Speaker Biographies

Kofi Asumadu Addo

Director of Guarantees and Specialized Finance, Afreximbank

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Rita Adiani

President, Titan Mining Corporation

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Hon. Spencer Bachus

Member, Board of Directors, EXIM, Former Congressman

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Romina Bandura

Senior Fellow with the Project on Prosperity and Development, CSIS

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Warren Bares

President, J. Maxime Roy, Inc.

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Rebecca L. Bellinger

Executive Director, Center for Global Business, University of Maryland

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Jennifer Black

Managing Director, International Trade, Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development

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Hon. Doug Burgum

Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior

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James G. Burrows Jr.

Acting First Vice President and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, EXIM

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Lisa Coppé

Senior Country Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa, USTDA

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Adam Cortese

Chief Executive Officer, Sun Africa & UGT Renewables

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James C. Cruse

Acting President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, EXIM

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Michio Daito

President, Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security

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Hon. Warren Davidson

U.S. Congressman, 8th District of Ohio, Chairman, House Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions

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Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky

Former Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs and former Chair, EXIM Bank Council on China Competition

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Thomas J. Duesterberg

Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute

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Franklin Edochie

Head of Mining and Metals Investment Unit, Africa Finance Corporation

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Diana Furchtgott-Roth

Director, Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment and The Herbert and Joyce Morgan Fellow in Energy and Environmental Policy, The Heritage Foundation 

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Trevor Gunn

Vice President – International Relations, Medtronic

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Brian Hanrahan

CEO, Lumina Materials

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Thomas Hardy

Acting Director, U.S. Trade and Development Agency

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Hank J. Holland

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Amaero

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Fred Hutchison

President & CEO, The USLNG Association

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Natalie A. Jaresko

EY-Parthenon Managing Director, Turnaround Restructuring and Strategy, Ernst & Young LLP

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Andy Karellas

Executive Director, State International Development Organizations

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John F. Kotek

Senior Vice President, Policy Development and Public Affairs, NEI

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Pablo Koziner

Chief Commercial and Operations Officer, GE Vernova

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Hon. Christopher Landau

Deputy Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State

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Oskar Lewnowski

Founder and Group CEO, Orion Resource Partners

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Hon. Kelly Loeffler

Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration

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Ambassador Oksana Markarova

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United States

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Brian Menell

Chairman & CEO, TechMet Limited

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Dustin Meyer

Senior Vice President of Policy, Economics and Regulatory Affairs, API

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Chris Mitman

Founder and Managing Partner, Acre Impact Capital

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Rotimi Morohunfola

Deputy CEO, Head of Business Development, United Bank for Africa

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Boitumelo Mosako

Chief Executive Officer, DBSA

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Irina Paliashvili

President & CEO, USUBC

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Miguel Peñaloza

Export Finance Manager, SBA’s Office of Manufacturing and Trade (OMT)

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Laurie Pieper, Ph.D., CGBP

Assistant Director, Global Resources, Kansas Department of Commerce

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Rt Hon. Dominic Raab

Head of Global Affairs, Appian Capital Advisory

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Hon. Kimberly A. Reed

Former Chairman of Board of Directors, President, & CEO, EXIM

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HE the Hon Dr Kevin Rudd AC

Australia’s Ambassador to the United States of America

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Dan Runde

Senior Vice President, Director of the Project on Prosperity and Development, CSIS

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Venkee Sharma

Executive Chairman, Aquatech International

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Matt Simpson

CEO, Black Iron

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Bonny Slater

Healthcare Leader, Design Director, Senior Associate, Gensler’s Healthcare

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Rowena Smith

Chief Executive Officer, Australian Strategic Materials

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Joshua S. Stinson

Senior Advisor to the Deputy Assistant to the President, Staff Director for International Economics

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Jay Timmons

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

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Tricia Van Orden

Director of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee Secretariat (TPCC), Office of the Under Secretary

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Louis N. Vernon

Director of International Sales, Malco Products, Inc.

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Vuyelwa Vumendlini

Alternate Executive Director, Africa Group 1 Constituency (OEDAE)

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Richard Wilkins

Global Head of Export & Agency Finance Origination, JP Morgan

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Scott Woodard

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State

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Governor Glenn Youngkin

Governor, State of Virginia

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Kofi Asumadu Addo
Director of Guarantees and Specialized Finance, Afreximbank

Kofi Asumadu Addo is a seasoned professional with over 28 years’ experience in banking, development finance, export credit and guarantee business. He is the Director of Guarantees and Specialised Finance at Afreximbank and leads the Bank’s guarantee and export credit business including the country export programme as well as the newly created repack programme. He also manages the relationships with global ECAs, DFIs and Multilaterals as well as other specialised finance entities including insurance and other alternative markets. He has structured several ECA/DFI and Guarantee transactions across the African continent (both public and private sector) in different industries including aviation, telecom, energy including oil & gas, transport, mining, among others.

Prior to joining Afreximbank, he was a Senior Manager in charge of Finance at the GCB Bank, Ghana. He also served on the Board of Asante Akyem Rural Bank, a community Bank in Asante Region of Ghana. He was an adjunct Lecturer at the University of Ghana and the University of Education, Winneba, and also served as a moderator for the National Board for Professional and Technician Examination (NABPTEX) in accountancy and finance related subjects for Polytechnic Higher National Diploma (HND) examinations in Ghana.

He is a Chartered Accountant and a graduate from Henley Business School, University of Reading UK (MSc Business & Management Research), University of Sorbonne, Paris-France (MSc Corporate Management and Finance) and University of Cape Coast, Ghana (B.Comm, and Dip. Education). He is currently a doctoral research associate at the Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK.

Rita Adiani
President, Titan Mining Corporation

Rita Adiani is the President of Titan Mining Corporation, an established zinc producer and emerging natural flake graphite developer based in upstate New York. She has over 18 years of experience in the mining industry, with a strong focus on critical minerals essential to national security supply chains. Her work spans the development and operation of strategic metal assets across North and South America, Australia, Europe, and Africa. Ms. Adiani has held senior leadership positions in publicly traded companies, private equity platforms, and investment banking, giving her an established perspective at the intersection of resource development, resource financing and industrial policy.

She holds law degrees from the University of Oxford and the University of Sheffield, a Level 4 Certificate in ESG Investing from the CFA Institute, and a Certificate in Mining Studies from the University of British Columbia’s Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering.

Hon. Spencer Bachus
Member, Board of Directors, EXIM, Former Congressman

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.

Romina Bandura
Senior Fellow with the Project on Prosperity and Development, CSIS

Romina Bandura is a senior fellow with the Project on Prosperity and Development at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Ms. Bandura is an economist with more than 20 years of experience in international development research, policy analysis, and project management. Her current research focuses on foreign aid and development finance, Ukraine recovery and reconstruction, digital transformation, financial inclusion, and the future of work in developing countries. She has also conducted extensive research on the United States’ economic engagement in the developing world and enhancing the reach and impact of the multilateral development bank system. Her work is often cited in prominent media outlets. Before joining CSIS in September 2017, she was a senior consultant at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). She worked closely with clients to design research and manage projects that included index building, quantifying qualitative variables, policy analysis, and strategies for investment and growth. EIU flagship projects include benchmarking indices like the Global Microscope on Financial Inclusion and the Latin America and Caribbean Infrascope project. She also held positions as an economist at the International Labour Organization’s Washington office, a business manager at DAI’s Economic Growth Sector (managing a $90 million private sector development portfolio of projects in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe) and a policy analyst for the UN Development Programme. Early in her career, she worked in the banking sector in Argentina. Ms. Bandura holds an MPA in international development from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a BA in economics from the Universidad Católica Argentina, Buenos Aires.

Warren Bares
President, J. Maxime Roy, Inc.

Warren graduated with a degree in Finance from the University of Louisiana. He is the President of J. Maxime Roy, Inc., a commercial insurance brokerage, located in Lafayette, LA with sales offices in Columbia, SC and New York, NY. J. Maxime Roy, Inc. specializes in Trade Credit and Political Risk Insurance, representing Ex-Im Bank and the private-market credit insurers.

