Global California - Expanding Opportunities
February 10th, 2005
Oakland, CA

Global California 2005 Conference: Speakers

Bruce Ackerman

Prior to taking over as President and Chief Executive Officer of Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, Bruce Ackerman served as head of the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership.

His career also includes over 20 years of service as the Chief Executive Officer for Chambers of Commerce in the communities of Brawley, San Fernando, Van Nuys and Pasadena. He has extensive experience and background in the community economic development field, specializing in the creation of "private-public partnerships" between local or regional government municipalities and privately sponsored business groups.

As head of the Economic Alliance, Mr. Ackerman is in charge of one of the most effective regional economic development corporations in Southern California directing its efforts in developing and implementing programs focused on regional marketing, business retention and recruitment, and education reform.

He lead the Van Nuys Chamber of Commerce (now the Mid-Valley Chamber of Commerce) in creating two economic development corporations - Vitalize Van Nuys, Inc. and the Van Nuys Area Development Company, a local development corporation which later became the Valley Economic Development Center.

As the head of The Ackerman Group (a management and marketing consulting company), he brought two decades of business, management, economic development, organization, and marketing experience together to benefit a multitude of clients. Utilizing quality-driven and team-oriented principles, he specialized in assisting his clients in building or rebuilding their organizational structure for maximum operational efficiency.

Mr. Ackerman is a Certified Chamber Executive and a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute Program, and the U.S. Chamber's Academy of Organization Management at the University of Notre Dame.

He has served on the faculty for the U.S. Chamber's Institute Program teaching courses on office management, budget and finance, non-dues income, community economic development, and staff development.

His community and professional service has included serving as Chair of the Stanford University Institute Board of Regents for the U.S. Chamber, on the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives Association, and on the Board of Directors of the California Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.

Mr. Ackerman also serves on the Executive Board of the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED), and on the Boards of Directors of several groups including the Valley Economic Development Center, the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, and the Los Angeles City Workforce Investment Board (WIB).

Bruce Aitken

Bruce Aitken is the founder and President of the Homeland Security Industries Association and a Co-Chair of the Aitken Irvin Berlin & Vrooman, LLP law firm.

Mr. Aitken has twenty-five years experience in trade association management and counseling, particularly in the transportation and hi-tech areas. He is the only American to have been appointed to all the major international Dispute Resolution Panels, including the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement (by President Bush, in 1991); the NAFTA (by President Clinton, in 1994); the WTO (by President Clinton, in 1996); and the World Intellectual Property Organization (by invitation, in 1997).

Fluent in Russian and a published author, he has served as an Adjunct Professor, Georgetown Law School and holds his undergraduate degree from Fordham University, an MBA from Columbia University, and a JD degree from American University.

Mr. Aitken is admitted to practice law in Maryland and the District of Columbia, and before the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit; the U.S. Supreme Court; the U.S. Court of International Trade; and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

The Homeland Security Industries Association (HSIA) is headquartered in Washington, DC and represents companies, organizations, and individuals that provide products, services, technology, and leadership to public and private sector institutions charged with implementing homeland security policy.

The organization serves as a bridge between its members and federal, state, county, and municipal government entities in the U.S. and elsewhere with the goal of facilitating the development and execution of homeland security policies that are consistent with the best interests of the U.S. and its citizens.

Roderic O. Ballance

Roderic O. Ballance is the Executive Director of the Global Trade Center of the Inland Empire and the Office of International Affairs & Protocol, a public-private partnership serving the international business needs of the Inland Empire.

Mr. Ballance has more than thirty years experience in international sales and marketing.

Prior to moving to Riverside in August, 1999, he served as Manager, Contracts/Operations, Saudi Arabian National Guard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Previous to this assignment, he was Managing Director of KBR (Holdings) Ltd., a Long Beach, California based international consulting and trading firm with liaison offices throughout Asia and the Middle East. Additional international marketing assignments include Warner-Lambert Corporation, Sunbeam Corporation and Schick Safety Razor Company.

Educational credentials include undergraduate and graduate degrees in Business Administration from the University of San Francisco. Mr. Ballance served on the Board of the International Relations Council IRC.

He is a member of the Riverside, Corona, Moreno Valley, Long Beach and Ontario Chambers of Commerce, Riverside Rotary Club, Silver Eagles, March ARB Honorary Commanders, City of Riverside Airport Commission, World Affairs Council of Inland Southern California, and a former US Marine.

