Speaker Biographies

Spencer Bachus

EXIM Director and former Congressman, Board of Directors, Export-Import Bank of the United States

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Gemma Bae

Managing Director and Head of Structured Export Finance, ING Americas

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Christopher Baker

Director, Global Metals and Mining, BMO Capital Markets

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Jenna Ben-Yehuda

Executive Vice President, Atlantic Council

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John A. Bohn

Managing Partner, TESIAC

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Ambassador Candace A. Bond

United States Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago

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Courtenay Brown

Economics Reporter at Axios and co-author of the daily newsletter, “Axios Macro.”

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Ian Brzezinski

Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council

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Jay Carmel

Principal at Renaissance Strategic Advisors

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Megan Cassella

Washington Correspondent, CNBC

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Kevin N. Cirilli

VP of Branding, Blue Star Families

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Kyle Clark

Founder and CEO, BETA Technologies

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Steve Clemons

Founding Editor at Large, Semafor

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Margaret Cosentino

Executive Vice President, Westinghouse Electric Company

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Thomas Debass

Deputy Special Representative, Office of Global Partnerships, U.S. Department of State

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Dr. Raj DasGupta

CEO, Electrovaya

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Martin Durbin

President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Energy Institute

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Director Enoh T. Ebong

Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency

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Jason Few

President and Chief Executive Officer, FuelCell Energy, Inc.

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Stephanie von Friedeburg

Managing Director, Public Sector, Banking, Capital Markets and Advisory Division, Citi

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Eric Gertler

Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of U.S. News & World Report

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Michael B. Greenwald

Senior Executive, Global Head for Financial Innovation and Digital Assets, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

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Trevor Gunn

Vice President, International Relations for Medtronic

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Stephen Greene

Chief Operating Officer, American Trade Finance (Atrafin) LLC

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Regina Gwynn

Co-Founder, Black Women Talk Tech

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Owen Herrnstadt

Member, Board of Directors, Export-Import Bank of United States

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Fred P. Hochberg

Former Chairman, Export-Import Bank of the United States

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Barbara Humpton

President and CEO, Siemens Corporation

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Abigail Hunter

Executive Director, Amb. Alfred J. Hoffman Center for Critical Minerals Strategy, SAFE

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Alex Jacquez

Special Assistant to the President, White House National Economic Council

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Vince Jesaitis

Head of Global Government Affairs,  Arm, Inc.

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Aman Joshi

Chief Commercial Officer, Bloom Energy

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Christine Kamil

Managing Director, Head of U.S. Public Sector Coverage at J.P. Morgan

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Dr. Andreas Klasen

Professor and HRA, University of Oxford

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John S. Langford, III

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Electra.aero

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Reta Jo Lewis

President and Chair of the Board of Directors, Export-Import Bank of the United States

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Christina Lu

Reporter at Foreign Policy

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Kathleen McGrow

Global Chief Nursing Information Officer, Microsoft

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Ray McGuire

President, Lazard

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Karl Mehta

Chairman of the Quad Investors Network at America’s Frontier Fund

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Brian Menell

Chairman and CEO, TechMet Limited

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James I. Merlino

Executive Vice President, Chief Innovation Officer, The Joint Commission

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Governor Wes Moore

Governor of the State of Maryland

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Keith Morrison

Chief Executive Officer & Director, Premium Nickel Resources Ltd.

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Katharine Morton

Head of Trade, Treasury and Risk, TXF, Exile Group

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John Neblo

Senior Vice President and Head of Lending, Private Export Funding Corporation (PEFCO)

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Anne Neuberger

Deputy National Security Advisor, Cyber and Emerging Technology, White House National Security Council

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Zeynep Kantur Ozenci

Global Manager for Health and Education, International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group

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Anna Palmer

Founder and CEO of Punchbowl News

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Daniel Pinho

Vice President, Operation and Business Management, Bankers Association for Finance and Trade (BAFT)

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Daniel Pische

National Director of Trade Finance within the SBA’s Office of International Trade

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Eric Ponzio

Executive Director of Structured Products & Government Finance, JP Morgan

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The Honorable Rob Portman

Former United States Senator, Ohio

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Judith D. Pryor

First Vice President and Vice Chair of Board of Directors, Export-Import Bank of the United States

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Gina M. Raimondo

Secretary of Commerce, Department of Commerce

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Kimberly A. Reed

Former Chairman of Board of Directors, President, & CEO Export-Import Bank of The United States

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Tim Reid

Chief Executive of UK Export Finance

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Nicholas Rémillard

President and CEO, International Economic Forum of the Americas (IEFA)

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General Laura J. Richardson

Commander of United States Southern Command

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Michal Ron

Chief International Business Officer, SACE Italy

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Hooman Shahidi

Co-founder and CEO of EVPassport

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Andrea Shalal

White House/Economics Correspondent, Reuters

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Rowena Smith

CEO, Australian Strategic Materials

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Grace Stanke

Nuclear Fuels Engineer & Clean Energy Advocate, Constellation, Miss America 2023

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Katie Strangis

Vice President of Government & International Affairs at Westinghouse

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Her Excellency Ambassador Hilda Suka-Mafudze

Permanent Representative of the African Union to the United States of America

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Dr. Laura D. Taylor-Kale

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, Department of Defense

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Jay Timmons

President and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers and Chairman of the Board of the Manufacturing Institute

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Lynda Tran

Partner, EpicWorks Advisors

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Charles Wetherington

President, BTE Technologies LLC; SMM Chair, NAM Board of Directors

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Dr. Carolina Young

Chief Economic Advisor to the Vice President of the United States

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Gwen Young

CEO of Women Business Collaborative

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Spencer Bachus
EXIM Director and former Congressman, Board of Directors, Export-Import Bank of the United States

EXIM Director and former Congressman, Board of Directors, Export-Import Bank of the United States

Spencer Bachus graduated from Auburn University in 1969. He began his legal career in 1973 after graduating from the University of Alabama School of Law. In law school, he earned the Somerville Prize for distinguished legal scholarship. He served in the Alabama National Guard from 1969 through 1972 during the Vietnam War. Bachus maintained a private law practice and co-owned a small lumber company until he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992.

In the House of Representatives, Bachus won appointment to such important committees as Transportation and Infrastructure, Judiciary, and Financial Services. His accomplishments for his district and state include work on I-22, the Northern Beltline, and other major highway and infrastructure projects, establishment of the National Computer Forensics Institute, creation of the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge, and construction of the Alabama National Cemetery to honor veterans and their families.

Selected by his Republican colleagues as their leader on the Financial Services Committee as Ranking Member and Chairman (2006 to 2012), Bachus assumed his responsibilities while the U.S. financial system confronted its greatest challenges since the 1930s. During the depths of the crisis in Fall 2008, he was the first to advocate for capital injections (Capital Purchase Plan) to help stabilize the financial sector. The approach was ultimately adopted by the Treasury Department and returned a profit to the U.S. Treasury of more than $15 billion dollars.

Term-limited in 2012, Bachus was named Chairman Emeritus of the Committee for the 113th Congress.

Among many of Bachus’ legislative accomplishments are the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT) Act, deposit insurance reform, and Check 21. Bachus is also regarded with honor for originating the provisions that authorized Medicare coverage to seniors for prostate cancer screening, which started in the year 2000, and provisions that became part of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act. One of his proudest legacies is debt relief, which has been credited with reducing hunger and poverty in the world’s poorest countries.

In addition to his legislative accomplishments, Bachus is the recipient of numerous prestigious financial, legal, humanitarian, and leadership honors. They include the American Bar Association Justice Award, Burton Foundation Award for Achievements in Law, National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Directorship 100, The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s “National Distinguished Advocacy Award for Excellence in Cancer Fighting Public Policy” (the group’s highest legislative honor), the American Football Coaches Association Award, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Certificate of Recognition Award for National Child Identification Program “to protect children through the largest child safety initiative in history.”

A voice for racial understanding and reconciliation, Bachus received the Houghton-Lewis Leadership Award from the Faith and Politics Institute. As Dean of the Alabama delegation, he worked on a bipartisan basis with his Selma-area colleague, Representative Terri Sewell, to authorize a Congressional Gold Medal honoring the “Four Little Girls” who died in the civil rights movement-era bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church.

Starting in 1993 Congressman John Lewis and Bachus cohosted an annual Civil Rights pilgrimage to Alabama, visiting Selma, Montgomery, and Birmingham. Congressman Lewis and Congressman Bachus traveled to India to retrace Martin Luther King’s pilgrimage years earlier. Their friendship was the subject of a PBS segment in 2015.

Gemma Bae
Managing Director and Head of Structured Export Finance, ING Americas

Gemma Bae heads the SEF Americas team, which is responsible for managing and enhancing the relationship with the North American Export Credit Agencies and Government Agencies (including EXIM, Export Development Canada, and OPIC), Multilateral Agencies, as well as with certain private sector risk insurers.

She has more than 25 years of experience in international banking, financial advisory services with specialization in risk-mitigation products and structuring cross-border exports, and limited-recourse project financing with an emerging markets focus. She and her team have led and executed EXIM Bank financial advisory assignments in the telecom, power, industrial, oil and gas, and transportation sectors, including securitizations of EXIM guaranteed loans and private placements. She has also advised on and lead arranged financings in excess of USD 14 billion covering all types of Boeing and Airbus commercial aircraft for airlines and leasing companies with innovative, unique and risk-mitigated funding solutions tapping the traditional bank loan markets as well as capital markets.

Prior to joining ING, Ms. Bae was with the Export Finance Team of Société Générale, the Structured Export Finance Group of UBS, and the Trade Finance Group of Westdeutsche Landesbank, New York and The Bank of New York / Irving Trust.

Ms. Bae has a Masters degree from Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelors degree from Tufts University.

Christopher Baker
Director, Global Metals and Mining, BMO Capital Markets

Bio Coming Soon…

Jenna Ben-Yehuda
Executive Vice President, Atlantic Council

Jenna H. Ben-Yehuda is executive vice president of the Atlantic Council. She is former president and chief executive officer of the Truman National Security Project and the Truman Center for National Policy.

A longtime advocate for gender equity in national security, she is the founder of the Women’s Foreign Policy Network, a global membership community from over one hundred countries. She earned multiple Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards during her twelve years at the US Department of State where she served in a range of intelligence and policy roles in the Western Hemisphere, including serving as senior military advisor to US Northern Command, US Southern Command, and US Special Operations Command before moving to a leadership role in the private sector.

She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations as well as the World Economic Forum’s Global Futures Council on US National Security. She serves on the advisory boards of the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, the Leadership Council for Women in National Security, the Partnership for Public Service, and GLOBSEC.

Ben-Yehuda holds bachelor’s degrees in international affairs and Spanish from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, where she served as an adjunct professor, and master’s degrees from National Defense University and National Intelligence University. She is a frequent speaker on a range of foreign policy matters and has been featured in a wide range of national media. US President Joe Biden appointed her to the Air Force Academy in 2022.

John A. Bohn
Managing Partner, TESIAC

Ambassador Bohn currently serves as a Managing Partner of TESIAC Corporation, which focuses on the integration of energy, mobility, and technology with traditional infrastructure to provide sustainable mobility solutions to cities, transit districts, universities, and public and private development. He also serves as a founding member of the Leadership Board of the Center for Capital Market Competitiveness, chartered by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to advise on the reform of the US capital markets, as Chairman of the Board of Clearing Bid, and is a partner in Water Asset Management.

