In celebration of International Women’s Day month, I wanted to share a few shout-outs to some amazing women working in cross-border trade who have been my mentors, bosses, clients, colleagues, friends and co-workers over the years. These are only some of the many extraordinary women I have crossed paths with who have helped and inspired me, contributing ultimately to TradeMoves’ success over the past twenty years. A big thank you to these incredible women and cheers to all the accomplished women out there helping trade move!
• Lisa Maher, trade guru formerly with Chrysler and its many iterations, was my first boss in DC. As a newbie, I learned a great deal from her about government relations, advocacy and advancing trade priorities. She was tough but fair and always saw a solution amongst the noise. • Marietta Bernot, affectionately known as “The Chocolate Lady”, took me on as her first employee of the-then new US-EU trade advisory joint venture with EPPA, a pan-European public affairs firm. In our office work room, she put up a plaque that said: “You don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.” Given her role in helping companies negotiate market access before the WTO and USMCA eased trade facilitation, this hit it on the head. I worked for her for nearly ten years and learned not only about trade, but how to run a small business and the importance of high-quality deliverables for your clients. • Mary Latimer, a master negotiator, became a client upon leaving USTR and underscored the importance of persistence, details matter, coordination and collaboration are key to advancing trade priorities, and that people, planet and profit must move in sync for global supply chains to work for all stakeholders. She included me as a thought partner on strategy and I appreciate her pushing me to think outside the box in tackling issues. • Sandra Benson was first a colleague when we both worked for Marietta, and then became a client. She is one of the smartest people in this town on regulatory issues, and lives in the weeds of the many facets of tariffs, TRQs, SPS issues, import requirements, health certificates and the intricacies of moving US dairy products to markets around the world. In addition, she is one of the kindest people in DC and always willing to share her insights and expertise with the younger generation of TradeMoves analysts. • Alison Bodor, Karen Horan and Laura Shumow are three kick-@$$ women who have supported TradeMoves from its first days. Their expertise in food and ag, championing US exports, encouraging import policies that support US domestic manufacturing, and encouraging TradeMoves’ growth is forever appreciated. • Lisa Schroeter, one of the first of my generation of women in trade that I met here in DC, and one of the savviest on trade policy that I know. Cutting our teeth on trade through (the now-defunct) TABD was an amazing master class on US-EU industry cooperation and B2G relations on both sides of the pond. Lisa’s passion to pay it forward through her involvement in WIIT and to support the next-gen of trade gurus is much admired. • Tiffany Smith is a kindred spirit. While our paths initially only crossed a bit on trade, we became fast friends through our love of wine and through a network of friends. Tiffany’s command of trade issues, policy considerations and strategic thinking make her stand out and I appreciate her friendship, knowledge and mentorship as I learned the ropes on being a cleared advisor to the USG in my early days of TradeMoves. • Megan Giblin is synonymous with “customs policy guru”, working at the intersection of trade policy and customs operations to facilitate trade and ensure secure supply chains for her phenomenal rolodex (okay, LinkedIn) of connections in business, government and institutions around the world. She and I were introduced by a long-time friend and colleague, Jeff Bensing, and whenever we are together, laughter fills the time. • Melissa Kessler is a unicorn – trade policy expert, passionate advocate for US ag, AND a strategic and organizational design wizard. I first met Melissa when she was my client contact for a USDA-funded project. I got to work with her on showcasing how USDA cooperators were implementing new and innovative ways to connect with customers and consumers in export markets. In returning to her roots, she is now an advisor to our TradeMoves’ team as we look to build and grow over the next 20 years and her insights and recommendations are invaluable to our transition. • Kim Benson, Candace Chen, Sharon Freeman and Karyn Page are four of the most amazing women in international trade AND small business owners/leaders who work tirelessly to promote opportunities for companies of all sizes to take advantage of growth markets around the world. They have each acted as Chair for the ITAC for Small Business, leading with grace, passion, wisdom and energy that I strive for in my career. • Christina Sevilla is a relentless champion for US small businesses and exporters. As a member of the ITAC for Small Business, I had the pleasure of working with Christina in her role at USTR for over a decade, sharing thoughts and ideas to help advance US trade policy and ensure it works for small businesses; thank you for all you do and have done to ensure SMEs have the resources and support they need to compete in foreign markets. • Jackie Smith knows food policy, regulatory affairs, public affairs and the European Union like no other person I know. I was lucky enough to work with Jackie through many different firms and client relationships and have always found her counsel on technical trade issues and strategy to be no-nonsense, impactful and spot on. Clients adore her! The best part, we always laughed, and it seemed the tougher the issue, the greater our sense of humor ratcheted up to tackle what lay ahead. • Beth Johnson is a nutrition policy wonk and Dulce Zahniser a trade finance wonk. Wonk is simply the word “know” spelled backwards and their knowledge in running their own consulting firms and providing expert advice to U.S. exporters is unmatched in their respective fields of expertise and experience. Our partnership with each of them has allowed us to expand our knowledge in nutrition policy and trade finance, respectively, and better service our clients on their cross-border trade strategies. • Anna Helm is a professor at my MBA alma mater whose passion for international business and education have made her the go-to person for identifying trade analysts to join our firm. As an alum, it was an honor to serve on the Advisory Board to the GW Center for International Business and Education Research (GW CIBER) under her leadership and guidance. I appreciate all she does to pay it forward for the up-and-coming students pursuing careers in international trade, cross-border business and global supply chains. Feting these incredible women (and more!) who have shaped my career, our team and our firm is one of the best ways to celebrate our anniversary. In coming months, I look forward to celebrating TradeMoves’ alumni who have launched their careers from TradeMoves and are continuing to work in various aspects of cross-border trade. Shawn Marie Jarosz Chief Trade Strategist Comments are closed.
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