Professional affiliations include the National Foreign Trade Association (NAFTZ), The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA), Distribution Management Association (DMA), Los Angeles Air Cargo Association, Protocol Officers Association, Hong Kong Trade Association of Southern California (HKASC) and a life member of the Naval League of the United States (NLUS).

Bruce Berton

Bruce Berton is Director of International Business Consulting at Stonefield Josephson Inc., an international accounting and consulting firm based in Santa Monica, California.

An international business specialist, Mr. Berton provides global business and due diligence services to a number of clients in the textile/apparel, manufacturing/distribution, and retail industries. He also has extensive expertise in the areas of international site selection, US Customs/treaty regulations, international legal services, and international accounting due diligence services.

Mr. Berton is active in a number of professional organizations including the California Fashion Association, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the Asia-Pacific Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce.

He also serves on the faculty of the Fashion Institute of Design Merchandising (FIDM), and as a lecturer at UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of Business.

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, he holds his undergraduate degree in business and history from UCLA and a Licenciado in Business and International Relations from the University of Monterrey, Mexico.

Mr. Berton has also been honored with an Honorary Masters Degree in International Business Relations from the University of Korea.

Jerry A. Bridges

Jerry Bridges was appointed Executive Director of the Port in June 2004.

In his position, Mr. Bridges is responsible for a staff of over 600 involved in the management of the port's three key businesses - maritime, aviation, and commercial real estate that generate $260 million in annual revenue and encompass $2 billion in assets.

From September 2001 until his appointment as Executive Director, Mr. Bridges served as the Port's Director of Maritime. Prior to being named to that post, Mr. Bridges served as the Area Vice President Northern California for Marine Terminals Corporation.

In addition, Mr. Bridges has held various operating positions with Sea Land Services and Roadway Express.

Mr. Bridges also served 20 years as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps in both active and reserve status and received his B.S. in Social Sciences from the Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.

Moises Cisneros

Moises Cisneros is the International Trade Manager for the International Trade Office at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

In this capacity, Mr. Cisneros facilitates the international business growth of small and medium companies in the Los Angeles area and is responsible for administering the Chamber's International Trade & Investments Committee.

He has successfully organized trade missions to Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Mexico, China and Spain. He recently returned from trips to Beijing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong where he promoted Los Angeles as a dynamic place to do business and has counseled various entities on how to "Do Business with Americans".

Additionally, Mr. Cisneros serves as Administrative Director for the Southern California observance of World Trade Week program, a national observance highlighting the positive benefits of international business on local economies.

He received his bachelor's degree from the school of International Relations at the University of Southern California, where he was a recipient of the Mexican American Alumni Association Scholarship and received State Assembly and US Congressional commendations for his work with students and the community.

Currently, Mr. Cisneros serves on Mayor Hahn's Committee on International Trade, Latin America & Canada and is an active member in various local trade organizations.

Janice Cooper

Janice Cooper serves as is President of Pacific Resources, a marketing and international trade consulting firm.

She currently acts as Policy Director for the California Council for International Trade, manages a wheat growers' association, and promotes international trade education for high school students.

Prior to forming her own company, she served as California's Trade Representative in Washington, D.C., managed government affairs for Bank of America and National Semiconductor, and worked in both the California State Legislature and the U.S. Senate.

Ms. Cooper was recently appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to serve on the Advisory Committee for the USDA's Emerging Markets Program.

Mary Delmege

Mary Delmege is currently Director for nine US Commercial Service offices in Southern California and Hawaii.

This 35-person network serves firms actively seeking to expand export sales. Working closely with Commercial Service offices throughout the world, Ms. Delmege's organization offer counseling, market research, matchmaking services and coordination of overseas trade shows and missions.

Her background includes a variety of management and advisory positions for the US Commerce Department, including Senior Advisor to the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee. In that role she was instrumental in developing the National Export Strategy based on feedback from focus groups, interviews and surveys of small and mid-sized exporters.

Ms. Delmege began her Commercial Service career as a Foreign Service Officer in Mexico City, where she directed market research and outreach activities.

Prior to joining the US Commerce Department, Ms. Delmege served as Marketing Director for private sector firms specializing in industrial and automotive products throughout the United States and Mexico.