Prior to the above, he served as Chairman and CEO of Renewable Energy Trust Capital, which he co-founded and guided to an enterprise value of $750 million. Ambassador Bohn served as Commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission from 2005-2010. During his tenure he was closely involved in developing and implementing the initial regulation and incentive programs for solar and other green initiatives in California, as well as with regulation of PG&E and other electrical utilities in California, including the devasting fire in Southern California involving Sempra Utilities and with the PG&E gas fire incident in San Bruno. He served as the Water Commissioner, with responsibility for the regulation of the private water companies, and also served as a Director of the Electric Power Research Institute.

Ambassador Bohn also served as Chairman of the Center for International Private Enterprise, for 9 years as a Director of the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington DC, and as a member of the Executive and Audit Committees of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce. He also served on the Advisory Boards of the Yale Institute for Corporate Governance and Performance and as a director of the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative.

From 1989 to 1996, Ambassador Bohn served as President and CEO of Moody’s Investors Service in New York, expanding its coverage, opening key offices in Asia, Latin America and Europe, and developing Moody’s into the global standard for credit ratings and integrity in financial analysis.

In 1981, Ambassador Bohn joined the Reagan Administration as Special Assistant to Treasury Secretary Don Regan and in addition was subsequently appointed by President Reagan as U.S. Ambassador and Executive Director at the Asian Development Bank. In 1984, President Reagan appointed Ambassador Bohn Chairman and President of the Export Import Bank of the United States, a $35 billion government lending and insurance organization, a position he held until the end of the Reagan term.

After a brief tenure as a lawyer, Ambassador Bohn moved on to a career as an international banker and development advisor, with a particular focus on Japan, South East Asia, and corporate finance. Later, Ambassador Bohn spent 1-1/2 years at Burson-Marsteller, where he served as Managing Director, focusing on international markets, and economic resources issues, and was special advisor to the Government of Korea during the Asian financial crisis.

A graduate with honors from Stanford University, Ambassador Bohn attended the London School of Economics as a Fulbright Fellow and received his JD from the Harvard Law School.

Ambassador Candace A. Bond
United States Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago

President Joe Biden nominated Candace Bond as U.S. Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago on March 18, 2022. The United States Senate confirmed her appointment on September 29, and Vice President Kamala Harris administered the oath of office on November 14 at the Vice President’s residence in Washington, D.C.

Ambassador Bond leads U.S. foreign policy goals in Trinidad and Tobago that strengthen citizen security; advance sustainable and equitable economic growth with an investor-friendly business climate; promote laws, regulations, and best practices focused on good governance and anti-corruption; and build capacity to enhance climate resiliency, and a transition towards clean and renewable energy production.

Prior to her posting in Trinidad and Tobago, Ambassador Bond was a business owner, consultant, and social entrepreneur who specialized in helping public and private sector entities to develop innovative, effective, and scalable solutions to address the socioeconomic and environmental needs of local communities. She advised businesses and nonprofits on tangible ways to promote environmental sustainability, community development, affordable housing, quality education, health equity, and corporate governance. She had a distinguished career as a senior executive of major media and entertainment companies, and also served on several boards and in leadership positions pertaining to public education, health and wellness, housing, economic development, entrepreneurship, bioscience, clean energy, and energy sustainability.

A native of Missouri, Ambassador Bond holds a bachelor’s degree in Government with honors from Harvard University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. She is the recipient of numerous leadership and service awards, including the 2024 Kenneth A. Powell Award for Professional Achievement, awarded by the Harvard Business School African American Student Union (AASU) and the Harvard Business School African American Alumni Association (HBSAAA). Ambassador Bond has been recognized as Los Angeles County Woman of the Year, and has been awarded the Special Needs Network Woman of Distinction Award. She was also recognized as one of Los Angeles’s Women Leaders by the Los Angeles County Office of Education. Ambassador Bond was among 11 U.S. Ambassadors nominated in 2023 for the prestigious Department of State Sue M. Cobb Award, which recognized her achievement of important policy and diplomatic objectives while exercising superlative leadership of staff internally within the mission. She is married to entertainment executive Steven McKeever, and they have two children, Brent and Maddox.

Courtenay Brown
Economics reporter at Axios and co-author of the daily newsletter, “Axios Macro.”

Courtenay Brown is an economics reporter at Axios and co-author of the daily newsletter, “Axios Macro.” She covers the global economy, central banks, financial markets and macroeconomic trends.

Previously, she was the publication’s markets and business reporter — and helped launch the “Axios Markets” and “Axios Closer” newsletters.

Before joining Axios, Courtenay produced and wrote for CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” the network’s flagship morning show.

Courtenay has a bachelor’s degree from New York University in Broadcast Journalism and a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Ian Brzezinski
Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council

Bio coming soon…

Jay Carmel
Principal at Renaissance Strategic Advisors

Jay has fifteen years of experience providing strategy development and M&A advisory services to A&D corporations and financial sponsors. Jay primarily supports aircraft OEM equipment suppliers, aftermarket service companies, start-ups and investors who are active in the commercial aerospace industry. In addition to his expertise in traditional aircraft technologies, Jay focuses on areas most exposed to disruptive innovation, including advanced air mobility (AAM) and its enablers such as aircraft propulsion, autonomous flight, and aviation connectivity.

Having led over 200 project engagements during the course of his consulting career, Jay has helped multiple aircraft system manufacturers and start-ups close successful business case investments for new products and market entry strategies. He has also provided due-diligence support for industry clients and financial sponsors on dozens of M&A transactions, covering supply chain areas such as aerostructures, engine components, actuation, avionics, parts distribution services, and aircraft maintenance.

Prior to joining Renaissance, Jay was a Principal at Oliver Wyman and had previously led the commercial aerospace consulting practice at Avascent. Jay is an active member of The Wings Club and has been featured in numerous industry events and publications.

Jay holds a B.S. in International Political Economy with a certificate in International Business Diplomacy from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

Megan Casella
Washington Correspondent, CNBC

Megan Cassella is a CNBC correspondent at the network’s Washington, D.C. bureau, covering the intersection of business and Washington, regulatory issues and policies as well as market and economic implications of the Biden administration’s industrial policy push.

Most recently, Cassella served as Barron’s senior economics and policy reporter where she covered the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy, with a focus on inflation and the labor market. Prior to Barron’s, she was a reporter for Politico covering trade, the renegotiation of NAFTA and the Biden administration’s economic policy transition.

Cassella received her B.A. in journalism and international politics at the University of North Carolina

Kevin N. Cirilli
VP of Branding, Blue Star Families

Kevin N. Cirilli is an entrepreneur whose work in embracing democracy has helped lead business, philanthropy, and media growth transformations. Cirilli is vice president of branding for Blue Star Families, the largest chapter-based nonprofit organization in the United States that represents military families wherever they are in the world and on the digital frontier. His work is rooted in bridging the gap between the military and civilian communities through leading all branding efforts of Blue Star Families’ Do Your Part campaign.

As a media leader, Cirilli has launched and hosted several nonpartisan political affairs programs for Bloomberg News and The Hill. He has interviewed prominent lawmakers and policymakers about the most pressing issues of the day for more than a decade. Cirilli has worked at the highest echelons of Washington DC journalism for more than a decade and has been named as rising media star by Washington Life Magazine. He is one of the few journalists assigned to cover Trump in the summer of 2015 through his entire administration. Cirilli has reported all over the world – Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Colombia, Israel and Germany. In 2016, he was embedded with the Trump campaign.

Cirilli is the founder of mtf.tv’s meet the future fellowship program, a volunteer-based non-profit rooted in embracing democracy to meet the future’s challenges and opportunities. The program connects young professionals with industry leaders who have embraced democracy in their fields – including in government, national security, technology, global business, media corporations, advocacy, and public affairs.

Cirilli is a visiting media fellow at the Atlantic Council, where he has worked with the Global China Hub at the intersection of national security and technology. In that capacity, he served as both a senior communications specialist and chief of staff, working to drive connectivity between the media, democracy-based technologists, higher-education, and private-sector C-Suite leaders. Kevin’s fellowships are rooted in working on the areas of security-based diplomacy, geopolitics, and technology.

As a media business leader, Cirilli has helped to launch profitable newsletter brands, podcasts, convening events and simulcast television and radio programming. Cirilli has garnered praise for being an inclusive leader who is an advocate for embracing diversity in democracy. As a broadcast journalist and host, Cirilli has appeared on CBS News, Bloomberg TV, Bloomberg Radio, SiriusXM, MSNBC, Fox News, Fox Business Network, Yahoo Finance, Scripps News and C SPAN, as well as international media including BBC News.

Cirilli was chief Washington correspondent at Bloomberg News, where he worked for nearly six years. He launched and anchored a daily geopolitical program Sound On with Kevin Cirilli, making it the No. 1 geopolitical nonpartisan radio program in drive-time radio. At Bloomberg, Cirilli covered the intersection of global business and geopolitics, for an audience of global investors and business leaders.

He reported daily from the White House and U.S. Capitol Building. Prior to Bloomberg, he worked for POLITICO Pro Financial Services and The Hill Newspaper, where he helped launch and then authored the daily Overnight Finance tip sheet. Cirilli earned a reputation as a nonpartisan, policy-based reporter. The Trump 2020 campaign named him as a potential moderator for the U.S. Presidential Debates. He was one of the first broadcasters to interview now-Sec. of State Tony Blinken during Biden’s presidential campaign. He moderated a panel at the 2018 U.S. Export-Import Bank conference. He covered trade, tariffs and sanctions – including the State Department’s advising higher education to divest from CCP companies. He has interviewed global business leaders, policymakers, and lawmakers.

In July of 2023, Cirilli moderated a town hall that broke attendance records at Saint Anselm’s New Hampshire Institute for Politics with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and former-Amb. Jon Hunstman Jr. that garnered coverage from every major media outlet in the U.S., including NBC Nightly News, ABC News, CNN, The New York Times and USA Today. Cirilli is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University. As an undergraduate, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association ranked him the No. 1 undergraduate news writer in the nation. He was a recipient of the Pulliam Fellowship at The Arizona Republic in 2011. Kevin is a health and wellness enthusiast (and a former Men’s Health intern). He grew up in Delaware County, Pa., where he earned a partial scholarship to Malvern Preparatory School. In his free time, he enjoys Philadelphia food and running. He has a dog named Theo.

Kyle Clark
Founder and CEO, BETA Technologies

Kyle is an aerospace engineer, pilot, entrepreneur, and the founder and CEO of BETA Technologies, a Vermont-based electric aerospace company that is developing a transportation system to make aviation greener, safer and more accessible. This system, which will reshape the way we move cargo and people, includes all-electric aircraft, the most extensive multi-modal electric charging infrastructure in the U.S., and a program to train the next generation of pilots.

Since founding BETA in 2017, Kyle and team have continued to advance the aircraft along a path to certification, building out capabilities to serve its diverse customer base, which includes industry leaders across the logistics, medical, defense and passenger sectors.

Prior to BETA, Kyle co-founded Venture.co and was Director of Engineering at Dynapower, where he and his team of programmers, engineers and technicians developed a full line of inverters, pulse modulators and control systems and before that, he was a founding partner and Vice President of Engineering at iTherm Technologies. Kyle earned his Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Harvard University and played right wing in the NHL’s Washington Capitals organization for several years before pursuing entrepreneurial ventures.

