberg in Chinese Studies during World War II, and sent him to China. He later joined the UN Relief Program, met and formed a friendship with Zhou Enlai, and in 1946 accepted the invitation to help train Chinese journalists working in English. He became a leading translator for the works of Mao Zedong, and was the only American citizen accepted into the Chinese Communist Party, until he left the party after the Cultural Revolution. In China, Mr. Rittenberg found Yulin, his dream girl and lifetime partner; she has been for 60 years the source of his happiness and the strength behind his achievements.

Sixteen of Rittenberg's 35 years in China were spent as a prisoner in solitary confinement on charges of being an American spy. He was freed in 1977 and declared a true friend of China. His family became a myth and a legend, giving them easy entrée to China's leaders - a great advantage for their consulting work. As consultants, Mr. Rittenberg and Yulin have helped clients such as Intel, Nextel, Levi Strauss, Teledesic, and IDC, as well as CBS's Dan Rather and Mr. Rittenberg's close friends, the late Mike Wallace and the Reverend Billy Graham.

Mr. Rittenberg has appeared on virtually every major TV and radio comment program, and frequently gives seminars on the China business. He has been a professor of History at the University of North Carolina, where an endowed chair has been announced in his honor. He is currently a visiting professor of China Studies at Pacific Lutheran University. Mr. Rittenberg's 35 years in China are chronicled in The Man Who Stayed Behind, a book he co-authored with senior Wall Street Journal writer Amanda Bennett. Yulin tells her amazing life story in 'After the Bitter Comes the Sweet.'

Stanley Rosen is a professor of political science at USC specializing in Chinese politics and society and was the Director of the East Asian Studies Center at USC’s Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences from 2005-2011. He studied Chinese in Taiwan and Hong Kong and has traveled to mainland China over 40 times over the last 30 years. His courses range from Chinese politics and Chinese film to political change in Asia, East Asian societies, comparative politics theory, and politics and film in comparative perspective. The author or editor of eight books and many articles, he has written on such topics as the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese legal system, public opinion, youth, gender, human rights, and film and the media. He is the co-editor of Chinese Education and Society and a frequent guest editor of other translation journals. His most recent books include Chinese Politics: State, Society and the Market [Routledge, 2010] (co-edited with Peter Hays Gries) and Art, Politics and Commerce in Chinese Cinema [Hong Kong University Press, 2010 (co-edited with Ying Zhu). Other ongoing projects include a study of the changing attitudes and behavior of Chinese youth, and a study of Hollywood films in China and the prospects for Chinese films on the international market, particularly in the United States.

In addition to his academic activities at USC, Professor Rosen has escorted eleven delegations to China for the National Committee on US-China Relations (including American university presidents, professional associations, and Fulbright groups), and consulted for the World Bank, the Ford Foundation, the United States Information Agency, the Los Angeles Public Defenders Office and a number of private corporations, film companies, law firms and U.S. government agencies.

David T. Ross serves as the Country Manager for Southeast Asia at the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), where he develops and manages infrastructure projects across one of the world’s fastest-growing regions. Mr. Ross also leads the worldwide renewable energy team, which educates and advises Agency staff on current technology trends and market opportunities.

Prior to his work in Southeast Asia, Mr. Ross served as the Country Manager for Colombia and the Caribbean. He began his career at USTDA in 2010 in the Office of Program Evaluation, where he evaluated the results of USTDA's funding commitments and advised Agency leadership and program staff on how to utilize those results to improve performance throughout the project life cycle. Prior to joining USTDA, Mr. Ross worked for the U.S. Department of Treasury, in the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Mr. Ross holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and International Relations from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Ross is a partner at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp (MSK) where she Chairs the International Trade Practice Group which focuses on Customs, international trade, transportation, FDA, export licensing, corporate compliance/governance and import/export issues, along with anti-corruption and other trade compliance concerns. She is also Chair of MSK’s Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection Practice Group which assists clients to implement privacy and system preventive policies and procedures, but also provides breach resolution assistance.