Ms. Delmege earned a BA in Economics from Claremont Men's College and an MBA from the Anderson School of Business at UCLA, and successfully completed the Senior Executive Management program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

Jose Duenas

Jose Duenas is chief executive officer and president of the Bay Area World Trade Center and, as such, oversees the operations of one of the most active of the network of 300 World Trade Centers in more than 100 countries around the world.

The Bay Area World Trade Center (BAWTC) is a leading International Business Development organization providing expert trade consulting to corporate and municipal clients.

Under Mr. Duenas' leadership, the Bay Area World Trade Center offers its members in the nine-county Bay Area region with comprehensive, up-to-date services for international commerce including market research, business intelligence, matchmaking for international trade delegations, trade missions, and regional organizations, as well as representation at international trade shows and numerous educational and networking events.

Since 1994, the Bay Area World Trade Center generated over 600 exports in almost 100 foreign markets sales resulting in a $339 million dollar value for its members and served over 1,835 foreign business visitors and 159 diplomatic delegations from over 46 countries around the globe.

Jeffrey Gersick

Jeffrey Gersick joined GersickAssociates - a San Francisco-based company specializing in international business development and investment facilitation, global business expansion, and corporate public affairs  as a partner last year after serving four years as Managing Director of Californias International Trade Development programs in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Appointed by the Governor of California and based in the United Kingdom, he directed the states export, investment and business facilitation initiatives from offices in London, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, and Jerusalem.

During his tenure, Mr. Gersick organized bilateral trade missions, directed major European trade shows and business development conferences and managed a suite of consulting services that produced over $400 million in business success for client companies in sectors as varied as ICT, environmental technology, aerospace and food and wine.

Mr. Gersick began his international career as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, assigned first to Washington, D.C. and then serving a tour of duty at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa.

In South Africa, he directed business development programs for emerging companies and forged international business relationships for Chambers of Commerce and individual entrepreneurs.

Jon Haveman

Dr. Jon Haveman serves as a Research Fellow and as Program Director - Economy at the Public Policy Institute of California in San Francisco where he specializes in international trade policy, and international economic development and infrastructure.

Prior to joining the Public Policy Institute in 2001, he served as an economist with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and as Assistant Professor of Economics at Purdue University in Indiana. During his tenure at Purdue, he was named to a two-year appointment as Senior International Economist of the President's Council of Economic Advisers.

He holds both his M.S. and Ph.D. (1992) in economics from the University of Michigan and has authored a number of highly regarded studies for the Public Policy Institute including the most recent "California's Global Gateways: Trends and Issues," and "In Search of a Greater Policy Vision for Port Planning and Security."

Linda Kotzot

Linda Kotzot is President of the German American Business Association of California Inc. (GABA), a not-for-profit membership association hosting a platform to facilitate trade and business between California and Germany.

Prior to taking up her executive position with GABA in 2003, Ms. Kotzot worked in international business communications and marketing as manager of the non-profit Pacific Incubation Network, and in support of public relations activities for emerging technology companies at Weber Shandwick Worldwide.

In addition, she gained extensive experience in marketing and communications at the San Jose International Business Incubator, and in hosting, organizing, coordinating and presenting at global business events and conferences throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, Toronto, and Mexico City.

A native German and American, Ms. Kotzot graduated from Santa Clara University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with an emphasis on German, writing, and communications.

Jerry Levine

Jerry Levine is President of Mentor International; a company focused on the development of international business opportunities for governments and companies. Mr. Levine's work with Mentor takes him on frequent trips to Asia, Europe, and Latin America. He has worked in Europe for four years, typically spends two to three months annually overseas, and has had extensive contacts with FCS officers in many posts.

Mr. Levine has performed export development, investment promotion and feasibility projects for the governments of Switzerland, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, Barbados, Chile, Japan, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the United States as well as German, British, Australian, Italian, American and Swiss cities and regions.

Mr. Levine is currently Chairman Emeritus of the National Export Council's Steering Committee, and was 1995-96 Chairman of the National DEC Consortium for Exports & Jobs. And has served on the U.S. Department of Commerce Foreign Commercial Service Selection Board

He is a Director, member of the Executive Committee and past Chairman of the California Council for International Trade. He serves on the California Chamber of Commerce International Committee. He is a director of the Bay Area World Trade Center.

He has been advisor to the Council of State Governments/Western Legislative Conference, and Vice Dean of the San Francisco Consular Corps as the Honorary Consul for Barbados.