Steve Clemons
Founding Editor at Large, Semafor

Steve Clemons is Founding Editor at Large of Semafor, a new digital global news platform launched in October 2022. He is also the immediate past Editor at Large of The Hill, and his host of The Bottom Line, a major weekly news show that airs on the global network of Al Jazeera English. Before joining The Hill, Clemons served as Washington Editor at Large of The Atlantic and served in senior editorial roles at National Journal and Quartz. He is also proprietor of the popular political blog,The Washington Note, and is a frequent commenter on American politics and global affairs across the spectrum of news networks. Clemons founded and served as Senior Fellow of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation where he previously served as Executive Vice President. Prior to this, Clemons served as Executive Vice President of the Economic Strategy Institute, was Senior Economic & International Affairs Advisor to Senator Jeff Bingaman, and was the founding Executive Director of the Nixon Center, now renamed the Center for the National Interest. Clemons is also a Member of the Board of Directors of GLOBSEC, a European security think tank based in Slovakia.

Margaret Cosentino
Executive Vice President, Westinghouse Electric Company

Margaret Cosentino is Executive Vice President, Public Affairs at Westinghouse Electric Company. In this role, she is responsible for Westinghouse’s strategic approach to global government relations, public policy, communications, brand reputation, and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG).

Ms. Cosentino brings 20 years of experience in global government affairs, international business development and strategy for aerospace, defense and industrial companies. Most recently, Ms. Cosentino was Corporate Director for Policy at Northrop Grumman where she led the execution of the company’s public policy and regulatory portfolios. Ms. Cosentino was previously Vice President, Global Government Affairs for Arconic where she was responsible for advancing the company’s public affairs interests across its international operations and leading its defense business. She has held senior roles at The Cohen Group, a strategic global consultancy, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a leading bi-partisan, non-profit think tank in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Cosentino earned a bachelor’s degree in international politics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service (SFS) and a master’s in international economics and strategic studies from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Thomas Debass
Deputy Special Representative, Office of Global Partnerships, U.S. Department of State

Thomas Debass serves as Managing Director of the Office of Global Partnerships (GP) at the U.S. Department of State. Thomas is responsible for coordinating the Department’s private sector engagement efforts and providing thought leadership on partnerships related to economic growth, global finance, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Thomas has played a leading role in promoting and institutionalizing the role of public-private partnerships as a tool for advancing foreign policy and development objectives. He regularly gives lectures and talks about the intersection of policy, business, and society. Prior to joining the State Department, he was Lead Economist/Deputy Director in the Office of Investment Policy with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). Thomas also served as a senior technical advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Prior to his development finance and public-private partnerships career, Thomas worked on agricultural research projects in South Asia and East Africa. Thomas is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a master’s degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics and a bachelor’s in Economics. He also has an Executive Certificate in International Business Management from Georgetown, an Executive Leadership Certificate from UC-Berkeley, and Certificate in Futures Thinking and Strategic Foresight from Institute for The Future. Thomas is a 2020 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals Finalist and a recipient of the 2016 D&DA Wood Pencil Award for Innovative Use of Mobile Technology .

Dr. Raj DasGupta
CEO, Electrovaya

Dr. Raj DasGupta is the CEO of Electrovaya and has been involved with every aspect of the business from cell manufacturing, engineering activities and business development, since 2009. Prior to being named CEO in 2022, Raj has had various roles in the company including COO, research and development and business development. Raj attended Imperial College, London; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and the University of Cambridge, where he received his Doctorate in Materials

Martin Durbin
President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Energy Institute

Martin (Marty) Durbin is Senior Vice President for Policy, overseeing the U.S. Chamber’s well-respected Policy Division. Durbin also serves as President of the U.S. Chamber’s Global Energy Institute, leading the strategic development and implementation of the Chamber’s climate, energy, and sustainability policy, and highlighting the role of the business community in both strengthening our energy security and accelerating the clean energy transition.

Durbin brings more than 28 years of trade association leadership representing highly regulated energy and manufacturing industries. Prior to joining the US Chamber in 2019, Durbin was Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at the American Petroleum Institute (API), overseeing the integration of API’s advocacy assets. He previously served as President and CEO of America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) where he led the natural gas industry’s market expansion through a comprehensive lobbying, grassroots and media campaign.

Durbin earlier served in senior positions with the American Chemistry Council and the American Plastics Council and began his career in legislative positions for Senator Alan J. Dixon (D-IL) and Representative Rick Boucher (D-VA).

Known for his bipartisan approach to advocacy, Marty serves as a Fellow with the Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) Governance Project, and on BPC’s Direct Air Capture Advisory Council. He is currently Board Chairman of A Wider Circle, a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to ending poverty, and serves on the Board of the Congressional Coalition for Adoption Institute. In 2021 and 2022 he made Washingtonian’s Most Influential list.

Durbin received a B.A. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park. He is married and has three children.

Director Enoh T. Ebong
Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency

Enoh T. Ebong is the Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. Nominated by President Biden to serve as USTDA’s Director, she was confirmed by unanimous consent of the U.S. Senate. As Director, Ms. Ebong leads USTDA in its efforts to develop sustainable infrastructure in emerging economies, while also supporting U.S. jobs through exports.

Ms. Ebong started her public service at USTDA and rose through the ranks as a career civil servant, including as General Counsel and as Deputy Director/Chief Operating Officer.

In March 2023, President Biden appointed Ms. Ebong as a Federal government member to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Ms. Ebong’s professional experience includes time in the nonprofit sector, where she served as the Head of Strategic Partnerships at the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream.

Before joining USTDA, she practiced business and finance law, representing public and private companies in offerings, financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance issues.

Ms. Ebong earned her JD from the University of Michigan Law School, a Master of Arts in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of Arts in History, with honors, from The University of Edinburgh, Scotland. She is a member of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Bar.

Jason Few
President and Chief Executive Officer, FuelCell Energy, Inc.

Jason Few is President and CEO of FuelCell Energy, Inc., a global leader in fuel cell technology focused on distributed power, hydrogen, energy storage, and carbon capture. FuelCell Energy’s purpose is to enable a world empowered by clean energy. With over three decades of experience spanning diverse industries, Jason has established a reputation for bold decision-making and transformative leadership. With a passion to win and help others succeed, Jason is committed to enabling a future where courageous innovation drives sustainable progress both commercial and environmentally.

Jason has worked at the intersection of transformation across technology and energy for Global Fortune 500, small/mid-cap, and privately held energy, technology, and telecommunications firms including NRG/Reliant, Continuum Energy, Motorola, and Sustayn Analytics L.L.C., a hardware and cloud-based data analytics recycling software as a service company. Jason is recognized for his decisive stance on high-stakes projects, including Reliant Energy, where he engineered a billion-dollar turnaround to transform it into a multi-brand, multi-product consumer services company, much like the transformation he is also executing at FuelCell Energy. Guided by his personal values of integrity and purpose, Jason’s leadership sets a powerful example, inspiring others to become catalysts for ingenuity and transformative change.

As a member of prestigious councils and boards, Jason’s influence extends far beyond his role as CEO. He is deeply committed to fostering meaningful change, guided by a vision of a world powered by clean energy. As such, Jason is a member of The Business Council and The Hydrogen Council, and currently serves on the Boards of FuelCell Energy, Inc. (FCEL), Enbridge Inc. (ENB), and Atlantic Aviation, a privately held KKR company. He formerly served on the Boards of Marathon Oil Corporation (MRO) and Syniverse Technologies (SVR).

Jason holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Computer Systems in Business from Ohio University and a Master’s in Business Administration from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Stephanie von Friedeburg
Managing Director and Global Head of Development Finance Institutions Strategic Partnerships | Citi

Stephanie von Friedeburg is a Managing Director at Citi leading efforts to scale DFI Strategic Partnerships. Stephanie is leveraging her extensive background in infrastructure/project finance and ESG aligned financing to support sovereign client’s national agendas as well as private client needs. She is a respected partner and trusted advisor to a global network of senior decision makers in governments, public and private corporations, and non-governmental entities. Stephanie’s extensive knowledge of global affairs and emerging markets informs her assessment of investment opportunities in fluid economic environments.

In 2022, she completed a successful 30-year career with the WBG. As IFC COO, she oversaw global investment and advisory operations across 100+ country offices, a US$1 billion annual operating budget, and 2,200+ staff. Stephanie led commercial and investment banking, venture capital, and private equity services for clients in emerging markets, generating more than US$30 billion in new business annually. During her chairmanship of the Investment Committee, the US$60 billion global portfolio had NPLs in single digits, a final 12 month rolling average return on equity of 20%, and the highest client satisfaction survey in the history of the institution. As a member of WBG’s Senior Leadership, Stephanie pioneered innovative solutions to complex development challenges, gaining support from the WBG’s Board of Executive Directors. These included IFC’s seminal capital increase, the 2030 strategy, and WBG business transformation. She successfully led the adoption of a cloud first strategy, which achieved cost savings, increased client satisfaction, and a seamless pivot to remote work.

Eric Gertler
Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of U.S. News & World Report

Eric Gertler has held leadership roles in the business, government, and nonprofit sectors. He is a media executive, tech entrepreneur, former public servant, investor, author, and community supporter.

Currently, Eric is Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of U.S. News & World Report. Previously, Eric served as Commissioner/President & CEO-designate of Empire State Development (ESD), New York State’s principal economic development agency, prior to and during the Covid-19 pandemic. He also was Executive Vice President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Managing Director of the Center for Economic Transformation under multiple mayoral administrations.

Michael B. Greenwald
Senior executive at Amazon Web Services (AWS), Global Head for Financial Innovation and Digital Assets

Michael B. Greenwald is the Global Head of Financial Innovation and Digital Assets at Amazon Web Services (AWS). He is also heads up Global Executive Relations for the company pioneering thought-leadership on artificial intelligence. Michael focuses on working with the U.S. Government (USG) and international governments to incorporate cloud computing into their systems as well as drive responsible emerging technology innovation and implementation within the public sector market.

In 2023, Michael was appointed by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to represent Amazon on the CFTC’s Technology Advisory Committee. He helps the CFTC carry out its mission of fostering open, transparent, competitive, and financially sound markets and examining the impact and implications of technological innovation in the financial services, derivatives, and commodity markets. He co-authored an Amazon publication titled: The convergence of artificial intelligence and digital assets: A new dawn for financial infrastructure.

Prior to Amazon, he was a managing director of Digital Asset Education and Chief Geopolitical Risk Officer for global asset management firm AlTi Global. He previously worked for the U.S. Treasury Department for almost a decade. He served in senior policy and intelligence roles in Europe and Africa for two presidential administrations and three Treasury Secretaries culminating with becoming the first U.S. Treasury attaché to Qatar and Kuwait, acting as the principal financial diplomat to the banking sector in those nations.

He is a Adjunct Associate Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia SIPA and a former Adjunct professor at Boston University Pardee School of Global Studies, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council as well as Center for New American Security, Deputy Director of the Trilateral Commission, member of the Bretton Woods Committee, and senior advisor to Wharton Cypher Accelerator. He was a fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center where he published over 50 articles.

He is a graduate of Harvard Business School and has a Juris Doctor graduate from Boston University School of Law, a Master’s graduate from Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, and a B.A. from George Washington University. Raised in Brookline, Massachusetts, he lives in Palm Beach, Florida with his wife Nolan and served on the Board of The Town of Palm Beach Investment Committee. He was honored by Palm Beach Illustrated as one of the city’s 100 most influential business leaders in 2021.

Trevor Gunn
Vice President, International Relations for Medtronic

Trevor Gunn is Vice President- International Relations for Medtronic, the world’s largest medical technology company.