J. Maxime Roy, Inc. was twice named Ex-Im Bank Broker of the Year, 2014 and 2018, and is consistently among EXIM’s top 10 brokers nationwide.

In the last five years, J. Maxime Roy, Inc. has brokered over $425 million in EXIM authorizations in support of exporters across the country.

Warren is Secretary Treasurer of the Louisiana District Export Council and a member of the Lafayette International Trade Development Group.

Rebecca L. Bellinger
Executive Director, Center for Global Business, University of Maryland

Rebecca L. Bellinger is executive director of the Center for Global Business, a Center of Excellence at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. The Center is home to one of only 16 Title VI CIBE(R) programs nationwide, a grant administered by the U.S. Department of Education. Her work involves training students in global mindset and international business skills; leading the school’s portfolio of global economic development initiatives, including export and FDI consulting and education programs for SMEs; and developing global partnerships to advance the mission of the Center. In 2024, she led the Center to receive both the President’s E-Award and the Maryland Secretary of Commerce’s Citation for contributions to growing U.S. exports. She also was recognized individually for service to the state with a Governor’s Citation (Maryland).

Rebecca was appointed in 2018 to the MD-D.C. District Export Council, serves Maryland on the ExportMD review committee to award STEP Grants to MD companies, and is a Commissioner on the MD-Ireland Trade Commission created in 2024. She also serves as Past President of the Association of International Business Education and Research and as a Member of the Board of Governors of NASBITE International. She holds an MBA from the University of Maryland, an MA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a BA from the University of Rochester, and the Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) credential from NASBITE International.

Jennifer Black
Managing Director, International Trade, Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development

As Managing Director, Jennifer plans and directs the Commonwealth’s export promotion and international trade initiatives.

Pennsylvania’s International Trade team offers a wide range of programs and services designed to enhance the global reach and export capacity of Pennsylvania’s business community. The team includes 13 authorized trade representatives worldwide, 10 in-state regional export partners and 3 managers in the Harrisburg headquarters. Pennsylvania’s International Trade team assisted 721 companies and helped support more than 4,200 jobs. As a result of the assistance they received, clients of the program reported more than $613.8 million in export sales.

Prior to serving as Managing Director, she managed Pennsylvania’s authorized trade representatives in France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, among others.

Jennifer is a NASBITE Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) and holds a Master’s Degree in Public and International affairs (MPIA) from the University of Pittsburgh.

Hon. Doug Burgum
Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior

Doug Burgum is the 55th Secretary the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Raised in Arthur, North Dakota, Burgum worked as a chimney sweep to help pay his way through North Dakota State University before earning an MBA from Stanford University. In 1983, Doug literally “bet the farm” to provide seed capital for a software startup called Great Plains.

Doug led Great Plains through a successful IPO and grew the company to over 2,000 employees before its acquisition by Microsoft. Burgum remained with Microsoft for six years as the Senior Vice President of Business Solutions.

Doug later co-founded Arthur Ventures and served as chairman for international software companies including Atlassian, SuccessFactors, and as a board member for Avalara.

In 2016, Burgum was elected to serve as North Dakota’s 33rd Governor. In 2020, he was re-elected in a landslide. Under his leadership, North Dakota passed the largest tax cut in state history and dramatically reduced red tape.

As a testament to Burgum’s leadership, Forbes named him “America’s Best Entrepreneurial Governor.” During his tenure, North Dakota experienced the highest growth in real GDP and had the lowest unemployment rate in the country.

Burgum has three adult children. He is married to Kathryn Burgum, a nationally recognized advocate for addiction recovery.

James G. Burrows Jr.
Acting First Vice President and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, EXIM

Mr. Burrows has more than 30 years of experience in financial services, with extensive leadership across commercial, retail, and investment banking. He joined EXIM in 2012 and oversaw the Office of Small Business (OSB) from 2013 to July 2021. President Biden appointed Mr. Burrows acting Chair and President of EXIM Bank in July 2021 until February 2022. Mr. Burrows assumed the role of Acting Chief Banking officer in February 2022 until March 2025. President Trump appointed Mr. Burrows acting First Vice President and Vice Chair in March 2025. Prior to joining EXIM, Burrows held management positions at both large and regional commercial banks in the U.S.

Lisa Coppé
Senior Country Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa, USTDA

Lisa Coppé is the Senior Country Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa at the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). She has over a decade of experience working on infrastructure projects across Africa and is currently responsible for business development, project preparation and evaluation, and supervision of USTDA activities in East Africa. Mrs. Coppe designs, implements, and monitors a multimillion-dollar portfolio of grants and contracts. She has worked on deals in over 20 African countries in telecommunications, oil and gas, trade facilitation, energy, environment, and transportation. She is also the cybersecurity sector lead on the Telecommunications Team at USTDA. Mrs. Coppé is a French speaker and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Bucknell University.

Adam Cortese
Chief Executive Officer, Sun Africa & UGT Renewables

Mr. Cortese presently serves as the Chief Executive Officer at Sun Africa and its sister company, UGT Renewables, a leading renewable energy developer with over 12 GW of solar PV presently under development across the world. In this capacity, Mr. Cortese provides strategic direction, executive leadership, and operational oversight to the firm while maintaining a strong presence in its business development activities. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Cortese served as the CEO of AfricaGlobal Schaffer (AfGS), a strategic consulting firm and project developer operating in the agribusiness and renewable energy sectors for over 40 years. With an unparalleled record of development activities, the firms led by Mr. Cortese have received prestigious awards such as the Secretary of State’s annual Award for Corporate Excellence and the Corporate Council on Africa’s Citizenship Award.

Mr. Cortese holds a B.A. in International Relations from Bucknell University and a Master of Global Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University.

James C. Cruse
Acting President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, EXIM

On January 20, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. authorized James Cruse to serve in an acting capacity as EXIM First Vice President and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors.

Cruse has spent the bulk of his 50-year career at EXIM helping the boards of directors evolve the Bank’s strategic mission of supporting U.S. exports and jobs, and design the programs, policies, and international negotiating approaches to fulfill that mission. The Office of Policy Analysis and International Relations addresses these responsibilities through its two divisions – Policy Analysis and Planning and International Relations.

Cruse joined EXIM in 1970 as a country economist and moved to the policy side when then-Chairman William Casey created the policy unit in 1975. He was named to his current post in the 2002 Bank-wide reorganization. Since joining EXIM, Cruse has had a variety of assignments and contributed to many of the policy and program developments which lie at the core of today’s EXIM.

These include:

  • the mid-70’s inter-agency crafting of a logical role for export credit agencies after the collapse of the Bretton Woods fixed exchange rate system;
  • the mid-80’s development of a revamped program structure in response to the Latin American debt crisis and the retreat of commercial banks from export finance;
  • the early 90’s creation of a securitized guarantee; and
  • over 25 years of OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) negotiations which have reduced the average subsidy of EXIM activity from nearly 10 cents per dollar of activity to 1-2 cents — including the 2009 Buyer Premia Agreement and the 2011 ASU.
  • The EXIM policy and program response to the 2008 financial crises and the ensuing Basel III regulation.
Michio Daito
President, Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security
Apr 

Jul 

 2024 

2023 

 President, JOGMEC 

(Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security)
Deputy Director – General for Trade Policy (ICEP, RCEP, ASEAN),
Trade Policy Bureau (METI)
Jul  2022  Director for General Coordination,
Research and Statistics Department
Minister’s Secretariat
Jul  2020  Director, Technical Regulations, Standards and Conformity Assessment Policy Division
Industrial Science, Technology and Environment Policy Bureau
Jul  2017  Director, Mineral and Natural Resources Division,
Natural Resources and Fuel Department,
Agency for Natural Resources and Energy
Sep  2015  Director, Technical Cooperation Division,
Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau
Aug  2011  Economic Counsellor, Embassy of Japan in Vietnam
Jun  2010  Director for Policy Planning and Research on Climate Change,
Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary Office,
Cabinet Secretariat
May  2009  Deputy Director, Manufacturing Industries Policy Office,
Manufacturing Industries Bureau (METI)
May  2008  Deputy Director, Policy Planning Division,
Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Department,
Agency for Natural Resources and Energy
Apr  1994  Joined METI
(Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)
Hon. Warren Davidson
U.S. Congressman, 8th District of Ohio, Chairman, House Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions

Representative Warren Davidson represents Ohio’s 8th Congressional District. He is a member of the House Financial Services Committee, where he is focused on policies that help grow our economy, instill fiscal discipline, advance innovation, and limit runaway government expansion that threatens to bankrupt America.