She is a co-founder of www.canada-usblog.com and is a prolific writer and frequent speaker on trade issues. She plays an active role in many bar and trade associations, including the American Association of Exporters and Importers and its Industry Leadership Council; American Bar Association, International Law Section; is Immediate Past Chair of the District Export Council of Southern California, and 2016/17 Vice Chair and Steering Committee Member of the National District Export Council.

Patrick Santillo is the Minister-Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. As the Senior Commercial Officer in India, Mr. Santillo leads a team of more than 75 professionals working in seven offices across the country. This includes representatives from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service, Patent and Trademark Office and Bureau of Industry and Security. Together they promote U.S. exports, open foreign markets to American products, protect U.S. commercial and intellectual property interests abroad, enforce U.S. export control requirements and encourage foreign direct investment into the United States. Mr. Santillo has served in this position since September 2016.

Mr. Santillo previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for China and Mongolia in the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration (ITA). In this role, he was responsible for the Department’s operations in China, Hong Kong and Mongolia. He was an active leader in the U.S. Government’s inter-agency process that shaped U.S. trade policy in the region and he advised the Department’s senior leadership on trade issues regarding the bilateral commercial relationships. He helped shape the Department's trade promotion agenda, and as a member of ITA’s Senior Leadership Team, he also fostered operational excellence across the organization.

As the Regional Senior Commercial Officer-ASEAN at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore from 2011-2014, Mr. Santillo coordinated the U.S. Department of Commerce’s initiatives across the ten countries of ASEAN. He was the Department’s Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific from 2008-2011. As such, Mr. Santillo supported Commercial Service operations in 13 countries across the region. Mr. Santillo also served as the Deputy Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo from 2004-2008. There he had day-to-day operational responsibility for one of the largest Commercial Service programs in the world. His previous assignments also include tours of duty in Toronto, Athens, Washington, Osaka and Tokyo.

A member of the Senior Foreign Service, Mr. Santillo has worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce for more than 30 years. He is a native of Buffalo, NY, and earned his Master's Degree in Economics from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations from the American University in Washington, D.C. Mr. Santillo was a Rotary International High School Exchange Student to Japan, and he is an Eagle Scout. He is a member of the Harley Owners Group (HOG) and he is an avid fan of the Blues.

Mr. Santillo is married to Kathleen Troy Santillo, and they have two daughters.

Stuart Schaag is the Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi. Mr. Schaag and his staff, part of the U.S. Commercial Service’s global network, are responsible for promoting U.S. exports and protecting U.S. business interests in one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic economies. A 20-year veteran at the Department of Commerce, his prior assignments in the Commercial Service include Prague, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, St. Petersburg and Vladivostok, Russia, and the U.S. Export Assistance Center in Chicago. Before joining the U.S. Commercial Service, Stuart served as the Department of Commerce’s Russia and Caucasus Desk Officer in Washington, DC. Since joining the Department, he has spent more than a decade living in or traveling across much of the former Soviet Union in support of U.S. government trade programs and commercial and energy policies in the Caspian Basin and Sakhalin Shelf. He started his public service career investigating anti-dumping cases as an analyst at the Department’s Import Administration. Previous employment includes a telecommunications start-up in Atlanta and a legislative assistant on Capitol Hill.

Originally from Jupiter, FL, Stuart holds a BBA in International Marketing and Finance from the University of Miami (FL) and a MBA from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird) in Arizona. He speaks Russian and Czech. Stuart is married, the father to a nine-year old son, and returns to his home in Tampa, FL when not overseas.

Scott Shaw is the Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China. As Acting Minister-Counselor, Scott oversees the U.S. Department of Commerce’s trade promotion and trade policy initiatives in China. These initiatives include promoting U.S. exports to China, facilitating inbound Chinese investment into the U.S., as well as administering anti-dumping/countervailing duty cases, intellectual property protection, and export controls. As Counselor for Commercial Affairs, Scott is also responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Commerce Department's largest overseas presence, including managing commercial officers and staff at six Commerce offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang, and Wuhan.