Trevor Gunn was formerly long-time Director of the Commerce Department’s Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States (BISNIS) the clearinghouse for US Government information for doing business in the former Soviet Union. He has served continuously for the past 30 consecutive years and currently serves, as Adjunct Professor between the Landegger Program in International Business Diplomacy and CERES at the School of Foreign Service and Georgetown University. He is a Vicennial Silver Medalist.

He received his B.A. from the University of San Francisco. He received his Ph.D. in International Relations from the London School of Economics in 1992.

He has worked with the Chamber of Commerce of Southern Sweden, Dover Elevator Corporation (now ThyssenKrupp of Germany), International Executive Service Corps, and on the staffs of the former San Francisco Mayor and two U.S. Senators from California. He is the Founder and Chairman of the USA Healthcare Alliance (USAHA). He sits on the U.S. State Department’s Stakeholder Advisory Board on the OECD Guidelines on Corporate Social Responsibility; and is an official Advisor to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) in the “Industry Trade Advisory” system of the US Government. Gunn chairs the International Affairs Committee at Medtech Europe, Europe’s largest medical technology trade association. Further, he is Chair Emeritus and Board Member of the Executive Council on Diplomacy and is a Founding Advisory Board Member to the Geneva-based World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA). He sits on the Board of the Washington Export Council(Washington, D.C.), and the Board of Advisers of the Washington International Business Council. Finally, he serves on the Advisory Board of the University of Minnesota, Carlson Business School, and Carlson Global Institute. He sits on the Board of Directors of Global Minnesota.

Gunn speaks Swedish, French, and Russian. Gunn, his wife (Anna), and their three children live in Suburban Maryland, a short distance from Washington

Stephen Greene
Chief Operating Officer, American Trade Finance (Atrafin) LLC

Steve Greene is the Chief Operating Officer of Atrafin LLC and has been in that role for almost 20 years. He has handled all aspects of EXIM financing with a primary focus on Medium Term Financing to support U.S. exporters in emerging market countries. Prior to his current role, Mr. Green managed international lending at a bank with a primary focus on EXIM Bank lending. He was also previously a manager in international business development at a U.S. exporter that used EXIM financing to grow their business.

Mr. Green holds a Bachelor’s degree from Trinity-College Hartford.

Regina Gwynn
Co-Founder, Black Women Talk Tech

Regina Gwynn is the co-founder of Black Women Talk Tech, the organization that aims to identify, support and encourage black women to build the next billion-dollar business. Black Women Talk Tech is the largest collective of black women tech founders therefore bringing a unique understanding of the challenges Black women face and the advantages they bring to the tech industry. As co-founder, Regina co-leads business strategy and strategic partnership development and leads sponsor relations.

Regina Gwynn launched her first tech startup in 2014 with TresseNoire, a platform that empowers women of color to celebrate their textured hair with a personalized beauty routine that works. Its virtual beauty coach took the guesswork out of finding the right natural hair products & services by matching your individual hair profile to a beauty regimen designed by experts.

Regina started her career in the Product Development Executive Training program at Federated Department Stores (now Macy’s Inc.), and successfully launched three private-label brands during her tenure. After graduating from the Kellogg School of Management with her MBA, Regina was a management consultant with the Monitor Group (now Monitor/Deloitte Consulting) and worked with clients within the beauty, media and healthcare industries. She was then tapped to lead marketing at The Apparel Group, where she built the department from scratch and launched the company’s first ecommerce site for its signature brand, Foxcroft Collection.

Regina has been named to the 100 Most Powerful Women by Entrepreneur Magazine and Top Ten Women in Tech by Essence Magazine. Her features include BET Her, Black Enterprise, Wall Street Journal, Crain’s Business and more. She’s on the Cabinet for Black Entrepreneurship for the City of New York, and a former Board Member for BRAG, a nonprofit for diverse retail professionals & Rising Tide Capital, an entrepreneur development program based in Jersey City, NJ. Regina loves to travel, dance and watch football (Go Giants!).

“A girl should be two things: Classy & Fabulous.” – Coco Chanel

Owen Herrnstadt
Member, Board of Directors, Export-Import Bank of United States

On July 13, 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed Owen E. Herrnstadt to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Mr. Herrnstadt was sworn in on July 15, 2022. Owen Herrnstadt served as the Chief of Staff to the International President and Director of Trade and Globalization, at the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. As Chief of Staff, he assisted in running one of the largest manufacturing and transportation unions in the world. As Director of Trade and Globalization, he developed policy for international trade, economic investment, international labor standards, and human rights matters.

Mr. Herrnstadt has taught employment and labor law as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s National Law Center and international employment and labor law at American University’s Washington College of Law. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former member of the U.S. Export-Import Bank Federal Advisory Committee, U.S. State Department Federal Advisory Committee on International Economics, Co-Chair of the State Department’s Stakeholder Advisory Board on OECD Guidelines, Independent Mexico Labor Expert Board and the Industry Trade Advisory Committee 1 (Aerospace). Mr. Herrnstadt has also served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Baltimore Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. He has made numerous presentations on labor and employment law, international employment and labor law, corporate social responsibility, trade, manufacturing policy, human rights, and industrial relations in the U.S. and abroad.

Mr. Herrnstadt has written numerous articles and has testified before Congress and federal agencies on numerous matters, including labor and employment law, as well as trade and manufacturing policy. He is a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Law and served as a Research Associate at the Economic Policy Institute. He has received the Outstanding Practitioner Award and the Practitioner Fellow Award by the Labor and Employment Research Association and the Georgetown University Silver Vicennial Award in recognition of service to the Georgetown community.

Mr. Herrnstadt was born in Ames, Iowa and received his BS, MS (Industrial Relations) and JD degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Fred P. Hochberg
Former Chairman, Export-Import Bank of the United States

Fred P. Hochberg is a seasoned business executive and government leader with decades of experience in both the public and private sector. Hochberg has a particular expertise in global trade and the transformation of large and complex organizations. In 2017 he concluded eight years of service as Chairman and President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) where he was the longest serving Chairman in the agency’s history as well as one of the highest-ranking LGBTQ officials in the Obama administration. He is the author of Trade is Not a Four Letter Word published by Simon & Schuster in 2020 which was met with critical praise.

Previously, he was Acting Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) under President Clinton and has served as Dean of the Milano School of International affairs, management, and Urban Policy at the New School. Before entering public service, Hochberg spent almost two decades leading his family’s direct marketing business, Lillian Vernon, where he oversaw a 40-fold increase in revenue and managed the initial public offering. Hochberg currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Meridian International Center and as a Trustee of the American Theatre Wing. Hochberg holds a B.A. from New York University and a MBA from Columbia University.

Barbara Humpton
President and CEO, Siemens Corporation

Barbara Humpton is President and CEO of Siemens Corporation, where she guides the company’s strategy and engagement in serving the company’s largest market. Siemens USA employs approximately 45,000 people serving customers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico and generated $19.9 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2023. She views the true purpose of technology as expanding what’s humanly possible. She’s also passionate about diversity, STEM education and what she calls a work life blend that honors her priorities both at Siemens and as a grandmother. Most recently, Humpton served as president and CEO of Siemens Government Technologies, Inc. (SGT), a leading integrator of Siemens’ products and services for federal government agencies and departments. In this role, Humpton also served as an officer/director member of the board of directors of SGT. Prior to joining Siemens in 2011, Humpton served as a vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton where she was responsible for program performance and new business development for technology consulting in the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security. Earlier, Humpton was a vice president at Lockheed Martin Corporation with responsibility for Biometrics Programs, Border and Transportation Security and Critical Infrastructure Protection, including such critical programs as the FBI’s Next Generation Identification and the TSA’s Transportation Workers’ Identification Credential. Humpton is a graduate of Wake Forest University with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. Barbara is Chairman of the Siemens Corporation Board, the Siemens Foundation and of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA). She serves on the board of directors of the Triumph Group, National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP), Economic Club of Washington, D.C. and the Seabee Memorial Scholarship Association. She resides in Washington, D.C., with her husband David.

Abigail Hunter
Executive Director, Amb. Alfred J. Hoffman Center for Critical Minerals Strategy, SAFE

Abigail Hunter leads the SAFE’s Ambassador Alfred Hoffman Jr. Center for Critical Minerals Strategy (Minerals Center). Previously, Abigail served as Director of International Affairs and Partnerships within the Minerals Center.

Before joining SAFE full time, Hunter headed federal government affairs for Quebec for nearly three years as the senior attachée in Washington, D.C. Her mandate focused on the energy, environment, and trade. Hunter started her career at the National Governors Association, where she led the association’s international work.

Hunter completed her Masters in Sustainable Energy at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.  Her four-part capstone on aluminum’s clean energy paradox was published by the SAFE. She received her Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University with a double major in International Management and Managing for Sustainability.

Born in Toronto and growing up in New Jersey, Hunter is a proud dual citizen and conflicted hockey fan.

Alex Jacquez
Special Assistant to the President, White House National Economic Council

Alex Jacquez serves as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Development and Industrial Strategy for the White House National Economic Council. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, he served as Senior Policy Advisor for labor and economic policy on the Senate Budget Committee under Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT). He has previously served in various policy and engagement roles for Senate Democratic leadership, the Obama-Biden White House, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and federal and state campaigns. He graduated from Lehigh University

Vince Jestais
Head of Global Government Affairs Arm, Inc.

Vince Jesaitis is a government affairs professional with more two decades of experience focusing on semiconductor, technology, trade, artificial intelligence, spectrum, broadband, IoT, privacy, cybersecurity, energy, and environmental policy, as well as other policy issues affecting the semiconductor and high-tech sectors.

Vince joined Arm in 2017 and oversees global government affairs and advocacy on all issues affecting the company, which range from trade and market access to IoT security, cybersecurity, and intellectual property among many others. Prior to joining Arm, Vince was Vice President, Government Affairs at the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI). Vince has worked on numerous pieces of legislation that have been signed into law; including the CHIPS Act, spectrum auction provisions in the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2012, the Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act of 2013, and the Congressional Trade Priorities Act of 2015, among other legislation, as well as the resulting implementation and rulemaking processes. Vince founded and lead numerous inter- and cross-sectoral coalitions focused on affecting legislative and regulatory outcomes.

Vince began his political career interning in Congress for U.S. Representative Dennis Moore (Kan.) following college graduation before moving on to work for U.S. Representative Gene Green (Tex.) in 2003. He spent nearly eight years there, the last three of which he served as Legislative Director and running the Congressman’s Washington DC office. In that time, Vince oversaw the Congressman’s entire legislative portfolio and covered most issues that came before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He specialized in telecommunications, technology, broadband, wireless, privacy and cybersecurity policy and legislation. Vince was legislative director and senior policy advisor to Green while he served on the subcommittees where the Affordable Care Act, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, and portions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act originated and advised the Congressman on each while moving through the Committee and legislative process. Vince also served as lead committee staff to the Chairman of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct while Rep. Green held the gavel of that Committee.

Vince as born and raised in Missouri and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from William Jewell College in 2001. Vince lives in suburban Washington DC with his wife and two children. Outside of work, Vince enjoys coaching several of his children’s sports teams and being active with his church, Mount Pisgah United Methodist Church, and related community and service organizations. He also enjoys competing in local road races, mountain bike races, and marathons. Vince finished in the top two percent of all finishers in the 2011 Marine Corps Marathon, the 117th (2013) and 118th (2014) Boston Marathons.