After high school, Congressman Davidson enlisted in the Army as an infantryman. As part of the 3rd Infantry Division, he was stationed in Germany and witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall. Warren’s commanding officers recognized his potential and helped him earn an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated near the top of his class as a student of American history and mechanical engineering. As an officer, he led in The Old Guard, the 75th Ranger Regiment, and the 101st Airborne Division. In 1995, he married his wife, Lisa Davidson.

After the Army, Congressman Davidson returned home, worked with his father, earned an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, and spent fifteen years owning and operating manufacturing companies in Ohio. In 2016, he again responded to the call of service, and came to work in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Ambassador Paula J. Dobrianksy
Former Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs and former Chair, EXIM Bank Council on China Competition

Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, a foreign policy expert and diplomat specializing in national security affairs, is Vice Chair of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and a Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She brings over thirty years of government and international experience across senior levels of diplomacy, business, and defense.

From 2010 to 2012, she was Senior Vice President and Global Head of Government and Regulatory Affairs at Thomson Reuters, responsible for designing and implementing a corporate approach for engagement in Washington and other key capitals around the globe. She was instrumental in the development of Thomson Reuters’ financial regulatory strategy. During this time, she was also appointed the Distinguished National Security Chair at the US Naval Academy.

Dobriansky served as Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs from 2001 to 2009. Among her primary accomplishments, she established and led the US-India, US-China, and US-Brazil Global Issues Fora which advanced crucial work and international cooperation on environment, energy, health, and humanitarian issues. In February 2007, as the President’s Envoy to Northern Ireland, she received the Secretary of State’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Medal, for her contribution to the historic devolution of power in Belfast.

Dobriansky has held many Senate-confirmed, senior-level positions in the US government, including Director of European and Soviet Affairs at the National Security Council, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, Associate Director for Policy and Programs at the United States Information Agency, and Deputy Head of the US Delegation to the 1990 Copenhagen Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. From 1997 to 2001, she served as Senior Vice President and Director of the Council on Foreign Relations and was the first George F. Kennan Senior Fellow on Russian and Eurasian Studies.

A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Academy of Diplomacy, and the Atlantic Council Board (Executive Committee), Dobriansky has served on the Defense Policy Board, the Secretary of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board, and is the Chair of the US Export-Import Bank Council on China Competition. She is also a Trustee of the Trilateral Commission and on the Board of Advisors of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Ambassador Dobriansky received a BSFS summa cum laude in international politics from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, as well as an MA and PhD in Soviet political and military affairs from Harvard University. She has received high-level international recognition from the governments of Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Colombia and is the recipient of five honorary degrees.

Thomas J. Duesterberg
Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute

Thomas J. Duesterberg is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. An expert of trade, manufacturing, economics, and foreign policy, Dr. Duesterberg leads project work on trade with Europe and China, reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO), global competition in advanced technologies such as 5G, and the strength of the United States manufacturing sector.

Previously, Dr. Duesterberg was executive director of the Manufacturing and Society in the Twenty-First Century Program at the Aspen Institute. From 1999 to 2011 he served as president and CEO of the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI, an economic research and executive education organization based in Virginia. He was also director of the Washington office of Hudson Institute, assistant secretary for international economic policy at the US Department of Commerce, chief of staff to Rep. Chris Cox and Sen. Dan Quayle, and associate instructor at Stanford University. He co-wrote US Manufacturing: The Engine of Growth in a Global Economy and three other books, and is the author of over 300 articles in journals and major newspapers. He is on the Board of Advisors of the Manufacturing Public Policy Initiative at Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and the Board of Trustees of the American University of Rome. He is a graduate of Princeton University (BA) and Indiana University (MA, PhD).

Franklin Edochie
Senior Vice President & Acting Head of Mining and Metals Investment Unit, Africa Finance Corporation

Franklin is currently a Senior Vice President & Acting Head for the Metals & Mining desk at AFC. He’s a seasoned Resource Finance specialist with over 18 years of experience in the resources, metals, and mining sectors.

He has successfully originated, structured, and executed transactions exceeding US$3 billion, with a focus on precious metals, mining, and infrastructure projects across Africa. His expertise spans project finance, corporate finance, acquisition facilities, and private equity, with a track record of driving significant portfolio growth and diversification at the Africa Finance Corporation. He has led cross-sector collaboration efforts, developed high-value transaction pipelines, and played key roles in landmark deals, making substantial contributions to the energy transition and mining industries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Diana Furchtgott-Roth
Director, Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment and The Herbert and Joyce Morgan Fellow in Energy and Environmental Policy, The Heritage Foundation

Diana Furchtgott-Roth is Director of the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment and the Herbert and Joyce Morgan Fellow in Energy and Environmental Policy at The Heritage Foundation. She is a frequent guest on TV and radio shows, a columnist for The Daily Telegraph, and testifies regularly before congressional committees.

Diana worked in senior roles in the White House under Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. She has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology at the U.S. Department of Transportation; Acting Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the U.S. Department of Treasury; Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Labor; Chief of Staff of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers; and Deputy Executive Secretary of the White House Domestic Policy Council.

Diana is the author or coauthor of six books and hundreds of articles on economic policy, including Regulating to Disaster: How Green Jobs Policies are Destroying America’s Economy (Encounter Books, 2012). Her most recent book is United States Income, Wealth, Consumption, and Inequality (Oxford University Press, 2021). She is an adjunct professor of economics at George Washington University and received degrees in Economics from Swarthmore College and Oxford University.

Trevor Gunn
Vice President - International Relations, 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, D.C.

Brian Hanrahan
CEO, Lumina Materials

Brian Hanrahan is the CEO of Lumina Materials. Lumina is a global mining and mineral processing company focused on local processing of allied supplied critical minerals. Lumina operates the only full-scale mine in Greenland and is developing a multi-mineral processing site in Indiana. Prior to Lumina, Brian started his own mineral processing technology company and spent 15 years in various roles in mining and mineral processing with IMERYS. He has a degree in Chemical Engineering and an MBA.

Thomas Hardy
Acting Director, U.S. Trade and Development Agency

Thomas R. Hardy assumed the role of Director (Acting) of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency on January 20, 2025, to again lead the Agency as it helps U.S. businesses create jobs through the export of their goods and services for priority infrastructure projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. companies to global export opportunities by providing early project preparation assistance that matches U.S. technological expertise with overseas infrastructure development needs – creating lasting business partnerships between the U.S. companies and emerging market economies. Prior to assuming his new role, Mr. Hardy served as the Agency’s Director of Policy and Program Management where he led five regional teams in executing the mission of the Agency.

Previously, Mr. Hardy was appointed by President Donald J. Trump to lead USTDA as the Director (Acting) from 2017-2020 where he helped to transform the Agency to take on the challenges presented in an ever-changing global landscape. He has also served as the Chief of Staff and as a Country Manager in the East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa regions.

Hank Holland
Chairman and CEO of Amaero Ltd

Hank Holland is Chairman and CEO of Amaero Ltd (ASX:3DA). Amaero is the largest U.S. domestic manufacturer of refractory and titanium alloy spherical powders that are used for additive manufacturing (3D printing) of components for defense, space, aerospace, medical and industrial applications. He is also the Founder and Managing Partner of Pegasus Growth Capital, an investment firm focused on growth capital investments in strategic businesses that are underserved by institutional capital. He held prior senior investment positions at AllianceBernstein, Merrill Lynch and First Republic Bank. He received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Southern Methodist University and a Masters in Agriculture from Colorado State University.