Scott most recently served as Chief Commercial Consul for the U.S. Department of Commerce in Hong Kong, covering both Hong Kong and Macau. Previously, Scott was the Deputy Senior Commercial Officer for the U.S. Department of Commerce in Brazil. In Brazil, Mr. Shaw was responsible for the day-to-day operations of CS Brazil’s 5 offices. Prior to Brazil, Mr. Shaw was the Commercial Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Thailand. He also served as the Director of the U.S. Commercial Center in Shanghai, China and as Commercial Consul at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China, where he received the Commerce Department’s Gold Medal Award, the highest award granted by the Secretary of Commerce for excellence in federal service.

Mr. Shaw began his career with the Commerce Department in positions in Washington D.C., Chicago and Manila, Philippines. He is a graduate of Cornell University and a past participant of the Cornell Public Policy program in Washington, D.C.

Ken Silverman leads North American initiatives for the Sannam S4 Group, which provides market entry services in 21 global territories. Launched in India in 2008, and now the preeminent India market entry organization, the company has 135 employees and has successfully served more than 200 leading international corporations, universities, non-profits, trade associations, and government agencies. Sannam S4 services span market research, business validation, partner due diligence, strategic planning, compliance and regulatory matters, finance and accounting, HR, marketing and social media, delegation management, cultural awareness training, and more. The Company’s subsidiary specifically focused on serving the special needs of smaller and mid-sized American corporations and organizations, U.S. Business Centers, has offices in Delhi and Mumbai, in 2016. Sannam S4 Group is a designated Strategic Partner of the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration (ITA).

Ken is a veteran business and media strategist, executive, and entrepreneur, including almost two decades' experience in and with India. For 8 years he represented US entertainment industry initiatives for the media & entertainment arm of the $100 billion p/yr. Tata Group, India’s oldest and largest industrial conglomerate. On behalf of Tata and other Indian media clients he secured, negotiated, and/or oversaw India-based assignments for the Walt Disney Company, DreamWorks, Liberty Media/Starz, MGM, Sony, 20th Century Fox, and others. His added clients and affiliations have included Annapurna Studios (India), Columbia Pictures, DirecTV, Dow Jones, Film City (India), General Electric, the Government of Maharashtra, Harvard University, Meredith Publishing, Tribune Company, UCLA, Warner Bros., and others. He additionally wrote the start-up business plan for Black Entertainment Television (BET), which was subsequently acquired by Viacom, Inc., for $3.1 billion.

Ken is also Chairman of the Board of the South Asian Studies Association (SASA), an amalgam of university scholars from around the world, and former Chairman of the Board of the non-profit Caritas Telecommunications. He produced and moderated two of India’s earliest and largest international media and technology conferences, in 2000 and 2001, which featured industry CEOs and leaders from six continents. He is additionally a frequent speaker at universities, film festivals, and conferences globally. Some of his recent addresses have been at events hosted by Columbia University, Stanford University, the Wharton School. the Government of India, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), the World Hindu Economic Forum, and others.

Nicole Simonian is International Trade Practice Co-Leader of the firm's International Trade Client Service Group. She also serves as the firm's Asia Coordinator, responsible for managing strategic growth and other initiatives throughout Asia in connection with the Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore offices. In addition, Ms. Simonian has led the firm's Asia Employment Practice for more than seven years.  

Ms. Simonian has traditionally advised companies from emerging growth to multinational conglomerates on their current corporate structures and global business expansion throughout Asia (including China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, and Thailand). She also has experience working with companies in Latin America and Europe. Her clients span a number of industries, including aerospace, personal care, semiconductor assembly and testing, food and beverage, medical devices, retail, apparel and textiles, advertising, and outsourcing services. Her experience also includes working with companies to ensure and manage compliance risks with government authorities in Asia on issues dealing with investment regulations, customs and trade, and the FCPA.  