Aman Joshi
Chief Commercial Officer, Bloom Energy

Aman Joshi is Chief Commercial Officer at Bloom Energy. Most recently, Aman served as the Global General Manager of General Electric’s (GE) Aeroderivative units business. At GE, he worked actively with energy policy makers, regulators, and utilities in helping to support the energy transition and accelerate deployment of efficient, reliable, and cleaner powering solutions to the areas that need them the most to enable countries to achieve their de-carbonization goals.

Over a 22-year GE career, Aman has developed a strong operational & commercial skillset and has worked across several GE business segments that include GE Capital, GE Corporate, GE Aviation, Global Growth Organization and GE Power. He is a proven leader well-known for developing business teams and his ability to deliver strong results for shareholders and customers. Aman has worked on 4 different continents and lived in 6 different countries.

Aman completed his Chartered Accountancy & Company Secretary degree in India. Before joining GE, Aman worked with leading public accounting firms in India in areas of financial assurance and management consultancy. He enjoys spending time with his family, doing CrossFit, playing tennis, reading & traveling.

Christine Kamil
Managing Director, Head of U.S. Public Sector Coverage at J.P. Morgan

Christine Kamil leads our coverage of public sector clients; including Federal Departments and Sub-Agencies, Independent Agencies, Government Sponsored Entities and The Federal Reserve System.

With more than 30 years at J.P. Morgan, she was one of the founding members of the Global Public Sector Group, and was instrumental in growing our relationships with large Multilateral Institutions and Central Banks.

Christine has held many different positions within J.P. Morgan’s Corporate and Investment Bank, including Chief Collateral Risk Officer in Credit Portfolio, Head of Collateral Management, Tri-Party Repo Product management in Euroclear, and numerous roles in sales, product and relationship management.

During her years at J.P. Morgan, she has excelled at relationship management, building teams and has developed a strong reputation inside and outside the bank for her client focus, partnership and passion for gender equality and inclusion.

Christine is based in New York. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Studio Art from Beloit College, Wisconsin.

Dr. Andreas Klasen
Professor and HRA, University of Oxford

Dr Andreas Klasen is a thought leadership driven academic and senior adviser working at the intersection of scholarly research, education and consultancy.

He is Professor of International Business at Offenburg University and Honorary Research Associate in the Oxford Smith School at the University of Oxford. At Oxford, he leads the Innovation and Knowledge Hub supporting the UN-convened Net-zero Export Credit Alliance (NZECA). Andreas Klasen has also served as Visiting Professor and Senior Fellow at several other universities, including Bayes Business School, City, University of London, the University of St.Gallen and Durham University.

His research focuses on international business, trade policy and export strategies, as well as export, development and climate finance. He has made significant contributions to academic literature, with publications such as „The Handbook of Global Trade Policy“ and contributions to works including “The Elgar Encyclopedia of Public Management“. He regularly speaks at international conferences and fora such as COP, G7, G20, the EU, the OECD and the WTO, was invited to give expert evidence to the UK Parliament and has long lasting experience as an economic adviser in WTO disputes.

Professor Klasen advises governments, development banks, export-import banks, export credit agencies and innovation funds on industrial and climate policy, innovation and export strategies, and financing instruments. Clients include the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Dutch Ministry of Finance, Export Development Canada (EDC), Finnvera in Finland, NEXI in Japan, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the World Bank Group.

Prior to his academic career, Andreas Klasen had a significant presence in industry. He was a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Germany, where he also served as PwC’s Economics & Policy Leader, and as Co-Head and Managing Director of Germany’s official export credit agency. Furthermore, his career includes roles as Head of Guarantees and Export Finance at Airbus Group (ex EADS) and Vice President of the Berne Union.

Andreas Klasen was educated at Leibniz University Hannover, Northumbria University and the University of St Andrews, studying law, business and theology and receiving his doctoral degree in finance.

John S. Langford, III
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Electra.aero

John currently serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Electra.aero. John is an aerospace entrepreneur who founded Aurora Flight Sciences in 1989, Athena Technologies in 1998, and Electra.aero in 2020. Aurora pioneered advanced robotic aircraft, Athena developed advanced flight control solutions, and Electra is developing sustainable aviation solutions for regional mobility. Athena was sold to Rockwell Collins in 2008 and Aurora was sold to Boeing in 2017.

He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the immediate past-president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

Reta Jo Lewis
President and Chair of the Board of Directors, Export-Import Bank of the United States

On February 9, 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed Reta Jo Lewis as EXIM’s President and Chair of the Board of Directors. Chair Lewis was sworn in by Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris on February 16, 2022. Ms. Lewis is a senior executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in international affairs, legal, public policy, business and regulatory affairs, and subnational diplomacy.

Ms. Lewis was most recently a Senior Fellow and Director of Congressional Affairs at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. At GMF, Ms. Lewis led and oversaw initiatives, programs, and bipartisan exchanges for members of the U.S. Congress and their European counterparts, focusing on leadership development and subnational diplomacy efforts. Prior to her time at GMF, she served as the first-ever Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs under Secretary Hillary Clinton at the U.S. Department of State during the Obama-Biden Administration. As Special Representative, Lewis was the chief diplomat in charge of the international efforts to build and support strategic relationships between the federal government, state and local leaders, and their foreign counterparts. In 2013, she was awarded the Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award.

Ms. Lewis was the first Black woman to serve as Vice President and Counselor to the President at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She led the Chamber’s initiatives focused on fostering strategic alliances between small businesses, especially women- and minority-owned businesses, entrepreneurs, and executives. She is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and former Member of the Board of the Leadership Council for Women in National Security. Ms. Lewis received a J.D. from Emory University School of Law, an M.S.A.J. from American University, and a B.A. from the University of Georgia. She is a native of Statesboro, Georgia.

Christina Lu
Reporter at Foreign Policy

Christina Lu is a reporter at Foreign Policy, where she covers the global race for critical minerals, the commodities trade, and the energy transition. Prior to joining FP, she worked at Foreign Affairs and the Southern African Institute for Policy and Research in Lusaka, Zambia. She is a graduate of Cornell University.

Kathleen McGrow
Global Chief Nursing Information Officer, Microsoft

As a part of Microsoft Health & Life Science, she advises organizations on how innovative technologies can enhance clinical, operational performance, patient experience, and transform care models. She is expert in how technologies can be deployed to address digital transformation imperatives including workforce crisis through provider enablement, consumer engagement, analytics for population health and cognitive computing to support a learning health system.

Dr. McGrow’s unique abilities lie in her combination of expert clinical and IT background. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice from University of Maryland Baltimore and has many years of clinical/trauma critical care experience.

A nationally recognized authority in the convergence of clinical care and technology, Dr. McGrow has presented a variety of educational sessions for professional groups, including the International Congress of Nursing in Montreal Canada. She has published in peer reviewed journals including how artificial intelligence (AI) transform clinical data into wisdom, and how the rapid evolution of AI will transform healthcare delivery more broadly.

Dr. McGrow is Co-Chair of the HIMSS Nursing Innovation Advisory Committee. She is an adjunct clinical instructor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing.

Ray McGuire
President, Lazard

Bio coming soon…

Karl Mehta
Chairman of the Quad Investors Network at America’s Frontier Fund

Karl Mehta is a serial entrepreneur, author, investor, engineer, and civil servant with more than 30 years of experience in founding, building, and funding high-tech companies in the U.S. and international markets.

Prior to leading the Quad Investors Network, Karl was the Founder and CEO of an artificial intelligence-powered Knowledge Cloud platform – EdCast Inc. – which was backed by Stanford University and acquired by Cornerstone Inc. He was also a former venture partner at Menlo Ventures, a leading Silicon Valley firm with more than $6 billion under management. In 2011, Karl established the Mehta Trust, his family office for philanthropy and investments in early-stage tech companies and venture capital funds in Silicon Valley.

Previously, he was the Founder and CEO of PlaySpan Inc., acquired by Visa Inc. (NYSE:V), the world’s largest payment network. Karl served as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow as well, selected by the Obama Administration during the inaugural 2012-13 term. In 2014 he was appointed by then-Governor Jerry Brown to the Workforce Investment Board of the State of California. Karl won the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award from Ernst & Young for Northern California in 2010.

Karl is also the founder of several non-profit organizations, including Code For India, and the author of Financial Inclusion at the Bottom of the Pyramid. His new book, AI for Digital Public Infrastructure, is slated to be released in Fall 2023.

Brian Menell
Chairman and CEO, TechMet Limited

Brian Menell is a British/South African businessman with over 25 years’ experience funding, developing and managing mining, energy, trading and agri-industry projects across Africa, Europe and the Americas.

He is the Chairman & CEO of TechMet Limited, a leading metals investment company with a portfolio of assets that responsibly produce, process, and recycle the metals that are critical to building the global energy transition.

TechMet’s portfolio of assets includes lithium extraction from both brine and hard rock sources, nickel and cobalt hydroxide production from laterite ores, vanadium chemical production from industrial waste feedstocks, rare earth production and processing, tin and tungsten mining, lithium-ion battery recycling, and high-performance cathode manufacturing.  Brian serves as a Director of a number of TechMet’s investee companies, including: Trinity Metals Ltd.,  US Vanadium LLC,  Brazilian Nickel Ltd. and TechMet-Mercuria AG.

James I. Merlino, M.D.
Executive Vice President, Chief Innovation Officer, The Joint Commission

James Merlino, MD, is the Executive Vice President, Chief Innovation Officer at The Joint Commission. In this role, Dr. Merlino focuses on the transformation of The Joint Commission’s services utilizing data and innovation to advance health care safety and quality worldwide.

Previously, he served as the Chief Clinical Transformation Officer at Cleveland Clinic overseeing enterprise strategy, business development, safety, quality, experience, and continuous organizational improvement. Earlier, he also served as Chief Experience Officer and Associate Chief of Staff at Cleveland Clinic, vice-chair of the Digestive Disease Institute, and was a practicing staff colorectal surgeon. Prior to Cleveland Clinic, he served as the Chief Transformation Officer for Press Ganey Associates.

Dr. Merlino is recognized as an expert in health care strategy, improving safety, quality, and patient experience, and has extensive experience both domestically and internationally. He is a renowned speaker with over 400 invited presentations including on strategies to redefine care around the needs of the patient. He has led C-suite strategic sessions with more than 70 of the largest and most successful health care organizations in the U.S., and regularly coached CEOs, C-suite leaders and health care boards on health care strategy and cultural change.

Dr. Merlino was named to HealthLeaders Magazine’s list of “20 people who make health care better” in 2013 and has consistently been on Becker’s list of top 50 experts in health care safety, and was recognized by Beckers as a top Chief Transformation Officer. He has been widely published in academic papers and released his first book, “Service Fanatics: How to Build Superior Patient Experience the Cleveland Clinic Way” in 2014. He is a co-editor of the best-selling safety book “Zero Harm: How to Achieve Patient and Workforce Safety in Healthcare,” released in 2018. He has also received numerous awards in health care.

Dr. Merlino is a member of the American College of Health Care Executives, American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, and American Medical Association.
Dr. Merlino earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, OH, and his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH. He completed his general surgery training at University Hospitals of Cleveland and his colorectal surgery fellowship at Cleveland Clinic. He was also an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) fellow.

Governor Wes Moore
Governor of the State of Maryland

Wes Moore is the 63rd Governor of the State of Maryland. He is Maryland’s first Black Governor in the state’s 246-year history, and is just the third African American elected Governor in the history of the United States.