Fred Hutchison
President & CEO, The USLNG Association

Fred H. Hutchison is President & CEO of The USLNG Association (trading under the global brand “LNG Allies”). An advocate, communicator, and entrepreneur, Fred has been a government and public relations generalist for more than four decades and is a trusted adviser to private and public sector leaders worldwide. Prior to founding LNG Allies (as an advocacy coalition) in Oct. 2013, he represented America’s land-grant universities for a dozen years. Early in his career, he was a legislative assistant for energy and natural resources for U.S. Sen. Frank Church. He was raised on a farm in Idaho and educated as a civil engineer, earning a B.S. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A national magazine contributor, he was an elected member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the national association of independent nonfiction writers. Fred is married with three adult sons and two adorable granddaughters.

Minister Natalie A. Jaresko
EY-Parthenon Managing Director, Turnaround Restructuring and Strategy, Ernst & Young LLP

Natalie is a leader in EY-Parthenon’s Turnaround and Restructuring Strategy practice, overseeing sovereign advisory efforts and complex public sector turnarounds.

Natalie is a proven executive with a distinguished 30-year career leading large-scale government transformations that restructure debt and marshal limited resources to prioritize essential services and strengthen budgetary practices, financial reporting and transparency. As Executive Director of Puerto Rico’s Financial Oversight and Management Board from 2017 to 2023, Natalie oversaw critical reforms and the largest debt restructuring in US municipal bond market history. Further, as Ukraine’s Minister of Finance from 2014-16, Natalie successfully restructured Ukraine’s sovereign debt and negotiated its wide-ranging IMF program.

Natalie is a CPA with a MPP from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a BS in Accounting from DePaul University. Two presidents of Ukraine presented awards to Natalie for her distinguished service. Natalie serves on multiple not-for-profit boards, including as Chairperson of Aspen Institute Kyiv.

How Natalie is building a better working world:

I believe good government is not only possible, but also a requirement today given the numerous societal and global challenges we face. Working together with leaders and their teams, I support identification of solutions and effective and long-lasting implementation that will enable better governance, improved delivery of public services and a more strategic approach to governing in an ever-more-complex world.

I know firsthand that change is possible. I know firsthand that a crisis is an opportunity. And I know how tough it can be to make transformation happen in the best of circumstances. I work side by side with visionary leaders who are delivering results.

Andy Karellas
Executive Director, State International Development Organizations

Mr. Karellas serves as the Executive Director of the State International Development Organizations (SIDO) and is based in Washington, DC.

Andy has over 20 years of experience in international trade policy and development. Prior to joining SIDO, Andy served as a senior staffer with the House Small Business Committee, where he focused on international trade issues. He was instrumental in the passing of the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) and Federal-State Trade Coordination Act. Andy previously held positions in the private sector, U.S. Congress and U.S. Department of Commerce.

A native of Missouri, Andy received his bachelor’s degree in international business from Webster University and his master’s degree in international commerce and policy from George Mason University.

John F. Kotek
Senior Vice President, Policy Development and Public Affairs, NEI

John Kotek is NEI’s Senior Vice President of Policy Development and Public Affairs.

He is responsible for providing policy and public affairs leadership on financial, economic, tax, electricity market and environmental issues related to the nuclear energy industry.

Kotek was appointed in January 2015 to the position of principal deputy assistant secretary for the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) and was nominated by President Obama in October 2015 to serve as assistant secretary for nuclear energy. In that role he was responsible for DOE’s research efforts on current and future nuclear energy systems, maintaining the government’s nuclear energy research infrastructure, establishing a path forward for the nation’s spent nuclear fuel and high-level nuclear waste management program and a host of other national priorities.

Prior to his appointment, Kotek was the managing partner of the Boise office of Gallatin Public Affairs. He advised energy, natural resources and other clients facing complex communication and government relations challenges.

From 2010-2012, Kotek served as staff director to the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, which recommended a new strategy for managing nuclear waste in the United States. He led the development of the commission’s final report to the Secretary of Energy, engaged in regular communications with congressional and White House staff and served as media spokesperson.

From 2003-2006, Kotek was deputy manager of the DOE’s Idaho Operations Office. He was responsible for development and management of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) contract and interface with the INL cleanup effort. Before joining DOE in July 2003, Kotek worked for Argonne National Laboratory where he directed Argonne’s participation in the Generation IV technology road mapping project, an international effort focused on evaluating and developing a next-generation of nuclear energy systems.

In 2002, Kotek was the American Nuclear Society’s Glenn T. Seaborg Congressional Fellow. He served in the Office of Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Kotek started his career with DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology. He held several positions during his nine years with DOE-NE, including associate director for technology, associate director for management and administration and chief of staff.

Kotek holds a Bachelor of Science in nuclear engineering from the University of Illinois and a master of business administration from the University of Maryland.

Pablo Koziner
Chief Commercial and Operations Officer, GE Vernova

Pablo Koziner is the Chief Commercial and Operations Officer of GE Vernova. In this role, Pablo leads enterprise strategic growth and operational excellence across customer markets, technology development, and supply chain operations. Pablo’s Commercial and Operations team works in support of GE Vernova’s portfolio of energy businesses and helps deliver integrated portfolio solutions to customers.

Pablo has more than 20 years of sales, customer service, operations, legal and leadership experience. Before joining GE Vernova in October 2023, Pablo was the President of Energy & Commercial at Nikola Corporation and prior to this experience, spent over 19 years in various executive positions at Caterpillar Inc. Pablo joined Caterpillar in 2001 and in 2013 was named Vice President of Americas Distribution responsible for Caterpillar’s dealer network in North and South America. In 2015 he became President of Solar Turbines Incorporated, a Caterpillar subsidiary, and later became Vice President of Caterpillar’s Electric Power Division until 2020.

Pablo holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Boston College, as well as a Juris Doctorate degree from Boston College Law School.

Hon. Christopher Landau
Deputy Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State

Christopher Landau was sworn in as the 23rd Deputy Secretary of State on March 25, 2025. Deputy Secretary Landau served as United States Ambassador to Mexico from 2019 to 2021 during President Trump’s first administration. Before and after his tenure in Mexico, he was engaged in the private practice of law in Washington, D.C. for more than three decades.

As Ambassador to Mexico, Deputy Secretary Landau presided over the United States’ largest diplomatic mission and fostered unprecedented bilateral cooperation that yielded results including the ratification and entry into force of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement, protection of border commerce and regional supply chains during the pandemic, and the lowest levels of illegal migration in years.

Deputy Secretary Landau’s legal practice focused on appellate litigation. He has briefed and argued cases involving a wide variety of topics in the U.S. Supreme Court and all of the federal courts of appeals.

Deputy Secretary Landau was born in Madrid, Spain, where his father George Landau (later United States Ambassador to Paraguay, Chile, and Venezuela) was stationed with the U.S. Foreign Service. Deputy Secretary Landau brings his perspective as both a recent United States Ambassador and upbringing in the foreign service, as well as his extensive legal background, to his current position.

A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Deputy Secretary Landau clerked twice at the Supreme Court, first for Justice Antonin Scalia and then for Justice Clarence Thomas. He is fluent in Spanish and proficient in French. He is married to Caroline Bruce Landau, and they have two adult children, Nathaniel and Julia.

Oskar Lewnowski
Founder and Group CEO, Orion Resource Partners

Oskar Lewnowski is the Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer of Orion Resource Partners. Over the past decade Mr. Lewnowski has raised over $8 billion whilst spearheading the Investment Committee and deploying capital across 80+ portfolio companies. He is currently responsible for the strategic direction of the firm’s expansion efforts. Before Orion, Mr. Lewnowski was a founding partner of the Red Kite Group and Chief Investment Officer of mine finance. His career began on the sales side across various roles and jurisdictions, enabling global investment experience.

Education: BA in Business Administration (Georgetown University), MBA from Leonard Stern School of Business (New York University).

Hon. Kelly Loeffler
Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration

Kelly Loeffler, the 28th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, is an entrepreneur, executive, philanthropist, and former U.S. Senator from Georgia who has dedicated her three-decade career to growing businesses and advancing economic opportunity for all.