Projects include American States in Europe, distributed by NASDA, the first comprehensive investigation of the scope and nature of the state offices there, facilitation of the Northeastern Trade Summit at Harvard, sponsored by the Eastern Regional Conference of the Council of State Governments (CSG), and a five year economic development plan for the New Mexico Economic Development Department.

He conducted the feasibility study for the State of California that resulted in the establishment of the first five overseas offices and subsequently was commissioned by the governor to visit the five offices in order to evaluate their performance and recommend future directions.

Mr. Levine prepared a project called "Going Global" for the 18-state Western Governors' Association, and for two years guided the implementation of the governors' recommendations - as their Counselor for International Projects.

For over forty years he has assisted high technology firms in their international export, licensing, joint venture and plant location projects.

He is a graduate of both the University of Chicago and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Michael Liikala

Mr. Liikala is currently Senior Commercial Officer in Spain and overseas all commercial operations for the United States through the Embassy offices in Madrid and Barcelona. He also has responsibilities related to the Commercial Service Europe wide E-Commerce program. He has a distinguish and highly recognized career spanning 20 years of service in senior positions in the field and in Washington D.C.

Prior to Madrid he served as SCO in Buenos Aires where Mr. Liilaka and an extraordinary record of achievements involving strategic planning and commercial diplomacy. He completely reinvented the Commercial Service Office in Argentina, making it one of the top performing offices in the world in terms of real export results for U.S. firms. He also established it as a leader in financial and administrative management and his pioneering of new E-Commerce services led to his office being designated as one of two Centers of E-Commerce Strategy with the Argentine Government that quickly enhanced relations with the new President and Vice President and helped open telecom and internet markets for U.S. firms.

Under Mr.Liikala's tenure as U.S. Western Regional Director from 1992-1996, the 25 CS offices under his control increased export assistance results by over 300 percent, helping companies enter over 2,000 new markets in 1996 alone. He also developed and implemented, with Secretary Ron Brown, the California Initiative, creating a state-wide partnership to assist defense firms commercialize their technologies to enhance exports and help the state continue to lead the U.S. in exporting. As part of this initiative, he led the development and launching of TradePort, now one of the top international trade websites. From 1988- 1992 Mr. Liikala established and directed the Western Regional operations for the Bureau of Export Administration (BXA) from Orange County, California with responsibilities for advising companies on export control regulations affecting over $100 billion dollars in exports annually.

Previous to these filed positions, Mr. Liikala served in Washington D.C. from 1981-1984 as Senior Trade Advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade advising on national security and trade policy issues. He was responsible for developing Commerce Department positions for Secretary Malcolm Baldridge and the Cabinet-level committee on U.S. International Economic Policy. As Chief of Staff for Under Secretary of Commerce Paul Freedenberg (1984-88), he helped manage a 700 person organization responsible for U.S. Import and Countervailing Duty Laws and the complex U.S. Export Control Regulations. He led the team of negotiators that successfully concluded multi-billion dollar voluntary restraint agreements with Japan and Taiwan and was the Commerce lead on negotiations with developing countries during 1980's debt crisis.

Mr. Liikala has worked in the U.S. Treasury Department on International Investment issues and on the United States Senate Banking Committee for Senator John Heinz, where he was involved in the drafting and passage of the Export Administration Act, the Export Trading Company Act, and the Congressional review of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Prior to this, Mr. Liikala started and ran his own successful international trading firm and worked as a legislative analyst in the California State Legislature. Mr. Liikala completed his Masters Degree at John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in International Law/Economics and has a Masters Degree in Finance and Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He received a BA in Law and Public Policy from the University of California.

Donald Masters

Dr. Masters is an independent consultant and adjunct professor of economics specializing in international trade and development.

He is the President and Founder of the California Homeland Security Industry Association (HLSIA) and advises on a range of issues related to economic security.

Prior to moving to the West Coast, he was Senior Consultant to International Development Business Consultants (IDBC), a private consultancy in Washington DC.

For over twenty years, he served overseas as a U.S. Foreign Service officer with the Department of State. As economic development officer, he worked closely with foreign governments and technical assistance teams to support policy reforms and build appropriate institutions.

Dr. Masters holds a Ph.D. in Economics from George Washington University, and an M.A. in economics from American University.

He is Certified Language Proficient in both Spanish and German and is a graduate of the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California.

