We
Proudly Present the Fall 2006 Edition of the Newsletter of the Association
of Women in International Trade
This edition is important and exciting for many reasons. It has been virtually twenty summers since WIIT's founding! This year WIIT celebrates 20 years of pioneering leadership, excellence and camaraderie throughout the ranks and echelons of international trade law, business, industry, entrepreneurship, government agencies and missions, and non-governmental and multilateral organizations. In this issue, the very first and recent past presidents reflect on the vision and the value-added that underpin WIIT's raison d'etre and that will continue to propel the organization into the future.
The tradition of inspiring, energetic, and consummate WIIT leadership continues with our new president Nicole Bivens Collinson, and in a new team of 2006-2007 officers. Kudos and immense gratitude to the outgoing team for making last year a vibrant and successful one. Read Nicole's letter in this issue; we are confident that we will see WIIT continue to revolutionize the space for learning, professional development, camaraderie and fun for women in international trade. Already, we have a dynamic slate of events and brown bags planned for the new year. Find the ones that will enrich your professional life at the WIIT events page, and keep checking back as more are added. As past President Kathleen Patterson reminds us in this issue, "the network is everything--- if you are active enough to benefit from it."
The articles of newsletter guest writers offer another opportunity to appreciate the connections among various tangents of international trade and beyond. In this edition we are pleased to offer you the opportunity to learn more about the role of international marketing in trade. If we imagine international trade in goods and services as highways, then at various stages and on different routes, marketing may be conceived of as the vehicle, the driver, maybe even the billboards along the way. Our three guest writers expand upon the crucial, multifaceted, even unconventional, aspects of the world of international marketing. Jennifer Marcy, program officer for the Crafts Center at CHF International takes us through the challenges and triumphs of market development among poor indigenous women in Bolivia, including penetration of overseas markets. George Washington University Professor Steve Suranovic introduces us to the political economy of the international fair trade market and takes a pragmatic look at the promise of this approach to sustainable development And John Jagoe, president of the U.S. Export Institute is well-placed to give excellent insight and advice on selecting overseas representatives for products, a marketing function that can be critical to business success.
We hope that you enjoy reading the Summer edition of the WIIT newsletter. We welcome your feedback so that we can make the newsletter better for you. E-mail us at wiit_newslettereditors_2006@yahoo.com. Thank you!
Racquel Smith is a
research fellow in the Integration, Trade and Hemispheric Issues Division
of the Inter-American Development Bank. She received her master's degree in
international commerce/trade and development from the Patterson School of
Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky. Racquel
also chairs WIIT's monthly Spanish Language Table.
Dr. Sarita Jackson serves as the co-editor for the WIIT newsletter. She is
currently a consultant with The Services Group, Inc. who focuses on trade
facilitation and capacity building and private sector development in developing
countries. She received her Ph.D. in Political Science (with an emphasis on
Comparative and International Political Economy) from Brown University.