A self-made businesswoman, Loeffler rose from modest beginnings. She grew up in rural Illinois working on her family’s farm, attending public school, and waitressing – becoming the first in her family to graduate college. She was recruited into the automotive industry and later earned her MBA.

She then built a 25-year career in financial services and technology, including as SVP of Investor Relations, Chief Communications Officer, and Chief Marketing Officer at Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE). As a member of the executive leadership team at ICE, Loeffler contributed to more than a dozen transactions including the company’s acquisition of the NYSE – helping grow the business from a small startup with less than 100 employees to a Fortune 500 company.

In 2018, she was the founding CEO and first employee of Bakkt (NYSE:BKKT), a fintech startup formed to bring institutional infrastructure to the crypto asset class.

Loeffler was appointed to serve in the U.S. Senate in 2020, where she brought her private-sector experience to Washington. She championed conservative values, advocated for small businesses, and passed legislation to strengthen healthcare, veterans’ services, and economic growth. A decade-long WNBA team owner, she was the first U.S. Senator to introduce a bill to protect girls’ sports.

After her Senate service, Loeffler founded Greater Georgia Action, an election integrity advocacy and voter outreach nonprofit. She also founded RallyRight, a conservative tech startup – while serving on several corporate and philanthropic boards.

She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois College of Commerce, an MBA from DePaul University Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, and is the only CFA® charterholder to ever serve in Congress. A lifelong Catholic, she is also a tireless advocate for President Trump’s America First agenda and strongly supports the pro-growth policies that enable the American Dream.

Ambassador Oksana Markarova
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United States

Oksana Markarova – Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States (since February 2021), Permanent Observer of Ukraine to the Organization of American States (since May 2021) and Ambassador of Ukraine to Antigua and Barbuda (since July 2023).

Before she arrived in DC on Apr 20, 2021, she served in Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance in 2015-2020 as First deputy Minister and Government commissioner on investments and then since 2018 as a Minister of Finance. During her time at the Ministry she was a co-author of Ukraine’s macroeconomic revival program, has conducted unprecedented fiscal consolidation leading to deficit to GDP of 2% and debt to GDP reduction to below 50%, introduced midterm budgeting, gender oriented budgeting as well as negotiated, structured and coordinated successfully two IMF programs and other IFI cooperation programs. During her tenure she and her team has also created UkraineInvest government promotion agency, Ukrainian Startup fund and an eData ecosystem of government public finance portals including spending.gov.ua, openbudget.gov.ua and analytical instrument BOOST, which opened the majority of the public finance data to the public and increased Ukraine in all major international data transparency ratings.

Prior to career in public service Mrs. Markarova spent 17 years working in private equity and financial advisory having leadership roles in ITT investment group, Western NIS Enterprise Fund, Chemonics and World bank, as well as founded Archidata startup electronic archive company in between service positions in 2020.

Oksana Markarova serves at the Boards of Ukraine House DC Foundation in Washington DC, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukrainian Development Foundation and supports Ukrainian Catholic University and Ukrainian Press Museum-Archive.

She holds BS and MS degrees in Environmental Science from Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine and MPA in public finance from Indiana University with academic excellency and best international student awards.

Markarova is married with four children and grandson.

Brian Menell
Chairman & 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.

Brian Menell is a member of the Wilson Center Global Advisory Council, a member of the RUSI’s National Security and Net Zero Transition Advisory Board, and serves on the US State Department Clean Energy Resources Advisory Committee (CERAC).

Dustin Meyer
Senior Vice President of Policy, Economics and Regulatory Affairs, API

Dustin Meyer is Senior Vice President of Policy, Economics and Regulatory Affairs, leading API’s public policy departments including Upstream, Midstream, Downstream, Natural Gas Markets and Climate.

He also oversees the organization’s economics and research functions. Working closely with API’s member companies, the Policy division establishes the industry’s policy priorities and positions, and articulates those priorities to multiple stakeholders—including lawmakers, regulatory agencies and the media. Dustin previously served as API’s Vice President of Natural Gas Markets, dealing with issues related to domestic and global natural gas markets, including LNG.

Prior to joining API, Dustin’s work focused on oil, gas and power markets. He led analytics, forecasting and consulting services on global LNG and renewable energy for Energy Ventures Analysis. He also held analysis positions at PFC Energy and then IHS Energy on upstream investment in North American oil and natural gas, as well as liquefaction projects in the U.S. and Canada. Meyer also worked at ICF International on the transportation policy team.

Dustin earned his undergraduate degree at Princeton University and received his Master’s in Energy Policy & Economics from Yale University.

Chris Mitman
Founder and Managing Partner, Acre Impact Capital

Chris is Founder and Managing Partner at Acre Impact Capital, a debt fund focussed on mobilising trade and investment in Africa.

He is a permanent member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Export Finance Committee consisting of 16 leading export finance lenders. He was also recently invited to join the Loan Market Association (LMA) Export Finance Executive Committee.

Prior to founding Acre, he was Global Head of Export Finance at ANZ Banking Group and then Investec Bank plc where he spent 20 and 15 years respectively.

He has lived and worked in London, Dublin, Melbourne, Sydney and Singapore.

Acre has recently been recognised by Exile Group / TXF as Debt Fund of the Year 2024 and has been included on the IA50 emerging asset manager 2025 list.

Rotimi Morohunfola
Deputy CEO, Head of Business Development, United Bank for Africa

Rotimi Morohunfola is currently the Deputy Chief Executive Officer for United Bank for Africa, America (UBA America) which is part of United Bank for Africa Group, a leading Pan African Bank with presence in 20 African countries and 4 International footprints ex-Africa (The United States, United Kingdom, France and the United Arab Emirates). Prior to his recent appointment at UBA America in March 2025, he was the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of United Bank for Africa Mozambique SA, a position he held for 5 years.

An experienced finance specialist who has built a rich career in the financial services industry over a span of nearly 30 years, Rotimi’s experience cuts across various areas of banking including business origination and client coverage, Corporate and Institutional Banking, Commercial Banking, Corporate Finance, Business Development, Financial Advisory, Portfolio Management, Business Strategy formulation, Banking Operations etc. His career has been with various international and Pan African financial institutions across multiple geographies.

Over the years, he has developed experience and knowledge of various industries and sectors across local and international markets and has also built an extensive network of client relationships across Africa and internationally largely attributable to his strong interpersonal skills, professionalism, versatility and broad knowledge base as well as international exposure.

At UBA Mozambique, Rotimi led a vibrant and dynamic team to transform the business of the bank to achieving triple digit growth Year on Year which saw the bank being accorded recognition and awards from various international bodies such as Euromoney, Global Finance magazine (Financial Times publication), The Bankers magazine, KPMG amongst others. This attests to his capacity to craft and execute on strategy.

Prior to UBA Mozambique, Rotimi was Country Head of Commercial Banking for Ecobank Nigeria Limited (part of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, a Pan African Banking Group). He also worked for Standard Chartered Bank (a global financial institution) in the role of Director, Structured Trade Finance and Financing solutions which saw him contribute significantly to various financing initiatives for both Corporates and State institutions across Africa.

He is an alumnus of the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, holds a Masters of Business Administration from Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, Coventry England and a first degree in Agric-Economics from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration of Nigeria and Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.

Boitumelo Mosako
Chief Executive Officer, DBSA

Her career is entrenched in the operations of the DBSA, Boitumelo brings value to the Bank with her experience in both the private and public sectors, including financial services, venture capital, healthcare, and professional services. Boitumelo has slotted seamlessly into her role of driving the strategy and operations of the institution, known as a trailblazer who ensured, insisted, and drove governance within the DBSA while in the role of CFO.

Boitumelo Mosako, made history by becoming the DBSA’s first woman CEO. Boitumelo assumed office in April 2023, ten years after first joining the DBSA’s finance division.

Boitumelo values inclusion, not talking only about including women and other marginalised groups but evolving the Bank into spaces where everyone feels included and therefore can participate comfortably to their fullest abilities. Fostering a culture of trust, transparency, continuous learning, and empowering teams to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Boitumelo’s expertise spans auditing, financial management, and strategy, acquired through roles at reputable organisations. Prior to joining the DBSA, she served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), where she played a crucial role in financial governance and strategy development. Previously, she held the position of General Manager of Finance at the DBSA, demonstrating her familiarity with the organisation’s operations and financial landscape. Her career also includes stints at Triumph Venture Capital, Citigroup, and EY, where she honed her skills in financial analysis, risk management, and regulatory compliance.

