Thank you for your membership and support of WIIT and Happy New Year! With the start of the new year and midpoint of my WIIT Presidency, I thought it a perfect time to share with you some of our 2016 accomplishments and to also describe some of the exciting things we have in store for 2017 when we celebrate WIIT's 30th Anniversary!
We kicked off the 2016-17 year with the President's Summer Social for our leadership on August 18, 2016. In September, we introduced two new Program Sections: one on Anti-Corruption and Corporate Social Responsibility, and the other one covering Trade Remedies. We also expanded the Customs Program Section to include not only Customs but also Transportation and Logistics. Take a look at our Program Sections. WIIT really has something for everyone in the trade arena. We also have some excellent Professional Development programs thanks to Dana Watts.
Our Program Section co-chairs have been extremely active under the leadership of our VP for Programming Linda Schmid. Kudos to Linda. Some examples of our Fall programming includes coverage of the recently enacted Trade Facilitation and Enforcement Act, the new French anti-corruption law as well as programs covering topics such as "Why Small Business Should Care About Trade Policy," and "How a Trade Dispute Sparked the Russia- Ukraine Crisis." That's just a small sampling of the informative programs that our WIIT volunteers have organized. It makes me realize how much talent resides within WIIT. I encourage you to share your suggestions for Trade Talks with Linda.
Thanks to Kathryn Kobe, the Editor-in-Chief of the WIIT Communique, our brand new member-driven journal that focuses on key issues in trade, and is written by WIIT members and friends. We have produced some outstanding issues. If you haven’t already done so, take a look at our Communiques on Africa and also Customs.
On October 24, 2016, I had the honor of representing WIIT at GetGlobal in Los Angeles, a conference designed to help American companies succeed in foreign markets, and moderating a panel on "Customs & Corruption: Getting to Market Efficiently and Reliably". In this role, I met many trade and global thought leaders, strengthening WIIT's external reach.
On November 1, 2016, WIIT partnered with George Washington University's Center for International Business Education and research (CIBER,) and the DC/VA District Export Council to put on the timeline and thoughtful program, “A Global Trade Agenda for the 45th President.” The event was held at George Washington University. Check out the panels online, where we learned about “Why Trade Matters?” and “What Needs to be Fixed?” I guarantee that you will find the discussions of interest as the conversation on trade and globalization continues with the new Administration.
We finished our year off with one of our signature events on December 13, 2016 – the Silent Auction and Holiday Gala at AdvaMed. We had over 100 attendees and raised over $5,000 for the WIIT Trust. Thanks to WIIT Trust Chair Nancy Travis and Alina Zarr, VP of Special Events, for your hard work to organize this event. As usual, there was much merriment thanks to the Wine Institute and we raised funds for the WIIT Trust’s scholarships. In addition, we partnered with SERRV, a non-profit, fair trade organization dedicated to lifting disadvantaged artisans, farmers and their families out of poverty. I want to personally thank our many donors for providing amazing items which made the auction a success!
We were also able to forge various partnerships to better accomplish our dual mission of promoting women and promoting trade, including with: the DC Women’s Bar Association, Washington Networking Group, George Washington University CIBER, Georgetown University, Georgetown University Law Center, DC GATT, the Women’s Foreign Policy Group, and the Center for International Private Enterprise.
As we enter the year of our 30th Anniversary, I am looking forward to even more timely, informative and compelling Trade Talks, especially with the future direction of trade policy in question. Trade Talks are the incubators of ideas for WIIT! We are also continuing our Hill Education Series for staffers and are increasing our partnerships with even more groups.
Of course, we are looking forward to the other two signature events: our celebration of 100 years of US International Trade Commission Women for International Women’s Day on March 15, 2017, and our Annual Awards Dinner on June 7, 2017 at the George Washington University Marvin Center, where we will honor the Women of the Year (WOY) and other notable women and culminate our 30th Anniversary celebration. We look forward to honoring amazing women in trade and encourage you to complete this form and send it to WIIT to make your nomination for the WOY award. Stay tuned for registration information and other updates on these two signature events on the WIIT Website and WIIT Weekly.
Last but certainly not least, there are two things I want to mention. WIIT does a superb job in “Promoting Trade” by its educational offerings such as its Trade Talks and communications such as our new Communique. We will certainly continue to do that with our excellent programs. In 2017, I want to launch an initiative to focus on the “Promoting Women” part of our mission. We will do that by seeking to showcase, and hopefully help to advance, our women members in the field of international trade – whether in business, government or law. Stay tuned to what we have in store. And remember, we welcome your ideas!
The second thing I would like to do, and this will involve each of you, involves recruitment of individual and corporate members. I will be working closely with our membership committee to step up recruitment and provide incentives to do so. We want to be strong in numbers as we celebrate our 30th! Please spread the word about the WIIT value proposition and send your suggestions for new corporate and individual members to our Executive Director, Liz Schumacher today!
Again, I want to thank all of our officers, especially Colleen Litkenhaus for her work as Treasurer and Carlene Hastings as VP of Communications, and also our many volunteers and staff that make WIIT such a great organization. On behalf of the WIIT leadership, we’re wishing you and your family a healthy, happy and prosperous 2017.