John McLaurin

John McLaurin is President of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA). With offices in San Francisco, Long Beach and Seattle, PMSA is a West Coast maritime trade association, representing ocean carriers and marine terminal operators on a variety of local, state and federal issues.

The members of PMSA account for over 90% of all containerized cargo that moves through West Coast ports. Mr. McLaurin has been with PMSA in his current role since 1995.

In addition to PMSA, he has also worked for the Marine Spill Response Corporation, American President Lines, and the American Petroleum Institute.

Mr. McLaurin has a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from the University of California at Davis and a law degree from Southwestern University School of Law.

He has been active in a variety of issues dealing with special education in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District - serving on an Advisory Committee that recently initiated a number of reforms in its special education program.

Mark Mosher

Mark Mosher serves as the Acting Executive Director for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth, an independent not-for-profit economic development organization headed by 29 of California's top leaders from business, labor, non-profits and academia.

He has more than 16 years experience as a journalist, media relations executive and trade association director. Prior to forming Barnes Mosher Whitehurst Lauter & Partners, Mosher was Executive Director of Committee on Jobs, a coalition of the CEOs of San Francisco's largest employers. He acted as analyst, spokesperson and City Hall lobbyist on a variety of complex public policy issues.

At the Committee on Jobs, Mosher also helped manage several successful ballot measure campaigns and economic development programs. Mosher began his career in New York as an associate reporter for Fortune magazine, and then moved to San Francisco as a senior account executive at the Osborne Group, a public relations firm specializing in media relations.

At Solem & Associates, a public affairs firm, he developed award-winning communications and community outreach plans for clients, including businesses, political campaigns, public agencies and housing providers. Mosher has also organized civic and charitable projects for the business community. He founded San Francisco Works, the innovative welfare-to-work initiative launched by Committee on Jobs, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the United Way.

Mr. Mosher attended the University of Michigan and the London School of Economics and holds a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Journalism. He is also a graduate of the CORO City Focus public affairs leadership training program.

Jock O'Connell

Jock O'Connell is widely regarded as one of California's foremost authorities on world trade, global economic trends, and the internationalization of the Golden State's economy.

A former advisor to the California Commission for Economic Development, he is a private consultant specializing in the analysis of economic and political trends affecting international commerce.

He is also the author of numerous articles on economic, political and trade issues that have appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury-News, and Sacramento Bee.

Mr. O'Connell received his B.A. in political science from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and later pursued a doctoral degree in international relations at the University of California at Davis. He has also studied at the Institute of European Studies (University of Vienna) in Austria and at the London School of Economics, where he was a Fulbright Scholar.

He has been a lecturer at the University of California at Davis and at California State University, Sacramento.

For several years beginning in the early 1980's, Mr. O'Connell was directly involved in developing the State of California's programs to promote exports and attract foreign direct investment. From 1983 through January 1989, he was the international business advisor to the Lieutenant Governor, Leo McCarthy, and to the California Commission for Economic Development. During that same period, he was also retained as a consultant on two major projects for the California State World Trade al trading partners on issues relating to the state's controversial unitary method of taxing multinational corporations.

Beth Peterson

Beth Peterson is the president of Beth Peterson Enterprises, Inc. (BPE), a consulting firm facilitating global trade automation and strategy for multi-national shippers.

BPE services include global trade strategy, global trade technology assessment, security standards, and implementation and global trade auditing.

Prior to founding BPE, she served as vice president of Marketing for Open Harbor where she was charged with leading the company's marketing and solutions initiatives.

Ms. Peterson also served as the vice president of product strategy for Qiva, Inc. in San Francisco, where she was responsible for the design and development of the company's suite of supply chain execution and international trade solutions targeted to the logistics market.

She joined Qiva via the acquisition of Capstan, where she led the development of an international trade logistics solution founded on Internet technology. Prior to that, Peterson managed Hewlett Packard's $7.5 billion annual U.S. import operations and DHL Airways Inc. where she was a logistics services manager.

Ms. Peterson has over 19 years experience in the logistics and international transportation business and is a licensed Customs broker.

Jeremy Potash

Jeremy W. Potash is founding executive director of the California-Asia Business Council (Cal-Asia), a non-profit trade and business promotion organization formerly known as the California-Southeast Asia Business Council (Cal-SEA).