A Chartered Accountant (SA) with over 12 years of experience in financial services, Boitumelo holds an Advanced Management Programme Certificate from Harvard Business School, a BBBEE Management Development Programme Certificate from UNISA, a Higher Diploma in Auditing, a Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting and a BCom Accounting Degree from the University of Cape Town.

Irina Paliashvili
President & CEO, USUBC

Irina Paliashvili is President and CEO of U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC). She has been an integral part of the USUBC governance team for more than twenty years, having been consistently reelected to the USUBC Executive Committee, where she had served as Chair of the Legal Committee, supporting legal and judicial reforms, advocating for the rule of law, and promoting private sector development. At present, she co-leads the ongoing project “USUBC Legal Series: by Members – for Members”, offering webinars with exclusive insights into the most pressing legal issues related to doing business in Ukraine. Irina frequently speaks at international conferences and publishes on the legal and business climate in Ukraine, and is also known for her active support of Ukrainian culture and art.

When Ukraine regained its independence, Irina co-founded one of the first private law firms in Kyiv and later expanded by founding the Washington, DC-based Ukrainian Legal Group, representing US-based multinational companies doing business in Ukraine, as well as serving as independent expert witness on the matters of Ukrainian law in major international arbitrations and in the US, UK, the Netherlands, Cypriot and Swedish courts proceedings. She is licensed to practice Ukrainian law as a Special Legal Consultant in the District of Columbia and is a member of the Kyiv Bar.

Irina graduated with the highest honors from the Kyiv State University School of International Law and subsequently earned a Ph.D. in International Law from the same school. She also holds an LL.M. in International and Comparative Law from George Washington University.

Miguel Peñaloza
Export Finance Manager, SBA’s Office of Manufacturing and Trade (OMT)

Miguel Peñaloza is an Export Finance Manager under the SBA’s Office of Manufacturing and Trade (OMT). Miguel supports small businesses and lenders which engage with SBA’s three core export loan programs as well as the recently launched Working Capital (Pilot) Program. Prior to joining the SBA, Miguel worked as a Loan Specialist with the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM) as well as a Membership Manager with the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). His background in lending provides a unique understanding of the financing needs for small business exporters.

Laurie Pieper
Ph.D., CGBP, Assistant Director, Global Resources, Kansas Department of Commerce

Dr. Pieper is known for impact creation through developing programs and partnerships that support ecosystems for international trade, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Motivated to support and attract high-growth potential companies, she has worked in multiple facets of economic development at the regional and state level in the Midwest. As Assistant Director for Global Resources in the International Division of the Kansas Department of Commerce, she is responsible for industry, higher ed, community, and diplomatic engagement to create opportunities, resources, and assets to grow the international business ecosystem and create wealth in the State of Kansas.

Rt Hon. Dominic Raab
Head of Global Affairs, Appian Capital Advisory

Dominic Raab is the Head of Global Affairs at Appian Capital Advisory, providing strategic advice and support on Appian’s international engagement activities, primarily with government or government affiliated institutions and initiatives, most importantly around the topic of critical minerals.

Mr Raab is the Chair of the Appian-SAFE’s Sub-Committee on Opportunities and Risks in the Critical Minerals Sector (SCOR), bringing together leading commercial experts and investors to advise the US and international Governments on how to address investment barriers to build more critical minerals supply chains.

Mr Raab is a former Deputy Prime Minister for the British Government serving in this position under both Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.

Mr Raab started his career as an international lawyer at Linklaters, a law firm in the City, working on project finance, international litigation and competition law. He also spent time on secondments at Liberty (the human rights NGO) and in Brussels advising on EU and WTO law.

In 2000, Mr Raab joined the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). He advised on a wide range of briefs, including UK investor protection, maritime issues, counter-proliferation and counter-terrorism, the UK overseas territories and the international law of outer space. He headed up a team focused on bringing war criminals to justice and also advised on the Arab-Israeli conflict, EU law and Gibraltar.

Mr Raab left the FCO in 2006 and worked for three years as Chief of Staff to respective Shadow Home and Justice Secretaries, advising in the House of Commons on crime, policing, immigration, counter-terrorism, human rights and constitutional reform.

In 2010, Mr Raab was elected to the UK House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for Esher and Walton. In 2015 Mr Raab was appointed Minister for Human Rights in David Cameron’s government.

In 2017, Mr Raab was appointed Minister of State for Justice in Theresa May’s government.

In January 2018, Mr Raab was made Minister of State for Housing. In July, he was appointed Brexit Secretary.

In July 2019, Mr Raab was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, and made First Secretary of State under the new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. In September 2020, the FCO merged with the Department for International Development, with Mr Raab becoming the Secretary of State for the new Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

In September 2021, Mr Raab was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice under Prime Minister Boris Johnson until September 2022.

He was re-appointed as Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in October 2022, serving in this position until April 2023.

Hon. Kimberly A. Reed
Former Chairman of Board of Directors, President, & CEO, EXIM

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, Ms. Reed led efforts to reopen the now 91-year-old independent federal agency after four years of near closure, secured the longest-ever Congressional reauthorization, and build a high-performing team—elevating EXIM’s Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey employee satisfaction score by an unprecedented 20 points, the highest increase among all federal agencies with more than100 employees. With respect to national security, she helped advance Abraham Accord priorities around the world and launched 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 for her efforts. 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 Council on Competitiveness and the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center, is a Council on Foreign Relations life member, and recently volunteered as the lead of the Trump 2024 EXIM Transition and Landing Teams. 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; 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.

HE the Hon Dr Kevin Rudd AC
Australia’s Ambassador to the United States of America

HE the Hon Dr Kevin Rudd AC is Australia’s Ambassador to the United States of America, taking up his posting in Washington in March 2023.

Ambassador Rudd served as Australia’s twenty-sixth Prime Minister from 2007 to 2010, then as Minister for Foreign Affairs, before a second term as Prime Minister in 2013. He was Member for Griffith in the Australian Parliament from 1998 to 2013.

Since leaving government, Ambassador Rudd has resided in the United States where he is recognised as a leading analyst of China. In 2015, he became inaugural President of the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York. In 2020, he was appointed President and CEO of the Asia Society globally and, in 2022, he founded the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis.In 2019, Ambassador Rudd was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to Indigenous reconciliation, innovative economic initiatives, and major policy reform, and through senior advisory roles with international organisations. Ambassador Rudd holds honorary positions at the Atlantic Council and Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC; the Asia Society, Schwartzman Scholars and Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New York; the Paulson Institute in Chicago; the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po in Paris, France; the Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Foundation in Hamburg, Germany; and Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House in Canberra. He is founder and co-chair of an Australian charity, the National Apology Foundation, and a trustee of the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York City.

Ambassador Rudd started his diplomatic career in 1981 with postings to Beijing and Stockholm. In 1988, he was appointed Chief of Staff to the Hon Wayne Goss and served him as Premier of Queensland. He was Director-General of the Cabinet Office in Queensland from 1991 to 1995, and Senior China Consultant for KPMG from 1996 to 1998.

Ambassador Rudd graduated with Honours in Asian Studies from the Australian National University and received his PhD from Oxford University in 2022. He also studied at National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei.

Ambassador Rudd is accompanied on his posting by his wife, Thérèse Rein.

