DEC Chair
Kimberly Brown
Amethyst Technologies
Chief Executive Officer
Expertise: ExporTech, President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa, Gold Key services, government advocacy, healthcare services in developing countries.

DEC Vice Chair
Bob Zhang
Peng Consulting Group
Principal Consultant
Expertise: China expertise, strategic business consulting, trade missions, diplomacy, website and e-commerce localization, fluency in Chinese; Asia rep. for Maryland Horse Industry Board; Governor’s Commission on APA Affairs.

Jose Alonso
DEC Treasurer
Murray Corporation
International Sales Manager
Expertise: ExporTech, UM Global Export Consulting program, MDCP grant recipient, Hannover Messe trade show, U.S. Dept of Commerce 51% content requirements

STATE TRADE DIRECTOR
Jessica Reynolds
Maryland Department of Commerce
Senior Director, Office of International Investment & Trade
Expertise: ExporTech, Export Maryland/SBA STEP grant, virtual trade missions/Governor’s trade missions, Maryland export data.

Aisha Jones
Executive Secretary
U.S. Commercial Service, Baltimore
Director
Expertise: ExporTech, International Expansion Plans, Website Globalization Enhancements, Prosper Africa, Doing Business in Africa, Antidumping & Countervailing Duty Inquiries, Trade Winds

Oussama Ashy
WSC, Inc.
Director, Business Development
Expertise: International sales and marketing strategies, identifying partners, sales to foreign governments, joint ventures, business culture, Trade Winds, President’s E-Award.

Alisha Ayre
W.R.Grace
Manager of Logistics & Trade Compliance
Expertise:  Global logistics across all transportation modes, import/export trade compliance, freight forwarding, S&OP, operations management, international experience in consumer goods, pharmaceutical, & chemical markets, certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt & Certified Supply Chain Professional (APICS).

Rebecca Bellinger
University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Executive Director, Center for Global Business
Expertise: ExporTech, Startup/incubator best practices, export education, early stage business, student consulting services to companies with global business challenges.

Christina Caraballo
Vice President, Informatics
HIMSS
Expertise: Health IT policy & strategy; interoperability, standards & health ecosystems; local & global innovation & culture change; consumer access & engagement.

Lee Connor
John S. Connor, Inc. 
President 
Expertise: Competitive rates for freight forwarding, transportation and logistics services, supply chain management, incoterms.

Dr. David Di Maria
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Senior International Officer & Associate Vice Provost for International Education
Expertise: Internationalization of higher education, academic partnerships and protocol, market intelligence, student recruitment, commission-based agents, international travel safety, student and scholar immigration, intercultural communication, cross-cultural negotiation, lean management.

Phil Grove
Ellicott Dredges
International Sales Manager
(DEC CHAIR 2019-2021)
Expertise: ExporTech, Commercial diplomacy, advocacy for international government tenders, Ex-Im financing, USTDA programs, OPIC project finance, partnering for foreign contracts, U.S. Commercial Service programs.

Dr. Kazumi Hasegawa
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Director of International Marketing & Business Development
Expertise: Internationalization of higher education, international marketing and advertising, social media, advertising design, international business development, market research, intercultural communication, cross-cultural negotiation (esp. Japan and Asian countries).

Ronald Huther
Thales Defense and Security, Inc.
Director, International Business Development
Expertise: Export compliance, management of wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary of European parent company.

Alex Koff
Venable LLP
Partner
(DEC Chair 2014-2015)
Expertise: ExporTech, General Counsel coverage, including international business transactions & contracts, intellectual property disputes, international arbitration, regulatory compliance, customs matters, export controls, FCPA, Jones Act issues.

Shawn Levsen
UPS
Regional Director of Brokerage Product Development
Expertise: Export Pricing, Export Logistics, Export Documentation, HS Codes, Incoterms, Export Compliance, Duty Drawback, Supply Chain, Doing Business in China, Asia, Oceania

Carl Livesay
Maryland Thermoform Corporation
VP of Operations
(DEC Vice Chair 2016-2017)
Expertise: ExporTech, ITAR, FAR, DFAR, AS9100C, AS9100D, manufacturing process optimization, export readiness assessment, gap analysis, leveraging social media, lean manufacturing, aerospace & defense industries, contract manufacturing.

Bill Marsheck
DAP Products
Manager, International Sales 
Expertise: Go to market plans, Intl distributor search, FTA markets, FTA Tariff Tool, Trade shows,
export counseling in Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa.

Jill McClune
Avon Protection Systems
General Counsel, US
Expertise: Defense and emergency responder contracts worldwide, distribution/agency programs, federal compliance including ITAR/EAR, defense manufacturing, business & technology council resources. Defense communities.

Brian Merritt
Global Deployment Partners, LLC
Partner
(DEC Vice Chair 2014-2015)
Expertise: ExporTech, IC-DISC consulting, transfer pricing, advantageous tax structures for global companies, VAT Recovery. Deployment of products and technologies worldwide in the sectors of Energy, Water, Food, Environment and Healthcare/Public Safety.

Paulette Mpouma
Africa Memory Game
Inventor and Owner
Expertise: Doing Business in Africa, Consumer goods exports to West & Central Africa, early-stage business, Sub-Saharan Africa website localization & Social Media.

Kwabena Osei-Sarpong
RIFE International
President & CEO
Expertise: Trade Winds, Group Gold Key programs, Export MD grant programs, doing business in Africa, green/renewable energy expertise, international sales and partner development.

Bobby Patton
Patton Electronics
CEO
(DEC Chair 2018-2019)
Expertise: ExporTech, Export financing, Ex-Im Bank products including credit insurance, supply chain, privacy concerns, high tech manufacturing, partner identification, sales channels, patent applications, IP issues.

Richard H. Rogers
Founder and President
R. H. Rogers Global Consulting, LLC
(DEC Vice Chair 2019 – 2021)
Expertise: International business development (Africa, Asia, Middle East), export and in-country sales advisory, global executive talent sourcing, ExporTech.

Mariana de Gorordo Rutherford
Kieyos
Chief Operations Officer
Expertise: ITAR certified professional, ECoP-ITAR (expert compliance certified in ITAR).

Ken Sanchez
Chesapeake Specialty Products
President and CEO
Expertise: Manufacturing, shipping, customs and tariffs, trade shows, market research/market entry strategies, doing business in China, IP Protection, setting up in-country sales agents, President’s E-Award for Exports application process.

David Tohn
BTS Software Solutions
Chief Executive Officer
Expertise: Technology & software exports, ITAR controls, DoD contracting (import & export), cybersecurity, int’l expansion for defense & commercial sales.

Kim Vaccari
Konsyl Pharmaceuticals
Sales Manager
Expertise: ExporTech, FDA approval & nutritional supplement regulations, distributor network, sales channel conflict, Amazon e-commerce platform sales.

Michael Violette
Washington Laboratories, Ltd.
Chief Executive Officer
Expertise: Product testing & certification, CE Mark, market access via various international product approvals, regional expertise in China, Japan, and Europe.

Alexandra Wrage
Trace International, Inc.
President
Expertise: Practical anti-bribery compliance training, due diligence on global agents/consultants/distributors, compliance benchmarking and risk assessments.