Her work with Cal-SEA earned her a citation from the U.S. Department of Commerce as "Export Citizen of the Year" in 1998.

Ms. Potash is also president of Potash & Company, an Oakland-based public relations/association management firm that she and her husband Steve founded in 1980. In that capacity, she also oversees management of the Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of Northern California.

An experienced journalist and editor, Ms. Potash serves as the editor of several publications including Cal-Asia's on-line newsletter that summarizes business conditions and opportunities in Southeast Asia and China; the Southeast Asia Infrastructure Directory, 1995-96; and Southeast Asia Environmental Directory, 1994.

She has written a number of articles on trade and investment with China and Southeast Asia for local business publications and has spoken about that subject throughout the state.

Ms. Potash was nominated by the Secretary of Commerce to and currently serves on the Northern California District Export Council, an advisory group to the U.S. Department of Commerce. In addition, she is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who of American Women, and serves as a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy and the Advisory Board for the Center for the Pacific Rim at the University of San Francisco.

She received her BA from Pomona College in International Relations with an emphasis on Southeast Asia and formerly worked with Forbes Magazine and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).

Sean Randolph

Sean Randolph serves as President of the Bay Area Economic Forum, a CEO- level public-private partnership of business, government, university, labor and community leaders works to foster a dynamic and competitive economic environment in the San Francisco Bay region, including San Francisco, Oakland and Silicon Valley.

Dr. Randolph previously served as director of international trade for the State of California, where he developed trade strategy and directed international business development programs to stimulate exports and introduce California companies to key overseas markets.

Before service with the state, Dr. Randolph served as Managing Director of the RSR Pacific Group, an international business consulting firm specializing in Asia and Latin America. From 1988-92 he was International Director General of the Pacific Basin Economic Council, a 15-nation, CEO-level international business organization composed of leading US, Asian and Latin American corporations.

His professional career also includes extensive experience in Washington, DC including staff positions in Congress and at the White House. He also served in the US State Department on the Policy Planning Staff, as Special Adviser for Policy in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and as Deputy/Ambassador-at Large for Pacific Basin Affairs, and at the US Department of Energy as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, where he managed energy security and global oil and gas issues.

A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, Dr. Randolph holds a JD from the Georgetown University Law Center, a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts and Harvard Universities, and studied at the London School of Economics.

Dr. Randolph is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Pacific Council on International Policy. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the U.S. National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Pan American Society of California, the Bay Area World Trade Center, the University of San Francisco Center for the Pacific Rim, the Southwest Center of Environmental Research and Policy, and the Headlands Institute.

Ingrid Rosten

After several years being educated and working overseas, particularly in Europe, Ms. Rosten returned to the United States 25 years ago to begin a varied career promoting international trade and incubating small and medium size businesses expanding into the global marketplace.

Ms. Rosten is co-founder and immediate past Director of the International Business Incubator - Silicon Valley (IBI), located in San José. In that position, she oversaw all of the IBI's marketing, training, special programs, and operations and was a regular participant at conferences in Asia, Europe, and Latin America.

Prior to co-founding the IBI, Ms. Rosten was a key member of the team that created nationwide business and engineering exchange programs for Hewlett Packard and was directly responsible for heading up a team of five professionals handling the company's relocation, training and technical, and ESL programs. In addition, she headed HP's support operations for international visitors and business leaders coming to the U.S. from the former Soviet Union, the People's Republic of China, Eastern Europe, and India.

Ms. Rosten has also played key roles in creating foreign-government incubation and business centers in Belgium, Chile, India, Korea, Scotland, and Singapore, and has also developed business incubation and training programs for the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry, the government of the People's Republic of China, the Japan External Trade Organization, the World Bank, and the governments of Mexico and El Salvador.

Howard J. Shatz

Dr. Howard J. Shatz is a research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), where he focuses on California's interactions with the global economy. His research interests include foreign direct investment, international trade, and international economic development.

He has worked as a consultant to the World Bank and has held research fellowships at the Brookings Institution and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

Dr. Shatz holds a Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard University and is the author of the recent PPIC report, Business Without Borders? The Globalization of the California Economy.

He has also testified before the California State Assembly and Senate about the role of California's foreign trade offices and government assistance for international business development.

Richard A. F. Soyombo

Richard A. F. Soyombo is the Director for the Center for International Trade Development (CITD).