With her background in cross-border transactions, Ms. Simonian recognized the need to support her clients in mobilizing and managing global workforces in conjunction with companies expanding and increasing their international footprint. Her unique experience and background in corporate, trade, and international employment law provides a holistic approach for her clients in considering the regulatory environment in both the domestic and international context. She regularly advises clients with respect to international employment issues including day-to-day compliance, strategic alliances, restructuring, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and post-acquisition integration. Ms. Simonian has significant experience assisting companies in developing and maintaining international workforces and structuring global mobility and expatriate processes to address the growing need to move talent and goods across borders.

Ms. Simonian frequently speaks and conducts roundtable and panel discussions on international compliance issues before domestic and global in-house legal counsel. She also serves as the mentor coordinator for the firm’s Los Angeles office and as the women’s initiative office liaison, having previously led the women’s initiative firmwide for more than seven years. In addition, she is active in the Future Leaders Program for the Pacific Council on International Policy, an international affairs organization focused on public policy issues impacting the West Coast. In this role, she works alongside a select group of prominent civic and business leaders to develop and implement strategies to prepare younger members for international public service.

With over 20 years of experience in the leadership development and consulting industry, Tracy stands as a Senior Partner and the President International for Partners In Leadership. As a distinguished expert in the fields of workplace accountability and organizational culture, he has helped leaders of organizations from around the globe overcome tough business challenges. Tracy is also the co-author of Fix It: Getting Accountability Right, the long-anticipated sequel to The Oz Principle.

Tracy has assisted organizations throughout the world to achieve Key Results in countries such as Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Throughout his career, he has facilitated executive and management teams with such prominent organizations as Abbot, ADP, Alcatel-Lucent, American Airlines, Amer Sports, Audatex, BP, Brinker International, California Pizza Kitchen, Clorox, Cox Communications, Credit Suisse, DSM, Farmer John, Internal Revenue Service, Johnson Controls, Kellogg, Marriot, McCormick, McDonald’s, Merck, Microsoft, Petronas, Pfizer, Philips, Precor, QVC, Red Robin, Roche, Turner Broadcasting System, UnitedHealth Group, and Ventana.

Notably, he teamed up with Hormel to implement the Partners In Leadership training to assist them in achieving their goal of one billion dollars in new product sales. Significantly, this milestone was achieved over one-year ahead of schedule and provides further evidence that greater accountability produces results!

Tracy has been a keynote speaker for numerous organizations and has been the primary speaker for Precor and LTP for over 10 years. He has also conducted presentations and speaking engagements for ATD, CIO conferences, at HSM (a global leadership conference in Mexico City), and at a leadership conference sponsored by ICAN, the publisher of the Harvard Business Review in Poland. Tracy received his bachelor of science from Brigham Young University in international relations and is fluent in the Spanish language.

Ron Somers is Founder and CEO of India First Group, LLC, a strategic consulting firm dedicated to helping U.S. companies succeed in investing in India and assisting Indian companies navigate the complex regulatory environment in the United States. Ron Somers’ track record of attracting and serving clients is proven by his having grown the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) into the largest bilateral trade association in the United States – with more than 265 companies in its membership.

Ron recently completed 10 years’ service as President of the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC), based in Washington, D.C., where he has grown this 39-year old premier business advocacy organization to cutting-edge stature, whose aim is to deepen two-way trade and strengthen U.S.-India commercial ties. The landmark U.S.-India civil nuclear initiative was cinched under Ron’s leadership. Presidents and Prime Ministers, indeed, all political and business leaders from both countries, look to USIBC for policy direction and for a platform to deepen commerce between the world’s largest two democracies.

