Wednesday, March 29 – AM Keynote

Gabe Esparza,  Associate Administrator for the Office of International Trade at the U.S. Small Business Administration

The Critical Role of Exports for U.S. Prosperity: The View from the U.S. SBA

The SBA has a strong focus on supporting the exporting success of small businesses. The SBA is also involved in FTA negotiations and supporting cross-board dialogs on SME international trade opportunities and challenges. Mr. Esparza will provide his insights on the current state of U.S. trade from a small business perspective.

About Your Presenter: 

Mr. Esparza serves as Associate Administrator for the Office of International Trade at the U.S. Small Business Administration. In this role, Mr. Esparza will be responsible for leading Export Loan Programs; the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) and assisting small businesses in trade. 

Previously, Mr. Esparza served as a public official in the City of Los Angeles, appointed by the Mayor to the Board of Civil Service Commissioners, and as Vice President of Global Business Development in the Commercial Payments division at American Express. A seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience leading businesses, spanning both large corporations and nimble startups, Mr. Esparza has also spent the past five years as an investor, advisor, and operator in a variety of entrepreneurial ventures. In addition, Mr. Esparza played an integral role at RapidSOS, a government tech platform that provides a data-driven way for people to communicate with 911.  

He attended Stanford University and Harvard Business School. 

 

Wednesday, March 29 – Luncheon Keynote Panel

The Export Ecosystem: Are the existing tools and resources sufficient to support the needs of SMEs?

The panel will discuss two recently published surveys on small business engagement in global markets conducted by the EXIM Bank and National Small Business Association, and the SBA. Highlighting the challenges and opportunities for SMEs, the discussion will focus on innovative ideas to enhance export assistance and move the needle as it relates to U.S. SME participation in global markets in general, and underserved communities in particular.

Panel Members:

• Daniel Crocker, Director for the Dean Rusk International Studies Program at Davidson College 
• William (Bill) Cummins, Executive State Director at Alabama SBDC Network
• Shawn Marie Jarosz, Founder and Chief Trade Strategist, TradeMoves LLC 

Moderator:

• Doug Palmer, Senior Trade Report at POLITCO 

About Your Panelists/Moderator:

Daniel Crocker, Director for the Dean Rusk International Studies Program at Davidson College

 

Daniel’s Senior Foreign Service career at the U.S. Department of Commerce culminated in an assignment as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasia, one of the agency’s top three Foreign Service positions. Daniel also served as Commerce’s Executive Director for Western Hemisphere and in diplomatic assignments in Spain, Panama, Brazil, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic.

Daniel’s recent private sector work included a stint as CEO at Veracity Worldwide, a boutique political risk advisory firm. Prior to two decades of public service, Daniel held engineering management positions in the private sector with Accel, Sequoia, and Benchmark VC-funded ecommerce startups, Schlumberger, Amsted Rail, and as an MIT consultant for Hewlett-Packard.

Daniel holds degrees from Princeton University, the University of Virginia, and MIT.

 

William (Bill) Cummins, Executive State Director at the Alabama SBDC Network

 

In June 2011, Bill Cummins was named Executive State Director of the Alabama Small Business Development Center Network, a public sector service organization devoted to supporting Alabama small business. Bill is a thirty-year veteran of commercial banking and joined Bank One/New Orleans in 1998 as the Market Manager -- Trade Finance for Louisiana. In 2000, he was promoted to first vice president for Global Treasury & Trade (Southeastern Market Manager). In 2004, Bank One merged with JP Morgan Chase, and Bill served as Executive Director for Global Trade Services for JPMorgan Chase Bank.

Bill is a former member of the Bankers’ Association on Foreign Trade and co-founded its Small Business Export Finance Committee. He has served as an expert witness regarding trade finance before several congressional committees and is a frequent lecturer for trade groups, financial institutions and universities. Bill is a published author on trade finance with articles appearing is such periodicals as The Exporter, RMA Guide to Commercial Lending, Export Today.  He is a member and former Vice Chair of the Louisiana District Export Council – LADEC and former Chairman of the Alabama District Export Council, 1994-96 (and its Vice Chairman from 2014 to present). For many years, Bill served on the faculty of the LSU Graduate School of Banking; he is a former adjunct professor with Birmingham-Southern University. From 2017 to 2020, Bill served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of District Export Councils and from 2019 to 2020, he served on the Advisory Committee of the Export-Import Bank.  In March of 2022, Bill was recognized as the recipient of the Governor’s Export Advocacy Award by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey.

A New Orleans native, Bill is a graduate of Tulane University and of the Master of International Business Studies (MIBS) program of the University of South Carolina.  