Born in Takoma Park, Maryland, on Oct. 15, 1978, to Joy and Westley Moore, Moore’s life took a tragic turn when his father died of a rare, but treatable virus when he was just three years old. After his father’s death, his family moved to the Bronx to live with Moore’s grandparents before returning to Maryland at age 14.

Moore is a proud graduate of Valley Forge Military Academy and College, where he received an Associate’s degree in 1998, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Afterward, he went on to earn his Bachelor’s in international relations and economics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa.

While at Johns Hopkins, Moore interned in the office of former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke. Moore was the first Black Rhodes Scholar in the history of Johns Hopkins University. As A Rhodes Scholar, he earned a Master’s in international relations from Wolfson College at Oxford.

In 2005, Moore deployed to Afghanistan as a captain with the 82nd Airborne Division, leading soldiers in combat. Immediately upon returning home, Moore served as a White House Fellow, advising on issues of national security and international relations.

In 2010, Moore wrote “The Other Wes Moore,” a story about the fragile nature of opportunity in America, which became a perennial New York Times bestseller. He went on to write other best-selling books that reflect on issues of race, equity, and opportunity, including his latest book “Five Days,” which tells the story of Baltimore in the days that followed the death of Freddie Gray in 2015.

Moore built and launched a Baltimore-based business called BridgeEdU, which reinvented freshman year of college for underserved students to increase their likelihood of long-term success. BridgeEdu was acquired by the Brooklyn-based student financial success platform, Edquity, in 2018.

It was Moore’s commitment to taking on our toughest challenges that brought him to the Robin Hood Foundation, where he served for four years as CEO. During his tenure, the Robin Hood Foundation distributed over $600 million toward lifting families out of poverty, including here in Maryland.

While the Robin Hood Foundation is headquartered in New York City, Wes and his family never moved from their home in Baltimore.

Moore has also worked in finance with Deutsche Bank in London and with Citigroup in New York.

Moore and his wife Dawn Flythe Moore have two children – Mia, 13; and James, 10 –​ and a dog, Tucker Balti.​

Keith Morrison
Chief Executive Officer & Director, Premium Nickel Resources Ltd.

Mr. Keith Morrison has over 40 years of global experience in the resources sector with an accomplished background in strategy, finance, exploration, technology, global operations, capital markets and corporate development. Formerly, Mr. Morrison co-founded two significant Canadian-based success stories, Quantec, a world-leader in deep sub-surface imaging technologies, and QGX, a Canadian-based public exploration company which operated in Mongolia prior to its acquisition. Since 1986, Mr. Morrison has continuously served on private and public company Board of Directors, and senior management teams as CEO. During this period, he has been in leadership positions through multiple commodity cycles and several black swan events. He is currently CEO and member of the Board of Directors of PNRL.

Katharine Morton
Head of Trade, Treasury and Risk, TXF, Exile Group

Katharine is a financial content producer, presenter, writer, analyst and communicator with extensive knowledge of the world of international finance and risk. She has been Head of Trade, Treasury and Risk at Trade & Export Finance (TXF, part of the Exile Group) since January 2018. She interviews, moderates and writes on financing international trade, credit and political risk insurance, treasury, ESG, export and project finance. Katharine was Editor in Chief of Trade & Forfaiting Review (TFR) in 2017. Prior to that she was Editorial Director at EuroFinance Conferences, part of the Economist Group. She edited Treasury Perspectives and has researched, written, chaired and moderated financial conferences worldwide. She has been a consultant on capital markets, and has edited on risk, economics, trade, treasury, environment and finance for Finance Asia and Euromoney, Dow Jones and Bloomberg. Katharine has a degree in economics from King’s College, Cambridge. She is also an exhibited artist.

John Neblo
Senior Vice President and Head of Lending, Private Export Funding Corporation (PEFCO)

John Neblo leads the lending and business development team at PEFCO, a financial institution that assists in the financing of U.S. exports by supplementing the financing available from commercial banks and other lenders. He brings 30 years of experience to PEFCO from the trade and export credit agency space, particularly as it relates to U.S. EXIM. He most recently spent three and a half years as the Product Manager of Global Trade Receivables at Citi. Prior to that, Mr. Neblo was the Head of Export and Agency Finance USA for Investec and the Chief Lending Officer at PEFCO from 2008 to 2013. His previous engagements include ABN AMRO Bank, Chemical Securities, U.S. EXIM, and the law firm of Mudge, Rose, Guthrie, Alexander & Ferndon.

Mr. Neblo holds a law degree from Northwestern University, and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Anne Neuberger
Deputy National Security Advisor, Cyber and Emerging Technology, White House National Security Council

Ms. Neuberger is the Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology on the National Security Council. Previously, she served as the National Security Agency’s (NSA) Director of Cybersecurity, where she led NSA’s cybersecurity mission, including emerging technology areas like quantum-resistant cryptography. Prior to this role, Ms. Neuberger led NSA’s election security effort and served as Assistant Deputy Director of NSA’s Operations Directorate, overseeing foreign intelligence and cybersecurity operations. She also served as NSA’s first Chief Risk Officer, Director of NSA’s Commercial Solutions Center, Director of the Enduring Security Framework cybersecurity public private partnership, and the Department of the Navy’s Deputy Chief Management Officer. In 2017, Ms. Neuberger was awarded a Presidential Rank Award for her service at the NSA. Before her Government service, Ms. Neuberger was Senior Vice President of Operations at American Stock Transfer and Trust Company, where she directed technology and operations.

Zeynep Kantur Ozenci
Global Manager for Health and Education, International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group

Zeynep Kantur Ozenci is the Global Manager for Health and Education in the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group, leading the implementation of the Corporation’s strategy in health, life sciences, medtech, and education sectors.

A Turkish national, Zeynep’s professional background blends a mix of policy work at the IBRD, leading investments and global sector initiatives in the IFC, and investment banking and corporate finance experience in the private sector. Among her flagship contributions, Zeynep has led efforts in creation of bankable structures for a major hospital PPP program in Turkey, marking the first time that IFC would finance large-scale PPPs in the social sector. Most recently, she has played two key roles as the Global Upstream/Market Creation Lead for the Health & Education sectors, and the Global Lead for IFC’s pandemic readiness and health resilience initiatives. As part of her responsibilities, Zeynep has led the development of the Global Health Platform and has been leading several of IFC’s pioneering activities under the platform, including the establishment of vaccine manufacturing capacities in low and middle-income countries.

Anna Palmer
Founder and CEO of Punchbowl News

Anna has covered congressional leadership, the lobbying industry, presidential campaigns and the politics of governing for more than 15 years. She has been writing partners with Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman and co-founder John Bresnahan for 10 years.

In 2019, Anna and Jake authored “The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the future of Trump’s America,” which was the inside story of Congress in the first two years of Donald Trump’s presidency. The book was an instant New York Times and national bestseller. Trevor Noah of The Daily Show said “The Hill to Die On” turned “Congress into a Game of Thrones book.”

From 2016 to 2020, she was the co-author, along with Jake, of the top-rated POLITICO Playbook franchise, where they chronicled President Donald Trump’s first term, and his relationship with top Congressional leaders. Under their leadership, the platform more than doubled in revenue and tripled its readership. They also created a widely acclaimed daily podcast, afternoon newsletter and event series where they interviewed top political and business leaders across the country about pressing issues of the day. She has spoken and moderated conversations at the World Economic Forum, the Milken Institute Global Forum, UN General Assembly, Aspen Ideas Festival, Texas Tribune Festival and SXSW.

Daniel Pinho
Vice President, Operation and Business Management, Bankers Association for Finance and Trade (BAFT)

Dan Pinho currently works as a senior executive at BAFT, the leading global industry association for international transaction banking. Prior to joining BAFT, Dan was Senior Vice President and Assistant Group Manager of Trade Finance at PNC, where he held a number of roles over the past 19 years. Before joining PNC, he worked at UPS Capital Business Credit. He served on the advisory committee of the Export-Import Bank of the U.S., the Secretary of PNC’s Latino Employee Business Resource Group, and as a member of the bank’s Talent Management Council.

Mr. Pinho has an MBA from the University of Connecticut, BBA from Mackenzie University (São Paulo), BSc Engineering from the Polytechnic School of University of São Paulo and is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish.

Daniel Pische
National Director of Trade Finance within the SBA’s Office of International Trade

Arpita Bhattacharyya currently serves as the Chief Climate Officer at the Loan Programs Office of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). She works across the interagency to reduce barriers and enable clean energy deployment to meet the Biden Administration’s priorities. Ms. Bhattacharyya was most recently Chief of Staff in the Office of the Deputy Secretary. In addition to managing the Deputy Secretary’s office and advising the budget, she was the lead for the Office of Science, ARPA-E, Sustainability, and the National Labs in the Secretary’s office. Ms. Bhattacharyya holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a B.A. from Carleton College.

Eric Ponzio
Executive Director of Structured Products & Government Finance, JP Morgan

Eric Ponzio is a senior executive at JP Morgan Securities, where he specializes in leading international clients through the origination, structuring and issuance processes for capital and banking loan markets transactions. He covers a variety of markets for these transactions, which are backed by official export finance and other government agencies.

Mr. Ponzio has worked at JP Morgan for 20 years, where he has spent time on several teams, including the trade, transportation and agency finance departments. He holds a BSc and an MSc from Lund University in Business & Economics.

The Honorable Rob Portman
Former United States Senator, Ohio

Rob Portman’s career in public service spanned three decades and included service in three presidential administrations as well as two terms in the United States Senate and six terms in the United States House of Representatives.

In the George W. Bush administration he served in two cabinet-level jobs, as Director of the Office of Management and Budget as well as United States Trade Representative. Under President George H.W. Bush, he served as Associate Counsel to the President and Director, White House Office of Legislative Affairs.

Known for his civility, successful bipartisan policymaking, work ethic, and grasp of a broad range of complex issues, over 220 of Portman’s bills were signed into law by Presidents Biden, Trump and Obama during his tenure in the Senate. He served as the lead Republican negotiator on the bipartisan infrastructure law that is making historic improvements to our nation’s roads, ports, rails, bridges, broadband and more.

He played a key role in U.S. foreign policy through his seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and as co-chair and founder of the Senate Ukraine Caucus. He made ten trips to Ukraine since the Revolution of Dignity in 2014 and is a key advocate for congressional support of Ukraine against Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression.

Portman currently serves as the Founder of the Portman Center for Policy Solutions at the University of Cincinnati and a Distinguished Visiting Fellow in the Practice of Public Policy at the American Enterprise Institute.

Rob was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he still lives today with his wife, Jane. Together they have three adult children: Jed, Will, and Sally.

Judith D. Pryor
First Vice President and Vice Chair | EXIM Board of Directors

Judith DelZoppo Pryor was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden to serve as First Vice President and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at the Export-Import Bank (EXIM) for a term expiring on January 20, 2025.

Ms. Pryor has spent the majority of her career working with multinational businesses, from Asia to Europe to Africa, primarily in emerging markets, and brings to EXIM more than 35 years of business leadership experience spanning development finance, public policy, business development, marketing, communications, and sales. From Asia to the Middle East, Africa, and Western Europe, and from international start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, her work has focused on the broadcast, satellite communications, and international finance sectors.

Ms. Pryor served on EXIM’s Board of Directors from May 2019 to July 2021. Her portfolio included Africa and the Middle East, renewable energy, storage and efficiency, and minority and women-owned business. She also served during the Obama Administration as Vice President, Office of External Affairs, at OPIC, now the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). She was responsible for all external engagement including congressional relations, public affairs, communications, and U.S. small business development. She was a member of the Executive Leadership Team and held a seat on the Agency’s Investment Committee, providing input on all projects valued at more than $20 million.