Ron brings to the table 30+ years’ experience developing major infrastructure projects in the United States and Asia – starting in the oil and gas industry on the drilling rigs of West Texas, transitioning to hydroelectric and power development, and then onwards to senior management for international companies of upstream, midstream and downstream energy He serves on the Advisory Board of the Taj Hotels, a Tata Group Company, as well as on the International Leadership Council of the Monterey Institute of International Studies – a Graduate School of Middlebury College.

Catherine Spillman joined the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2003 and is a career foreign service officer with the U.S. Commercial Service. She currently serves as the Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Prior to her assignment to Malaysia, Catherine had international assignments at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, and the U.S. Consulate General Osaka-Kobe. She is a past leader of the Global Asia-Pacific Team. Previous work included public and private sector work in Japan and consulting, business development, and international trade program management in the U.S. Catherine earned her BA from Brown University and her MBA from Trinity College, University of Dublin.

David Stepp is the Singapore Office Managing Partner of the firm’s Singapore office. In this role, he focuses on strategic business and professional development in Southeast Asia and represents companies located in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere in Asia. Mr. Stepp advises on a variety of customs and international trade issues for clients in industries such as motor vehicles, steel, textile and apparel products, footwear, retail, electronic products, cosmetics, and other consumer goods. His practice focuses on customs compliance and counseling, including tariff classification, valuation, country of origin marking, free trade agreements, Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) participation, and other international trade regulatory requirements. He regularly counsels multinational companies on their e-commerce strategies globally, conducts global customs and international trade audits, and advises on improving and benchmarking compliance programs. Mr. Stepp also counsels on the coordination of international trade compliance for companies operating in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Mr. Stepp’s legal career has been primarily in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Early in his career, he was associated with a major U.S. customhouse broker and advised the company’s importing clients on U.S. customs practices and procedures. While in Washington, D.C., he represented electronics and automotive companies in the negotiation of the NAFTA rules of origin for their products.

Mr. Stepp remains active in the international trade and legal communities in Southern California. He was the instructor for the Los Angeles Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association’s semi-annual course for ten years, preparing students to take the customs brokers licensing test. Mr. Stepp’s legal publications include articles on textile country of origin issues and an analysis of the criminal customs statutes in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. He also authored a guidebook on NAFTA procedures for a major U.S. electronics trade association and lectured in Japan on the scope and effect of the rules. In his new role as the Managing Partner of the firm’s Singapore office, he continues to advise companies on their international trade and customs operations.

Mr. Stepp is a frequent speaker on global customs and international trade issues.

Mr. Lawrence Tang is the Head of Investment Promotion in the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in San Francisco. HKETO in the United States is the permanent representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSARG). The HKETO’s mission is to represent the HKSARG in strengthening the economic, trade, investment and cultural ties between Hong Kong and the United States. Mr. Tang is specialized in investment promotion facilitation. Together with Invest Hong Kong, the HKSARG agency dedicated to promoting inward investment in Hong Kong, Mr. Tang provides information, advice and assistance to facilitate U.S. companies in setting up and expanding their business in Hong Kong.

Mr. Tang holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from University of Hong Kong, a bachelor’s degree in laws from University of Wolverhampton (UK) and a master’s degree in business administration from University of Warwick (UK).

Alan Turley is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for China and Mongolia in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. He leads a team of over 160 professionals in the U.S. and overseas that is dedicated to opening foreign markets to American products, protecting American Commercial interests abroad, promoting U.S. exports, and encouraging investment into the United States. He advises the leadership in the Department of Commerce on trade-policy issues regarding the commercial relationship between the U.S. and China and helps shape the Department’s trade promotion agenda.

Prior to re-joining the Commercial Service, Mr. Turley was Vice President for International Affairs in Asia Pacific for FedEx Express. Twice a winner of FedEx’s coveted “Five Star Award,” Mr. Turley helped manage FedEx’s rapid growth and expansion in Asia, including the building of China’s first international air express hub, the founding of FedEx’s wholly-owned operations in China, and the approval of FedEx’s purchase of TNT Express.

