The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) held its 13th Annual Trade and International Affairs Symposium in Washington D.C. on September 25th , 2024. Many thanks to our host, Business Roundtable.
This year’s CHLI Trade and International Affairs Symposium was a great success in connecting international business leaders, experts on trade, the diplomatic community, and U.S. government officials to discuss trade issues and international affairs that affect global competitiveness and the impact of the U.S. Hispanic and Portuguese communities in a global economy.
Pictured left to right: Mary Ann Gomez Orta, President and CEO of CHLI; Joshua Bolten, Business Roundtable; and The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Akin, and CHLI Chairwoman
Pictured: Sara Decker, Walmart
As CHLI’s annual contribution to the great discussions that take place during Hispanic Heritage Month, the Symposium commenced with Sara Decker of Walmart, the CHLI Trade Symposium Chair, welcoming attendees and introducing Joshua Bolten, CEO of Business Roundtable, for his opening remarks.
Pictured: The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Akin, and CHLI Chairwoman
The event continued with remarks from The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Akin, and CHLI Chairwoman, providing insights into the benefits and challenges of changing leadership in our hemisphere while highlighting the significance and impact of the Hispanic community to the global economy.
Pictured: Congressman Carlos Gimenez (FL), CHLI Board Member
The symposium continued with enlightening insights by CHLI Congressional Board Member, Congressman Carlos Gimenez of Florida. He emphasized the importance of strengthening our global competitiveness to combat foreign adversaries and highlighted how he has championed efforts to do so in Congress.
Pictured from left to right: Marisa Lago, Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade and Mary Ann Gomez Orta, President and CEO, CHLI
Our keynote speaker was Marisa Lago, Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade at the International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. She highlighted her role in the federal government’s efforts to assist American businesses in entering or expanding into international markets, enforce fair trade policies, promote U.S. products and tourism abroad, provide trade analyses, develop future trade strategies, and engage in global commercial diplomacy.
Pictured from left to right: Eddy Acevedo, Wilson Center; Welby Leaman, Walmart; Stephen Claeys, Pfizer; and Maria Luisa Boyce, UPS
During the first panel of the evening, moderated by Eddy Acevedo, Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the President and CEO, Ambassador Mark Green at the Wilson Center, speakers held an open discussion on how to strengthen the Western Hemisphere’s global competitiveness, opportunities on how to do so, and provided an analysis on the current situation. The panel included Maria Luisa Boyce, Vice President of International Policy for Global Public Affairs, UPS; Welby Leaman, Senior Director of Global Policy Strategy, Walmart; and Stephen Claeys, Senior Director of Trade Policy, Pfizer.
Pictured from left to right: Kellee Wicker, Wilson Center; Brad Woods, National Foreign Trade Council; and Omar Franco, Becker
The symposium continued with our second panel moderated Omar Franco, Managing Director, Becker, where panelists discussed the future of trade and how to leverage innovative technologies for a competitive advantage in the Americas. Panelists included Brad Woods, Senior Director for Trade and Innovation Policy, National Foreign Trade Council; and Kellee Wicker, Director of Science and Technology Innovation Program, Wilson Center.
Pictured: Daniel Watson, Office of the United States Trade Representative
The program concluded with Daniel Watson, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Western Hemisphere, Office of the United States Trade Representative, highlighting how the federal government are championing efforts to strengthening the global economy.
Thank you to our sponsors: UPS, 2042 Media, Amazon, Pfizer, Walmart, and The Business Roundtable.
To view a full recording of the 13th Annual Trade and International Affairs Symposium, click here: https://youtu.be/VV_IGPz6CtM
To view video highlights of the 13th Annual Trade and International Affairs Symposium, click here: https://youtu.be/3JMBsGgv_84
To view pictures of the event, click here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBK8v5