Before entering public service, Ms. Pryor spent nearly a decade with WorldSpace Inc., a multibillion-dollar satellite radio start-up company, servicing developing markets worldwide. Ms. Pryor held similar positions with COMSAT and Orion Network Systems and has worked with respected advertising and public relations firms. She began her career in the Washington offices of Gray & Company, continuing with the firm after its acquisition by Hill & Knowlton Public Affairs Worldwide.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Ms. Pryor holds a B.A. in Communications from Bowling Green State University and studied at the Universidad de Madrid. She also served on the BGSU Foundation Board as Chair of the Development Committee.

Gina M. Raimondo
Secretary of Commerce, Department of Commerce

Gina M. Raimondo serves as the 40th U.S. Secretary of Commerce and was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris on March 3, 2021. As Secretary of Commerce, she is focused on a simple but vital mission — to spur good-paying jobs, empower entrepreneurs to innovate and grow, and help American workers and businesses compete.

Secretary Raimondo was formerly the 75th Governor of Rhode Island and its first woman governor. She grew up in Smithfield in a tight-knit Italian-American family, the youngest of Joseph and Josephine Raimondo’s three children. Her family history and her childhood experiences shaped her core beliefs in hard work, opportunity for all, and the importance of financial security.

After arriving from Italy at age 14, Secretary Raimondo’s grandfather learned English studying in the Providence Public Library and later lived with her family. Her mother was a homemaker, who dedicated her life to teaching her children about the importance of hard work and determination. Her father was a World War II Navy veteran from a family of butchers and became the first in his family to attend college thanks to the GI Bill. After working for 26 years in manufacturing, Joseph lost his job along with hundreds of others when the factory moved overseas, and the Raimondo family lost their sense of financial security.

As a teenager, Secretary Raimondo rode a public bus to LaSalle Academy in Providence, where she was valedictorian of her graduating class. She went on to graduate with honors from Harvard, where she was recognized as the top economics student in her class. She won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University where she earned a doctorate and met her future husband Andy Moffit. She later graduated from Yale Law School. Secretary Raimondo clerked for US District Judge Kimba Wood and served as founding employee and senior vice president at Village Ventures.

Wanting to start her own business and be close to family, she returned home to Rhode Island and founded Point Judith Capital, a venture capital firm. In November 2010, Secretary Raimondo was elected to serve as General Treasurer of Rhode Island, receiving the largest number of votes of any statewide candidate. When she took office as General Treasurer, she tackled the state’s $7 billion unfunded pension liability. Secretary Raimondo was sworn into office as Governor in January 2015 and won a second term in 2018. She also served as chair of the Democratic Governors’ Association in 2019.

During her time as Governor, Secretary Raimondo kick-started the state’s economy and made record investments in infrastructure, education, and job training. She focused tirelessly on creating economic opportunities and good-paying jobs for all Rhode Islanders. Early in her administration, she launched an innovative workforce development program that develops business-led partnerships to address unique workforce challenges.

Secretary Raimondo is married to Andy Moffit and they have two children, Ceci and Tommy, and a rescue dog, Sparky.

Kimberly A. Reed
Former Chairman of Board of Directors, President, & CEO Export-Import Bank of The United States

The Honorable Kimberly A. Reed served as the first woman Chairman of the Board of Directors, President, and CEO of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM)—the nation’s official $135 billion export credit agency—from 2019 to 2021 after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support. During her tenure at EXIM, Ms. Reed reopened and transformed the then 85-year-old independent federal agency after four years of near closure. She led efforts to secure EXIM’s historic seven-year Congressional reauthorization, the longest in the bank’s history. The legislation also included a significant new focus, the “Program on China and Transformational Exports,” to bolster U.S. business competitiveness, specifically with respect to the People’s Republic of China and in ten innovative sectors: 5G, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, biomedical sciences, renewable energy and energy storage, water treatment and sanitation, quantum computing, high-performance computing, semiconductors, and emerging financial technologies. She was presented with the U.S. Department of Defense’s highest civilian award—the Medal for Distinguished Public Service—for her efforts to further the United States’ economic and national security. Ms. Reed currently serves on the Board of Directors of several public companies and the American Swiss Foundation. Additionally, she is a Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center and the Council on Competitiveness, a Council on Foreign Relations life member, and affiliated with various nonprofit organizations, think tanks, and academic institutions. Earlier in her career, Ms. Reed was President of the International Food Information Council Foundation where she worked with multi-national food, agriculture, and nutrition companies; Senior Advisor to U.S. Treasury Secretaries Henry Paulson and John Snow; CEO of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund); and Counsel to three committees of the U.S. Congress where she conducted oversight and investigations. Recognized as one of the “100 Women Leaders in STEM” and Washingtonian’s “Most Powerful Women in Washington,” Ms. Reed holds a J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law and a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in government from West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Tim Reid
Chief Executive of UK Export Finance

Tim is the Chief Executive of UK Export Finance, the UK’s export credit agency. He is also a Director General in the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). Previously he was a Director General in the Department for International Trade, and a member of its Executive Committee and Management Board.

Tim joined UKEF in 2022 as Director of Business Group. He was previously at HSBC, where he spent 34 years in a variety of roles.

Tim has an international outlook and proven track record helping customers expand their business internationally. At HSBC, he managed businesses across Europe, the Americas and the Middle East and North Africa, and was most recently the Global Head of Transaction Banking for the bank’s Global Banking division.

Nicholas Rémillard
President and CEO, International Economic Forum of the Americas (IEFA)

Nicholas Rémillard is President and CEO of the International Economic Forum of the Americas (IEFA) and has been with the company since its inception in 1994. During this time, Nicholas has held a variety of management roles, ultimately becoming CEO in 2010. Under his leadership, the IEFA has expanded from a single annual conference to a series of six yearly conferences spanning three continents, as well as multiple standalone events worldwide. In addition, he co-founded and launched IEFA+, a strategic consultancy which works with organizations seeking to grow corporate visibility and new business opportunities on a global scale.

Nicholas holds a law degree from the University of Ottawa. Beyond his role at the IEFA, he also serves as Honorary Consul General of Iceland in Montreal.

General Laura J. Richardson
Commander of United States Southern Command

General Laura J. Richardson is currently serving as the Commander of United States Southern Command. She is a native of Northglenn, Colorado and a graduate of Metropolitan State University of Denver, Colorado. She commissioned into the U.S. Army and trained as an Army Aviator. She holds a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University’s Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy.

Over her career, General Richardson has commanded from the Company to Theater Army level. Prior to taking command of SOUTHCOM, she served as the Commanding General of U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) which is the Army Service Component Command for U.S. Northern Command. She commanded an Assault Helicopter Battalion in combat in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) 2003-04, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and deployed to Afghanistan as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications at Headquarters International Security Assistance Force in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She has also served in numerous staff assignments at a myriad of locations, including Military Aide to the Vice President at the White House in Washington, D.C., the Army’s Legislative Liaison to Congress at the U.S. Capitol, and at the Pentagon as an Army Campaign Planner.

She is married to Lieutenant General (Retired) Jim Richardson and they have one daughter and a grandchild.

Michal Ron
Chief International Business Officer | SACE Italy

I am the Chief International Business Officer at SACE, holding responsibility for the Group’s International Relations, Overseas Network and Political Credit Recovery.

In my capacity, I am responsible for all business generation overseas – at a global level. Over the past 20 years, I have steered the expansion of SACE’s Overseas Network, which counts 13 offices abroad. I manage SACE’s participation within the OECD, the European Union and other multilateral ECA-related fora. My responsibilities also include all activities related to the Paris Club/political recoveries, including the management of recent G20 initiatives such as the DSSI and the Common Framework.
Due to my role at SACE, over the years I had the privilege to serve as an elected official in several international organizations. From 2020 to 2022, I was the President of the Berne Union, the global association of the world’s largest and most active export credit agencies, multilateral financial institutions and private underwriters of credit and political risk insurance – where I also served as Vice President (from 2014 to 2016).

From 2018 to 2021 I acted as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Trade & Investment Development Insurance (ATIDI), where I also held a director position until July 2023. From 2017 to 2020, I served as the first Secretary General of the International Working Group (IWG), a multilateral initiative between OECD and non-OECD countries aimed at setting common rules for official export credit support.

Prior to SACE, I worked in investment banking; 10 years at Mediocredito Centrale (Rome) and 7 years with HSBC (London, Madrid, Milan).

Throughout my career, I have been a dedicated advocate for gender diversity and empowerment, prioritising the inclusion of women in key positions of responsibility. I actively participate in SACE’s mentorship program, mentoring four women at different career stages to inspire and develop future leaders. I am also part of the ‘Women in Export’ initiative, advocating for increased female participation in international trade and export sectors, aiming to create new opportunities and build supportive networks for women globally.

Deeply committed to supporting and advancing the careers of women, striving to make a meaningful impact in promoting gender equality within the workplace, with unwavering support from SACE.

Hooman Shahidi
Co-founder and CEO of EVPassport

Hooman Shahidi is the co-founder and CEO of EVPassport, the first technology-driven, electric vehicle charging hardware and software platform company. He is widely considered an innovator and evangelist in the EV charging industry, helping to pioneer the first truly interoperable EV charging network. Hooman has unique expertise surrounding the future of EV charging infrastructure, customer engagement, and the massification of electric vehicles. He is a sought-after industry speaker, advisor, TV guest, and contributing writer.

Andrea Shalal
White House/Economics Correspondent, Reuters

Shalal joined Reuters in 1988, with long stints working in Frankfurt, Berlin and Washington. She has covered a wide range of news for Reuters including global trade, development and economic issues, as well as social justice, arms sales and military technology. She helped found a diversity initiative at Reuters in the United States in the late 1990s and is co-chair of the Washington chapter of the Journalism and Women Symposium. She has earned a “Blue Nose” for crossing the Arctic circle, hit 7Gs in a Super Hornet over the desert in UAE without getting sick, and was part of a group of Washington-based journalists selected as Reuters Journalists of the Year in 2015 for breaking news.

Rowena Smith
CEO, Australian Strategic Materials

Rowena Smith was appointed CEO of Australian Strategic Materials in July 2022, having joined the Company as Chief Operating Officer in July 2021. Rowena’s 30 years’ experience in the mining and minerals processing sector includes a range of senior roles in strategy, operations and commercial. Prior to joining ASM, Rowena was Chief Sustainability Officer at South32, accountable for sustainability strategy, risk management and HSE business processes. Other past roles include Vice President Supply at South32, General Manager BHP’s Kwinana Nickel Refinery, and operational leadership roles within Rio Tinto’s aluminum smelting business.

Grace Stanke
Nuclear Fuels Engineer & Clean Energy Advocate, Constellation, Miss America 2023

It’s not often that you find an athlete, engineer, musician, and a former Miss America all in one. Grace Stanke breaks misconceptions surrounding nuclear energy through social media, public engagements, and educational workshops. During her year as Miss America 2023, Grace was named the “New Face of Nuclear Energy” by the Wall Street Journal and was on the Forbes 30 under 30 list for Energy. While completing approximately 270,000 miles of travel, she finished her undergraduate degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since passing on the title of Miss America, Grace continues to advocate for peaceful purposes of the science of the atom. By encouraging worldwide change for clean, zero-carbon emission energy sources, Stanke emphasizes the benefits of nuclear power and seeks to dispel the myths around nuclear energy while inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. In March 2024, Grace began work as a Nuclear Fuels Engineer & Clean Energy Advocate at Constellation. Outside of the nuclear industry, Grace is an avid waterskier, classical violinist, and a travel enthusiast.