From 2000 to 2002, Mr. Turley was the Minister-Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, and from 1996 to 2000 he served in the same capacity at the Embassy in Beijing.

Mr. Turley’s previous service in the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service started in 1986 in Japan, where he headed the Major Projects and Transportation Equipment Unit. Mr. Turley then served as the Director of the Commercial Service's International Marketing Center at the U.S. Embassy in London before moving back to Asia to become Deputy Senior Commercial Officer at the American Institute in Taiwan. Mr. Turley studied Chinese at National Taiwan Normal University's Mandarin Training Center.

Nick Vyas is a nationally recognized expert in Global Supply Chain and Lean Six Sigma application with practical and academic knowledge. He has run global supply chain for fortune 50 companies with proven results and robust transformation. He is a master black belt who is passionate about the continuous improvement in a holistic manner. He currently is leading efforts at USC Marshall School of Business in the area of Global Supply Chain. He also teaches hands on Supply Chain Management and Lean Six Sigma courses at Cal Poly Pomona to mid/senior level executives from various industries such as Retail, Health Care, Government Service, Manufacturing, and nonprofit organizations. Along with his passion for LSS, Mr. Vyas has helped Fortune 50 to 100 companies achieve outstanding results in the area of distribution, operations, and transportation across various industry sectors. His expertise covers End to End (E2E) Supply Chain, process design-redesign and driving efficiency.

Douglas Wallace is a U.S. diplomat in the Senior Foreign Service with rank of Counselor who serves at the U.S. Consulate in Sydney, Australia as Commercial Counselor, where he manages a dynamic, high profile Commercial Service operation based throughout Australia and New Zealand. In Sydney and throughout his career in the Foreign Service, Mr. Wallace has been responsible for promoting U.S. business interests abroad, partnering U.S. firms with foreign agents and distributors, and conducting commercial diplomacy to resolve trade problems and increase market entry for U.S. goods abroad.

Mr. Wallace’s previous assignments include: Commercial Counselor for Saudi Arabia– U.S. Embassy, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2015-17) Commercial Counselor for North Africa – U.S. Consulate, Casablanca, Morocco (2013-15) Senior Trade Specialist – U.S. Export Assistance Center, San Francisco, CA (2010-13) Senior Commercial Officer – U.S. Embassy, Algiers, Algeria (2008-10) Deputy Senior Commercial Officer – U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, Israel (2005-08) Principal Commercial Officer – U.S. Consulate Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (2004-05) Commercial Officer – U.S. Embassy, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2003-04)

From 1998 to 2002, Mr. Wallace worked in the Commerce Department’s Office of Africa where he contributed to U.S. trade policy in West and Central Africa. Before working for the U.S. Government, Douglas taught English in Tunisia and studied advanced-level Arabic at the American University in Cairo.

Mr. Wallace earned an MA in international economics at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and a dual BA in Near Eastern Studies and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. Douglas is married, a proud California native, and speaks advanced-level Arabic and French.

Paul Wilson is the Managing Director of Myanmar Capital Advisors. He has been doing business with Myanmar for over 15 years. Considered a pioneer in the Myanmar telecommunications industry, Paul co-founded a company in the late ‘90s to partner with the government and provide mobile communications services. He returned to Myanmar in early 2012 and founded MCA to offer advisory support to investors and multinational clients. Paul is also the Managing Director of Four Rivers, a US investment company focused on Myanmar’s potential. Over the past 20 years he has lived in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Korea working for multinational corporations including Microsoft, Accenture and Lucent Technologies. Paul’s corporate roles have included government engagement, business development and partner/channel management. He began his career as a Signal Corps officer with the United States Army. Paul is a graduate of the University of Southern California (MBA), Georgia Tech (MSEE) and Clarkson University (BS).