Dan Runde
Senior Vice President, Director of the Project on Prosperity and Development, CSIS

Daniel F. Runde is a senior vice president, director of the Project on Prosperity and Development (PPD), and holds the William A. Schreyer Chair in Global Analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a leading global think tank. Mr. Runde also served as the acting director for the CSIS Americas Program from 2020-2022. His work is oriented around U.S. leadership in building a more democratic and prosperous world. Among his many other contributions, Mr. Runde was as an architect of the BUILD Act, contributed to the reauthorization of the U.S. EXIM Bank in 2018, and was an architect of Prosper Africa, a U.S. government initiative to deepen the United States’ commercial and development engagement in Africa. He has been a leading voice on the role and future of the World Bank Group and U.S. leadership in the multilateral system. Prior to CSIS, Mr. Runde held leadership roles at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Bank Group. Earlier in his career, Mr. Runde worked in commercial banking at Citibank in Argentina and in investment banking at Alex. Brown & Sons. Mr. Runde was granted the Officer’s Cross in the Order of Isabel la Católica, a Spanish civil order. Currently, he serves on the board of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF), Spirit of America, and the Ashesi University Foundation. Mr. Runde is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Bretton Woods Committee. He is also a columnist for The Hill and hosts a CSIS podcast series, Building the Future: Freedom, Prosperity, & Foreign Policy with Dan Runde. Mr. Runde is also the author of the book The American Imperative: Reclaiming Global Leadership through Soft Power (Bombardier Books, 2022). He previously chaired two U.S. government advisory committees: the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid at USAID and the Sub-Saharan Africa Advisory Committee at the U.S. EXIM Bank. Fluent in Spanish, he graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College and holds a master’s in public policy from Harvard University.

Venkee Sharma
Executive Chairman, Aquatech International

Venkee Sharma joined Aquatech International in 1991, and he has served in a variety of management positions. Previously, Venkee served as president and the company’s chief operating officer, responsible for management and oversight of Aquatech’s global operations. Venkee became Aquatech’s chairman in 2022.

Aquatech, a U.S. company, is a global leader for industrial water treatment and critical minerals process technology. Industrial leaders rely on Aquatech’s cutting-edge technology, project execution and world-class services to solve their most complex challenges. Aquatech has successfully executed thousands of projects across 60 countries spanning lithium, mining, energy and power generation, chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, microelectronics, food and beverage, and manufacturing industries. Aquatech is prepared to meet the design, execution and operational needs of even the most complex process and site requirements. The company’s unique process capabilities are designed to support the entire project lifecycle, from bench-scale and pilot stages to full project execution.

Aquatech has received numerous awards for its market leadership. Given Aquatech’s pivotal role in processing technology, the company received the first Make More in America (MMIA) award supporting the U.S. critical minerals sector. Aquatech is also a past recipient of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Exporter of the Year award, based on the number of export deals and the company’s commitment to exporting.

Venkee has been privileged to serve on the U.S. Export-Import Bank Board of Directors. He is a member of the U.S.-India CEO Forum. Venkee also serves on the Dean’s Advocacy Council at Carnegie Mellon University. With a strong combined background in science and business, Venkee is a passionate advocate for addressing water scarcity. He actively supports AQWALIFE, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing and facilitating access to safe drinking water in underprivileged areas.

Venkee received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School. He is a graduate of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business’ Executive Education program.

Matt Simpson
CEO, Black Iron

Matt has over 25 years’ experience in mine operations, construction, design and financing.  Prior to war breaking out in Ukraine, Matt and his team advanced Black Iron’s Shymanivske Iron ore project from a historic resource estimate to a near fully construction-ready state by raising ~US$90 million and received expressions of interest for over $560 million in construction funding.  Most recently during the ongoing war, Matt secured a binding commitment from Anglo American to invest US$4 million in a royalty and binding offtake rights in exchange for funding 15% of project construction costs post war.  From 2002 to 2010, Matt worked for the Iron Ore Company of Canada (RioTinto subsidiary), where he held several progressive roles in business evaluation, operations planning, continuous improvement and in his last three years as Mine General Manager responsible for 650 employees and an annual budget of ~US$300M.  Prior to joining the IOC, Matt worked as a process engineer for Hatch Ltd. designing and constructing metallurgical refineries globally. 

Bonny Slater
Healthcare Leader, Design Director, Senior Associate, Gensler’s Healthcare

Bonny is a global leader for Gensler’s Healthcare practice area who has spent 20+ years creating inspiring environments to support health and wellness for diverse populations. With a background in design and environmental psychology, she brings a unique perspective and research-driven approach to crafting meaningful experiences by supporting physical, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Bonny’s research has included the study of color in immersive environments, design considerations in behavioral health facilities, and the cultural implications of evidence-based design. Her recent work focuses on the connections between engagement, design, and population health in vulnerable communities. Her research has been featured in Contract and Metropolis magazines and has garnered national recognition through ASID’s Outcome of Design Award and The Caritas Project’s Generative Space Award. An active thought leader, Bonny has presented her research at national conferences including Healthcare Design, Healthcare Facilities Symposium, and NeoCon.

Bonny’s work has included academic medical centers, community health centers, foreign hospitals, and prototype wellness facilities. Her work has been featured in Metropolis, Contract, Healthcare Design, and Architectural Record. In addition to various project awards, Bonny was honored as an ASID Ones to Watch Scholar and Design Excellence award recipient in 2018.

Rowena Smith
Chief Executive Officer, Australian Strategic Materials

Rowena was appointed ASM Chief Executive Officer in July 2022, having joined the company in July 2021 as Chief Operating Officer. She has over 30 years’ experience in the mining and minerals processing sector, including in 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 aluminium smelting business.

Joshua S. Stinson
Senior Advisor to the Deputy Assistant to the President, Staff Director for International Economics

Joshua Stinson is the Senior Advisor to the Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economics and the Staff Director for International Economics. In these roles he advises on matters at the intersection of national security and economics while leading a staff of 25 government personnel to advance the President’s agenda. The International Economics team comprises three distinct directorates focusing on Economic Security, International Economic Engagement, and Energy Policy.

Mr. Stinson is also a Colonel in the United States Air Force and has been on active duty for over 19 years. During his career, he deployed 11 times and led crews while flying over 1700 combat hours in Africa, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He was a Flight Commander and an expeditionary Mission Commander in combat. He led the activation of the 310th Special Operations Squadron, commanded over 700 joint personnel to employ 55 aircraft executing campaign plans in Africa, and served as a Deputy Mission Support Group Commander where he led six squadrons to provide garrison support to 6,500 military personnel.

Mr. Stinson earned his bachelor’s degree in systems engineering from the United States Air Force Academy and has earned master’s degrees from the University of Arkansas, the Harvard Kennedy School, and Air University’s School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. He is a PhD Candidate at Harvard University where he researches Judgment and Decision Making and Public Policy.

Jay Timmons
President and CEO, National Association of Manufacturers, Chairman of the Board, 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 affiliate. 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. The NAM has become the one-stop shop for manufacturers in advocacy, legal action, workforce development, operational excellence and news and insights.

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. His previous experience includes serving as chief of staff to Congressman, Gov. and Sen. George Allen (R-VA) and as executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the 2004 election cycle.

Jay is recognized as a forceful and effective leader of the business association community, and he has been honored as “Trade Association CEO of the Year” by CEO Update.

He is 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 and his husband, Rick, reside in Virginia with their three children and an assortment of rescue dogs and other critters.

Tricia Van Orden
Director of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee Secretariat (TPCC), Office of the Under Secretary

Tricia Van Orden is the Director of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee Secretariat (TPCC) at the International Trade Administration (ITA). In this role, she coordinates trade promotion strategies with 20 federal agencies, as well as states and localities, to help U.S. businesses and economic development organizations successfully compete in global markets in order to expand firm-level revenues, create and sustain U.S. jobs, and contribute to local and regional economic growth. With a focus on small business export promotion, Tricia also serves as the U.S. delegate to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Small and Medium Enterprises Working Group and the OECD Committee on Small and Medium Enterprises and Entrepreneurship.

Tricia has held several positions at ITA. She has managed the President’s Export Council and the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa. She has served as the Canada Desk Officer, where she was responsible for increasing access to the Canadian market for U.S. businesses. Tricia started at ITA as a Presidential Management Fellow in the Office of the Western Hemisphere, where she led efforts to promote ethical business practices among local business communities throughout Central America and the Caribbean.

Tricia has also worked at the Inter-American Development Bank, where she developed programs to increase the capacity of small businesses to access capital. She started her career as an aide in the U.S. Senate covering foreign affairs and international trade. Tricia earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Colorado State University, a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Washington, and a Master of Public Policy from George Mason University.