“I’m not looking to change the entire world on my own – all I need to do is make the one connection that will start a chain reaction.”

Katie Strangis
Vice President of Government & International Affairs at Westinghouse

Katie Strangis joined Westinghouse as the Vice President of Government & International Affairs in April. Katie brings to this role nearly two decades of strategy, engagement, leadership, and legal experience with the Department of Energy, with particular focus on civil nuclear cooperation and export controls. Most recently, she served as the Deputy Director for Nonproliferation Policy for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Previously, Katie served as Program Director for Nuclear Technology Export Control Regulations and also in the office of the General Counsel for DOE and NNSA. Katie holds an undergraduate degree in History and English from The University of Rochester and a law degree from Syracuse University College of Law.

Her Excellency Ambassador Hilda Suka-Mafudze
Permanent Representative of the African Union to the United States of America

Ambassador Hilda Suka-Mafudze is the Permanent Representative of the African Union to the United States of America. Her core mandate is to enhance and maintain existing bilateral ties. These ties strengthen democratic institutions, advance trade and investment, knowledge sharing, promotes peace and security, mutual relationships between U.S and all 55 AU member countries based on culture and shared values. A career diplomat with experience that spans the African continent, Ambassador Suka-Mafudze assumed her most recent duties on November 2, 2020. Prior to coming to the U.S., she helped lead diplomacy for more than two decades in a variety of top government positions in her home country – Zimbabwe. Well-known as a “quiet champion of democracy,” Ambassador Suka-Mafudze held ambassadorial positions representing her country in Khartoum Sudan and South Sudan between 2010 and 2019, and most recently in the Republic of Malawi. With a staunch commitment to democracy and the will of the people, Ambassador Suka-Mafudze worked fastidiously with the 55 AU member countries to promote and deepen democracy and democratic elections on the African continent. While Ambassador to Malawi, she chaired the group of regional ambassadors representing the South African Development Community (SADC), a regional Economic Community comprising 16 member states. With an agreed objective to coordinate efforts and settle issues of a contested national election, the Ambassadors engaged deeply with the African Union Election Observers and other international observers. Ambassador Suka-Mafudze herself was serving as an international observer. In Khartoum Sudan and South Sudan, she led important high-level political processes that continue to move the entire region toward greater peace and security. In 2007, Ambassador Suka-Mafudze was the Executive Director of Community Development where she was responsible for the day-to-day running of an organization and technical professional staff who interfaced with the government, civil society, and private sector. She worked to ensure civil society needs were articulated and streamlined in public policies and programs. From 2000 to 2005, Ambassador Suka-Mafudze served as an elected member of Zimbabwe’s Parliament. As one of the few women parliamentarians, she was an influential voice committed to ensuring Zimbabwe’s laws were balanced and served the interests of the poor and other marginalized groups – women, youth, the elder and children. Ambassador Suka-Mafudze has a Master of Arts degree in International Relations and the World Order from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, and a Bachelor of Science degree (with Honours) in Sociology and Gender Development from the Women’s University in Africa (WUA). Located in Marondera, Zimbabwe, WUA is a private university that works to address gender disparity and foster equity in tertiary education while developing knowledge and skills in areas of vital importance for women. Ambassador Suka-Mafudze’s other professional and academic training include: The United Nations Senior Mission Leaders’ Course, Interaction Leadership from the British Council, a professional certificate in Networking Leadership, Diplomacy, and Mediation Skills, Leading in Conflict Environments and Skills for Conflict Transformation. Ambassador Suka-Mafudze is fluent in English, working knowledge of French and some Southern African languages, including Shona and Ndebele. Ambassador Hilda Suka-Mafudze is married with four beautiful children.

Dr. Laura D. Taylor-Kale
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, Department of Defense

Dr. Laura D. Taylor-Kale was confirmed in March 2023 as the first Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (ASD(IBP)). She advises the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and other senior defense leaders on all matters pertaining to industrial base resilience and innovation; small business programs; and industrial base development, industrial policy, and international engagement.

She also leads teams dedicated to conducting geo-economic analysis and assessments; providing recommendations on budget matters related to the defense industrial base; anticipating and closing gaps in manufacturing capabilities for defense systems; assessing impacts related to mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; and, monitoring and assessing impact of foreign investments in the United States.

Jay Timmons
President and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers and chairman of the board of the Manufacturing Institute

Jay Timmons is president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers and chairman of the board of the Manufacturing Institute, the NAM’s workforce development and education partner. The NAM is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector, and Jay is a leading advocate for the 13 million men and women who make things in America.

Since Jay took the helm, the NAM has more than doubled in size, dramatically expanded its issue advocacy and enhanced the organization’s influence and mobilization efforts outside of Washington, D.C. He led the NAM to create the NAM Legal Center, acquire the Manufacturing Leadership Council and combine with the Innovation Research Interchange. With manufacturers facing an urgent need for talented and skilled workers, Jay is also a champion for connecting more Americans with rewarding careers in modern manufacturing and for closing the opportunity gap. In recent years, the MI has dramatically expanded its reach and impact, and together the NAM and MI launched an unprecedented, multimillion-dollar workforce development campaign, Creators Wanted, along with a first-of-its-kind online manufacturing career center, which houses manufacturing job and educational opportunities from across the entire country. The NAM has become the one-stop shop for manufacturers in advocacy, legal action, workforce development, operational excellence and news and insights.

Under Jay’s leadership, the NAM has also become a trusted resource on the international stage—advocating for manufacturers before world institutions and as trade agreements are negotiated and enforced. The NAM provides a platform for world leaders to work with manufacturers and the broader American business community to address global crises, such as when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to the NAM Board of Directors in February 2023. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jay guided the NAM as it took on a new role in supporting disaster relief. The NAM’s policy proposals during this time were pivotal in shaping COVID-19 relief legislation. Jay leveraged manufacturers’ influential voices to lead by example, encouraging smart health practices and advocating widespread vaccine acceptance.

Jay is recognized as a forceful and effective leader of the business association community. Recent recognitions include:

  • The Bryce Harlow Business-Government Relations Award;
  • The “Business Citizen Award” from the Friends of Adam Smith Foundation;
  • “Association Executive of the Year” by Association TRENDS;
  • “Business Leadership Award” from The Fund for American Studies; and
  • “2019 Trade Association CEO of the Year” by CEO Update.

In 2019 and 2020, Jay served on the Department of Commerce’s American Workforce Policy Advisory Board. He has also served as a member of the Bryce Harlow Foundation Board of Directors.

Driven by the values instilled in him by his roots in the manufacturing town of Chillicothe, Ohio, where his grandfather worked at the Mead plant for nearly four decades, Jay witnessed manufacturing’s ability to raise the quality of life for families and communities.

With four decades of experience working in state and national government and politics, Jay has built trusted relationships across multiple presidential administrations and with top leaders in both major parties. He and the NAM team have proven effective time and again at navigating the complexities of policymaking in the nation’s capital to deliver real results for the NAM’s 14,000 members.

Prior to his appointment as NAM president and CEO in January 2011, Jay’s roles at the organization included service as executive vice president and senior vice president of policy and government relations. His previous experience includes serving as chief of staff to Congressman, Gov. and Sen. George Allen (R-VA) from 1991 to 2002 and as executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the 2004 election cycle. When he first came to Washington in the 1980s, he served as press secretary to Congressman Jim Martin (R-NC) and later to Congressman Alex McMillan (R-NC). Jay attended The Ohio State University.

Jay is active in numerous charitable endeavors, including promoting the adoption of companion animals. He served for seven years as the chairman of the Washington Humane Society Board of Directors and led the successful effort to merge WHS and the Washington Animal Rescue League to create the Humane Rescue Alliance in order to save more animals.

A passionate advocate for families and children, Jay and his husband, Rick Olson, turned adversity for their own family into triumph for others. They fought tenaciously and eventually won a landmark legal case for parental rights involving their son. They then successfully advocated for the protection of parental rights over other children born through surrogacy with the bipartisan passage of a Virginia statute known as “Jacob’s Law,” which was named after their son by the bill’s sponsor.

Jay and Rick reside in Virginia with their three children, Catherine, Ellie and Jacob, and an assortment of rescue dogs and other critters.

Lynda Tran
Partner, EpicWorks Advisors

Lynda Tran is an expert in advocacy and public engagement. Over more than two decades of experience across politics, policy, and communications, Lynda has helped launch national and international initiatives, shaped the narrative around historic moments, and built and scaled groundbreaking organizations.

As Senior Advisor to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Director of Public Engagement for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), she helped activate stakeholders to secure passage of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) — also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — and played a critical role in shaping the policies and programs that determine how these historic

Chuck Wetherington
President, BTE Technologies LLC; SMM Chair, NAM Board of Directors

Chuck has served as President of BTE since 2001. Under his leadership, BTE has grown to be an international leader in providing advanced medical devices for physical therapy, sports medicine, and industrial rehabilitation. Their equipment in is over 40 countries around the word, and their customer list is a who’s who of leading hospitals, sports teams and Fortune 500 manufacturers. Their testing equipment has been used for post-offer physical demands assessments for over half a million new hires for manufacturing and distribution jobs in the US and Canada.

Previously, Chuck served in various general management and operations management positions with General Electric and Black & Decker. He has degrees in engineering from the University of Illinois and Vanderbilt. Chuck is also a graduate of GE’s world-renowned management and business development programs as well as their Edison Engineering Program.

Mr. Wetherington is a member of the Governors Workforce Development Board and has served on several non-profit and university advisory boards. He also served on the board of the American Physical Therapy Association from 2005-2012. He is currently the chair of the Small and Medium Manufacturers for the NAM, where he has been a board member since 2007. He also serves on the Executive Committee and Compensation Committee.

Dr. Carolina Ferrerosa Young
Chief Economic Advisor to the Vice President of the United States

Dr. Carolina Ferrerosa Young is Chief Economic Advisor to the Vice President of the United States, Kamala D. Harris. She was formerly the Economic Policy Advisor to U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio as well as Policy Advisor on the Future of Work to U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner of Virginia. Before her years of federal service, she completed a Ph.D. in Political Science at Columbia University, where she was a National Science Foundation research fellow. She is a native of Arlington, Virginia, a proud graduate of the University of Virginia, and currently lives in northern Virginia with her husband and two sons.

Gwen Young
CEO of Women Business Collaborative

Gwen K. Young is the CEO of Women Business Collaborative(WBC). She is also a Visiting Scholar at the Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University, and former Director of the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative at the Wilson Center. She is an Advisor to Concordia.

Ms. Young has worked across the globe to promote economic development, good governance, and peace. She has developed strategy, programming, and advocacy in the areas of humanitarian policy, international affairs, and international development. This includes developing public-private partnerships focused on public health, agriculture, gender equality, and access to finance. Further, Ms. Young has advocated for and published international criminal law and designed SGBV guidelines. As an attorney, Ms. Young has worked as a professional advocate for women and human rights in corporate law settings with the ICTY and the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego.

Her career has encompassed a comprehensive array of international organizations, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Medecins Sans Frontieres, the International Rescue Committee, and the Harvard Institute for International Development.

An alumna of Smith College, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and the University of California Davis School of Law, Ms. Young has pursued a career of international public service focused on humanitarian relief, international development, and human rights, starting with gender equality and equity.

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