Greg has served in American Embassies in Bangkok, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi, Iraq, Taiwan, and Guangzhou and holds rank of Minister Counselor. Previously, Greg worked for Jockey International, World Trade Center – St. Louis, was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Burundi, Advisor to the UN High Commission for Refugees in Rwanda, and Board Chair for an organization that supported five orphanages in Vietnam. Greg graduated from Harvard University (MPA), and the University of Hawaii (MBA). He was awarded a Gold Medal by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce - the highest award bestowed by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

As the General Director of Deep C Industrial Zones, a consortium between Rent-A-Port (Belgium) and local authority, Frank leads the development of a 3,000 ha industrial cluster in the heart of north Vietnam economic center. Frank has helped to create reliable and international standard infrastructure to host the expansion of international companies to Vietnam, being an active drive in investment attraction to Haiphong City. He is also responsible for taking care of customers in setting up companies/factories/ operations in Vietnam.

Prior to Deep C, Frank worked as Business Development Manager Katoen Natie (Belgium), where he was largely involved in the product and overseas business development of the group, including Asia, UK, Germany, UAE, USA, Sweden, France.

Frank holds a Master of Science in Engineering from the Free University of Brussels - Belgium and a Master in Business Administration from the Vlerick School of Management in Ghent - Belgium.

Frank serves as the Advisor in Economic Diplomacy for the Belgian Embassy in Vietnam.

Andrew Wylegala is the Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Wylegala served as Senior Commercial Officer at the United States Consulate General in Hong Kong from 2008 to 2012.

In over 18 years with the Commercial Service, Andrew Wylegala has held posts in Korea, Mexico, Peru, Ukraine, Germany and Iraq. Andrew received Commerce's Bronze Medal for superior federal service three times, most recently for his work in Baghdad, where he opened satellite Commercial Service offices in Erbil in the Kurdish Region of Iraq, and Amman, Jordan and introduced a host of critically needed business promotion services to the Iraqis.

Prior to taking the U.S. Foreign Service exam, Andrew was a Presidential Management Fellow on assignment to the U.S. Treasury Department, the U.S. Trade Representative, and the International Trade Commission. He also worked on trade issues for U.S. Senator from Alaska Frank Murkowski and was an Intern for the House Economic Stabilization Committee under Congressman John LaFalce.

Mr. Wylegala holds a B.A. with Honors from Cornell University and an M.A. in International Relations from John Hopkins University/S.A.I.S. (Bologna and D.C.). He speaks Chinese, Japanese, German and Spanish.

William Zarit advises major Chinese companies how to navigate the U.S. investment market, and helps U.S. multinationals working in the Chinese commercial environment. A Senior Counselor with The Cohen Group, he also serves as Chairman of the Board for the American Chamber of Commerce in China.

Until May 2014 Mr. Zarit was Minister for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, in charge of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s trade promotion and trade policy activities in its operations in Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenyang. He retired with the diplomatic rank of Career Minister.

Prior to his posting to Beijing, Mr. Zarit was Deputy Assistant Secretary, International Operations, for the U.S. Commercial Service, overseeing Commercial Sections in U.S. Embassies and Consulates worldwide. The U.S. Commercial Service is the Federal Government’s front line trade agency, promoting both U.S. exports and foreign investment into the U.S., and protecting U.S. commercial interests overseas. Prior to that Mr. Zarit served as the U.S. Commercial Service’s Regional Director for East Asia/Pacific. He also served as Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Deputy Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and Deputy Senior Commercial Officer at the American Institute in Taiwan.

Before joining the U.S. Commercial Service Mr. Zarit was Economic and Commercial Program Officer for the New York-based National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. Prior to that he served as Marketing Manager/China for Pacific Bell’s international operations, preceded by his work as Project Manager for the first IBM PC dealer in China, China Business Associates. Mr. Zarit also served as Mandarin Chinese Interpreter for the U.S. State Department Language Services.

He earned an M.B.A. with Honors from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.A. with Honors in Political Science from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.