CITD is an economic development initiative funded by the Chancellor for Community Colleges office in Sacramento that promotes and provides technical assistance in international trade to small and medium sized companies located in San Mateo, San Francisco and Marin counties.

With almost two decades of experience in international business development, Richard has played various successful roles in both the public and private sectors; helping various corporations to succeed internationally and providing guidance for foreign governments in the development and implementation of international trade as a tool for economic development.

His background includes the creation of a trading company operating between Brazil and Africa and, since 1998, has re-focused his efforts on international business and economic development in developing nations.

Mr. Soyombo has also served as an executive management consultant specializing in markets of Latin America, Sub-Sahara Africa and South East Asia

He currently serves on the Adjunct Faculties at several Northern California colleges and universities and is participated in numerous international business forums both in the U.S. and abroad.

Mr. Soyombo sits on the Boards of Directors of numerous business development organizations including the San Francisco Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; the San Francisco Black Chamber of Commerce; the San Francisco Small Business Development Center; and the Satellite Housing Corp.

Tom Teofilo

Tom Teofilo is Managing Director of Maritime Services for the Port of Long Beach, California.

Prior to joining the port last year, he served as Southern California vice president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA) representing the interests of the state's maritime industry before local, regional and state governing boards.

Before joining the PMSA, Mr. Teofilo was president and CEO of the World Trade Center Association of Los Angeles-Long Beach, where he expanded community outreach and trade services. During his six-year tenure at the World Trade Center, he established several new programs to promote international business in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside Counties, and successfully doubled the association's operating budget.

Mr. Teofilo has also held executive positions with Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), Korea Shipping Line, CTI Container Leasing, Sea-Land Service, and Transamerica Financial.

He has been active as a trade and transportation advocate at the forefront of a number of campaigns to improve and streamline trade. He led the establishment of a safety right-of-way in the LA/LB harbor district for the movement of an estimated 110,000 extra- heavy container-loads per year.

While director of trade development at the Port of Long Beach, his division established Foreign Trade Zone #50, and the Harbor Talking Committee, which was recognized for reducing congestion and ensuring the uninterrupted movement of goods during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Also in 1984 he chaired an alliance that secured federal appropriations for 150 additional U.S. Customs personnel for the Los Angeles Customs District.

Mr. Teofilo has also served as Chairman several international trade organizations including the Foreign Trade Association of Southern California, the Southern California Trade Coordinating Council, and the Southern California World Trade Week observance.

Michael D. White

Michael D. White is Publisher and Editor of the CalTrade Report, an on-line publication covering international trade news and developments affecting California's global economy.

A California native and U.S. Coast Guard veteran with more than 21 years experience in international business journalism, Mr. White served as Managing Editor of World Trade Magazine for five years and has held senior-level editorial positions with Pacific Shipper Magazine (San Francisco), International Business Magazine (White Plains, New York), the International Trade & Business Journal (Los Angeles), and International Thomson Transport Press (Toronto, Canada).

Mr. White holds a degree in journalism and history from California State University, Northridge, as well as a Diploma in International Business from the Japan External Trade Organization's Institute of International Studies and Training (IIST) in Tokyo, Japan.

Before breaking into journalism, Mr. White worked in the transportation industry as an intermodal clerk with the Southern Pacific Railroad and later served as the Marketing and Public Relations Manager - North America for Mitsui OSK Lines (America), the US-based subsidiary of one of the largest ocean carriers serving the transpacific trades.

In addition to publishing and editing the CalTrade Report, Mr. White has served as a Senior Consultant to the World Trade Institute at Pace University in New York City and is currently a member of the Advisory Board crafting the development plan for the new International Trade Resource Center at Los Angeles Pierce College.

With more than 470 published global business and transportation articles to his credit, Mr. White is a member of the American Society of Business Publications Editors and the Society of Professional Journalists.

He is also the author of the book, "International Marketing Blunders," published in 2001 by Novato, California-headquartered World Trade Press, which has become a standard text in the international business departments of a number of business schools across the country including those of California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo and Azusa Pacific University.

His comments on global trade issues have also been quoted in a number of publications including the Orange County (California) Register, California Journal, the Los Angeles Daily News, the Santa Cruz Sentinel, the Wall Street Journal, the San Jose Mercury-News, Newsweek, the Christian Science Monitor, and the Journal of Commerce. He has also been interviewed on CNN Radio and the Voice of America - European Edition.

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