Monday, September 24
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Early Registration
Commercial Diplomat Appointment Program
Location: Platinum Room
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Kick-Off Reception
Hosted by the U.S.–U.A.E. Business Council and the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce
Location: Tiara B Ballroom
Tuesday, September 25
7:30 am
Registration and Continental Breakfast
Marketing Partner Networking
Location: Grand Ballroom A Exhibit Foyer
8:30 am
Welcome
Margaret Gatti, Chair – Mid-Atlantic District Export Council
Joseph Hanley, Director, Mid-Atlantic Region, U.S. Commercial Service
Location: Grand Ballroom A
9:00 am
Taking the Temperature of the Middle East: Part I
Moderator: Simin Yazdgerdi Curtis, President & CEO, American Middle East Institute
David Hamod, President and CEO, National U.S.—Arab Chamber of Commerce
Dan Butler, Commercial Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy, Bagdad, Iraq
Serdar Cetinkaya, Senior Commercial Specialist, U.S. Embassy, Ankara, Turkey
9:45 am
Taking the Temperature of the Middle East: Part II
Moderator: Danny Sebright, President, U.S. – U.A.E. Business Council
Hisham Al Gurg, CEO, The Private Office of HH Sheikh Saeed Bin Ahmed Al Maktoum
David Harris, FDI Consultant, Dubai Dept. of Economic Development
Kim Childs, Vice President, U.S.A Regional Trade Center
Jessica Wasserman, U.S. Representative, Dubai Chamber
10:45 am
Break
Location: Grand Ballroom Exhibit Foyer
11:15 am
Remaining a Player in the Rapidly Changing EU Environment
Moderator: Michael Ford, BDP International
David McNeill, Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy, Athens, Greece
Serdar Cetinkaya, Senior Commercial Specialist, U.S. Embassy, Ankara, Turkey
Scott Blacklin, Principal, Blacklin & Associates
Al Basilicato, President & CEO, Numonics Corporation
12:30 pm Networking Lunch
Keynote Presentation
The Honorable Kim Guadagno, Lieutenant Governor, State of New Jersey
Location: Grand Ballroom B
2:00 pm
The Americas: Today and the Future—Part I
Moderator: Americo (Mack) Tadeu, Deputy Director, Advocacy Center, U.S. Department of Commerce
Richard Steffens, Minister Counselor, U.S. Embassy, Ottawa, Canada
Steve Alley, Deputy Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy, Mexico City, Mexico
Kelly Raia, Vice President and Associate Partner, American River
Blair Woodring, Business Development Manager, Custom Alloy Inc.
3:15 pm
Break
Location: Grand Ballroom Exhibit Foyer
3:45 pm
The Americas: Today and the Future—Part II
Nicole DeSilvis, Commercial Attaché, U.S. Embassy, Bogotá,Colombia
Daniel Crocker, Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy, Panama City, Panama
Mike Allocca, President, Alloca Enterprises Inc.
Pablo Bentes, Director of International Trade & Investment, Steptoe & Johnson LLP
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Commercial Officer and Business to Business Appointment
Program Running Concurrently
Location: Grand Ballroom C
5:00 pm
Adjourn
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Networking Reception
Location: Grand Ballroom Exhibit Foyer
Wednesday, September 26
7:30 am
Continental Breakfast
Networking with Marketing Partners
Location: Grand Ballroom Exhibit Foyer
8:00 am
Welcome
Antwaun Griffin, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Domestic
Operations, U.S. Commercial Service
Keynote Presentation
Francisco Sanchez, Under Secretary for International Trade, U.S.
Department of Commerce
Location: Grand Ballroom A
8:40 am
Export Compliance—What You Don’t Know Will Cost You!
Moderator: Tim Rolland, Corporate Director, Export Compliance, Goodrich Corporation
Margaret Gatti, Esquire, Morgan Lewis
Michael Ford, Vice President, Regulatory Compliance and Quality, BDP International Inc.
Alex Lopes, Director, Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce
9:45 am
Diamonds in the Rough: Uncover Hidden Opportunities in Africa Before the Competition
Moderator: William Fanjoy, Director, Virginia/DC U.S. Export Assistance Center
Stephen Morrison, Former Senior Commercial Officer, Dakar, Senegal
Phil English, Co-Chair, Government Relations Group, Arent Fox, LLP
Cherod Webber, CEO, Innovative Global Supply, LLC
Thomas Cummings, Regional Director, Export-Import Bank
10:30 am
Break
Location: Grand Ballroom Exhibitor Foyer
11:00 am
What’s Next Across Asia?
Moderator: Patrick Santillo, Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific, U.S. Embassy, Singapore
Helen Peterson, Former Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy, Tokyo, Japan
Greg O’Connor, Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy, Delhi, India
Bill Adams, Senior International Economist, PNC Financial Services Group
Joshua Pierce, Korea Desk Officer, U.S. Department of Commerce
12:30 pm
Networking Lunch
Keynote Presentation
Andrew Quinn, Special Advisor and Deputy Chief Negotiator for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Office of the United States Trade Representative
Location: Grand Ballroom B
AFTERNOON “ASK THE EXPERT” WORKSHOPS
2:00 pm
Export Finance: Improve Competitiveness and Minimize Risk
Toni Corsini, Small Business Administration
Tom Cummings, Export Import Bank
Michael Filchock, Director, Global Trade Solutions, SunTrust Banks/Virginia and DC DEC
Location: Gold Room
More Clicks, More Sales: Optimizing Your Website For International Success
Myriam Siftar, President, MTM LinguaSoft/Mid-Atlantic DEC
Laszlo Horvath, President, ActiveMedia/Virginia and DC DEC
Location: Silver Room
Utilizing New Tariff Tool to Determine Your Product’s Treatment Under Each Free Trade Agreement
Natalie Soroka, Economist, U.S. Department of Commerce
Mike Allocca, President, Allocca Enterprises Inc./South Carolina DEC
Amanda Barlow, Director, Carnet and Trade Services Department, United States Council for International Business
Location: Bronze Room
3:00 pm
Export Finance: Improve Competitiveness and Minimize Risk
Toni Corsini, Small Business Administration
Tom Cummings, Export Import Bank
Joseph Zecardi, Vice President, PNC Bank/Mid-Atlantic DEC
Location: Gold Room
More Clicks, More Sales: Optimizing Your Website For International Success
Myriam Siftar, President, MTM LinguaSoft/Mid-Atlantic DEC
Laszlo Horvath, President, ActiveMedia/Virginia and DC DEC
Location: Silver Room
Reduce Your Federal Taxes on Direct and Indirect Exports
John Huddle, CEO, The Global Law Group, PLC/Virginia and DC DEC
Location: Bronze Room
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Commercial Officer and Business to Business Appointment Program Running Concurrently
Location: Grand Ballroom C
4:00 pm
Program Concludes