 

Shawn Marie Jarosz, Founder and Chief Trade Strategist at TradeMoves LLC

 

Shawn’s tenure in international trade spans more than 25 years managing global sourcing/supply issues on behalf of U.S. companies of all sizes as well as related industry associations, primarily in the food and agriculture sector. Shawn is a cleared industry advisor to the U.S. Government on trade issues affecting U.S. small, minority and women-led businesses (past Chair, Industry Trade Advisory Committee/ITAC 9), and served on USDA’s Agriculture Trade Advisory Committee (ATAC) for processed foods for two terms from 2008 to 2015. She has been a licensed U.S. Customs broker since 2007 and is a Certified Customs Specialist. Shawn, along with members of her TradeMoves’ team, is a Certified Global Business Professional. Shawn received her Bachelor’s from the University of Michigan and her MBA from George Washington University, where she was awarded the Wolcott Fellowship in International Business.

TradeMoves works at the intersection of trade operations and trade policy and supports clients’ priorities on “cross-border trade and …”, including trade and market access, trade and supply chain strategies, trade and sustainability, trade and health and wellness, and trade and human rights.  TradeMoves is proud to be a 2020 Presidential “E” Award recipient for Export Services and a certified woman-owned small business.

 

Doug Palmer, Senior Trade Reporter at POLITICO 

Doug Palmer has been a reporter in Washington for more than three decades and has been covering trade for more than 20 years. He has been senior trade reporter at POLITICO since 2013. He helps produce the Morning Trade newsletter each morning, and has covered trade negotiations and disputes with China, the EU and all regions of the world. 

 

Thursday, March 30 – AM Keynote

Tiffany Smith, VP – Global Trade Policy with the National Foreign Trade Council

Reevaluating Trade Policy Priorities to Meet Today's Challenges

Tiffany Smith, Vice President of Global Trade at the National Foreign Trade Council will discuss a range of issues facing U.S. companies that trade internationally and how these issues have reshaped the trade policy agenda. Hear how companies are engaging to shape policies to address the growing complexities and build on the opportunities that arise from engaging in international trade. 

About Your Presenter:

Tiffany L. Smith is Vice President for Global Trade Policy at the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC), where she leads efforts to advance global commerce and strengthen U.S. companies’ competitiveness abroad. She oversees the development and execution of NFTC’s trade policy strategy and leads work on key bilateral and regional trade relationships, the World Trade Organization, and tariff reform issues.

The NFTC is the premier association for leadership, expertise, and influence on international tax and trade policy issues. Founded in 1914, NFTC promotes an open, rules-based global economy on behalf of a diverse membership of U.S.-based businesses. NFTC believes trade and tax policies should foster fair access to the opportunities of the global economy and advance global commerce for good.

Tiffany previously served as senior policy advisor in Mayer Brown’s international trade and government relations practices where she advised clients on international trade policy and regulations. Prior to joining Mayer Brown, she worked for 16 years in the Federal Government, serving in positions in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the United States Senate, and the Department of Commerce.

She is a graduate of The George Washington University (M.A., International Affairs) and the Stephen F. Austin State University (B.A., Political Science).

 

Thursday, March 30 – Luncheon Keynote

Eugene Laney, President & CEO, American Association of Exporters & Importers (AAEI)

2023 Trade Policy Update: Is Global Trade Shifting?

Join Eugene Laney, President & CEO, American Association of Exporters & Importers (AAEI) as he shares a review on how well trade had rebounded from recent supply-chain disruptions and reshuffling trade flows. Gain insight on predictions on how U.S. trade policy might evolve moving forward and what they could mean for U.S. businesses. 

About Your Presenter:

Eugene Laney Jr. currently serves as AAEI’s President & CEO.  He has over 25 years of experience in public and governmental affairs.

Eugene previously served as the Head of International Government Affairs for DHL Express USA. He represented DHL before the U.S. Congress and government agencies and foreign embassies and served as DHL Express’ media spokesperson on international trade issues. Eugene’s recent work included contributing to congressional passage of the Trade Facilitation and Enforcement Act of 2015, which seeks to help U.S. businesses grow globally by improving the transparency and predictably of trade and customs laws. 

Prior to joining DHL, Eugene served on the leadership team for the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the largest trade association dedicated to the interests of business travel professionals and suppliers. At GBTA, Eugene worked on transportation, homeland security and economic issues with Fortune 500 travel departments and airlines, hotels, and travel agencies, including following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Eugene worked with the Federal Aviation Administration, the White House, and the newly formed Transportation Security Administration to create a pathway to improve the nation’s airport security. 

Eugene received his Ph.D. in American Government at Howard University and his B.A. and Master of Public Administration from Florida A&M University. He has an Executive Certificate in Management and Leadership from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.