Louis N. Vernon
Director of International Sales, Malco Products, Inc.

Louis N. Vernon serves as the Director of International Sales at Malco Products, Inc., a global manufacturing company based in Barberton, Ohio. With over 25 years expertise in developing and managing international sales distribution networks, Louis adeptly navigates cultural and political challenges to secure business in diverse markets. His leadership has been instrumental in expanding Malco’s presence to over 70 countries. Beyond his professional endeavors, Louis enjoys spending time with his family, working on his Porsche, and bicycle riding outside.

Vuyelwa Vumendlini
Alternate Executive Director, Africa Group 1 Constituency (OEDAE)

Name: Vuyelwa Vumendlini

Position: Alternate Executive Director for Africa Group 1 Constituency (OEDAE)

Assumes Duties: April 01st, 2022

National of: South Africa

Marital Status: Not Married, Three children

Education:
Georgia State University, Atlanta GA, MA (Economics), 2001
University of the Free State, Bloemfontein South Africa, B Com (Honors) Economics, 1999
University of the Free State, Bloemfontein South Africa, B Com, 1998

Experience:
2018-2022 – Deputy Director General: International and Regional Economic Policy, National Treasury South Africa
2014-2018 – chief Director: Global and Emerging Markets: National Treasury South Africa
2010-2013 – Senior Advisor to the Executive Director: Angola, Nigeria and South Africa Constituency at the World Bank Board of Executive Directors, The World Bank Group
2007-2010 – Chief Director: Remuneration and Conditions of Service, Department for Public Service and Administration South Africa
2004-2007 – Director: Public Sector Personnel Policy, National Treasury South Africa
2002-2004 – Deputy Director: Macroeconomic Policy, National Treasury South Africa
2002-2002 – Analyst: Tax Gap Analysis: South African Revenue Service

Other Background: Alternate Director: New Development Bank, China (2018-2022).

Alternate Board Member: Political Office Bearers Pension Fund, South Africa (2007-2010)

Deputy Chair of the Board: Government Employees Medical Scheme, South Africa (2005-2010)

Alternate Board Member: Government Employees Pension Fund, South Africa (2007-2010)

Richard Wilkins
Global Head of Export & Agency Finance Origination, JP Morgan

Richard Wilkins is J.P. Morgan’s Export & Agency Finance team’s Global Head of Origination and acting Global Head, based in London.

He has significant experience of working with ECAs across the globe, including multiple transactions on the continent of Africa, many of which have won industry recognition for their innovation and achievement in export finance.

Richard holds a B.Sc. in Banking and International Finance from Bayes Business School – City St George’s, University of London, and is a qualified English solicitor. He also acts as chairman of UK Finance’s Export Credit Working Group, co-chair of the Loan Market Association’s Export Finance Executive Committee and is a member of the European Banking Federation’s Export Credit Experts Group.

Scott Woodard
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State

Scott Woodard currently serves in the State Department’s Bureau of Energy Resources as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Competitiveness and Supply Chains – the office leading the Department’s diplomacy covering energy technologies and supply chains, including for critical minerals.

During his most recent overseas tour he served as Chargé d’Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Bandar Seri Begawan in the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. Following that assignment, he worked in Washington for Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire as a foreign affairs advisor. He then served as Deputy and then Acting Director in the State Department’s Office of Energy Transformation before attending the National Defense University’s College of International Security Affairs at Fort McNair in Washington, earning a master’s degree in strategic security studies.

He joined the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service in 2002 and has served in U.S. embassies and consulates in Manama, Bahrain; Vilnius, Lithuania; Chennai, India; Bern, Switzerland; and Munich, Germany, working on a wide variety of political, economic, and commercial issues. His next assignment will take him to Hamburg, Germany in the summer of 2025, where he will lead the consulate.

Scott has a master’s degree from the University of Virginia and a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He speaks German, Hungarian, and some Lithuanian, Spanish, and French. He enjoys hiking, gardening, and other outdoors activities, as well as physical fitness, music, and reading. He has two college-aged children and a spouse (Erika) who also works at the State Department.

Governor Glenn Youngkin
Governor, State of Virginia

Governor Glenn Youngkin is a homegrown Virginian, born and raised in Richmond and Virginia Beach. From washing dishes at a local diner during middle and high school to being named co-CEO of one of the world’s top investment firms, Youngkin knows what it means to work hard and is doing so on behalf of all Virginians.

Since day one, Youngkin has been a champion for educational excellence and parents’ rights. He ushered in historic investments in education, launched lab schools to inject choice and innovation into Virginia’s public schools, funded 18% teacher raises, passed the Virginia Literacy Act to improve literacy among elementary school-age students, renewed focus on career and technical education, transformed Virginia’s school accreditation process, issued Executive Order 33 establishing cell phone-free education statewide, and implemented the All In Virginia tutoring plan to tackle learning loss stemming from extended, forced pandemic school closures by previous state leaders.

As the chief economic development officer of the Commonwealth, Youngkin has facilitated waves of business investment, bolstering job growth and opportunity. Virginia was named by CNBC as America’s Top State for Business in 2024. Under Youngkin’s leadership, Virginia has welcomed over $100 billion in capital commitments from companies moving to Virginia and major expansions from existing Virginia businesses. Since Youngkin took office in 2022, Virginia has seen record job growth, with nearly 250,000 more jobs reported and a record number of Virginians working.

Lowering the cost of living has been a top priority for Youngkin, and he’s delivered $5 billion in tax relief for working families—eliminating the state-level tax on groceries and nearly doubling the standard deduction for all Virginians. Fulfilling his promise to reduce the tax burden on Virginia’s veterans, Youngkin also removed state taxes on military retirement pay up to $40,000.

The Youngkin administration’s unwavering commitment to law enforcement is evident in record additional compensation and funding for training and equipment for public safety heroes. The Governor’s Operation Bold Blue Line has resulted in a 30% decline in homicides, and Virginia is a national leader in combating fentanyl overdoses. In just 45 days, Operation FREE Virginia reported 19,000 pounds of narcotics seized, including 550 pounds of fentanyl, over 1,000 arrests, and nearly 270 firearms confiscated. With leadership from First Lady Suzanne Youngkin’s It Only Takes One fentanyl awareness campaign, Virginia has seen a 23% decline in year-to-year overdoses—the third-highest reduction in the nation.

Youngkin has put business practices to work, making government run more efficiently and effectively—slashing Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) wait times, reducing Virginia’s regulatory burdens, streamlining permitting processes, creating universal licensing for 85 occupations in the Commonwealth, and eliminating the backlog of more than 1 million COVID-related unemployment claims while investigating and prosecuting fraud and abuse. In addition, during his administration’s first three fiscal years, the Youngkin administration saved $4.3 billion of appropriated but unspent taxpayer funds.

In response to Virginia’s behavioral health crisis, Youngkin launched Right Help, Right Now to transform the overwhelmed behavioral health system by expanding capacity and real-time access to help Virginians pre-crisis, in-crisis, and post-crisis. The Youngkin administration worked tirelessly to overhaul the state’s childcare and early education system with the Building Blocks for Virginia Families Initiative, while revamping Virginia’s foster care system and dedicating unprecedented resources to support access to developmental disability (DD) waivers.

Youngkin embraced innovation and common sense when he launched Virginia’s “All-American, All-of-the-Above” energy and power plan to deliver reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean power by promoting natural gas and nuclear power as essential components of Virginia’s energy future. With a commitment to conservation, the Governor has championed agriculture best management practices and support for clean rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay.

Youngkin attended college at Rice University on a basketball scholarship. He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering and a degree in management studies. He later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar. Youngkin’s business career included 25 years at The Carlyle Group, where he stepped down as co-CEO to run for governor.

The Governor has been married for over 30 years to Suzanne Youngkin, a devoted leader in nonprofits and charitable causes. Together, they are dedicated to their four wonderful children. Their family journey has been and continues to be guided by faith, walking hand in hand as humble followers of Christ.

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