Letter from the Editors
The editors of Women in International Trade Newsletter want to welcome you to the second issue of the 2007-2008 year and the final issue for 2007. This newsletter illustrates the time and hard work put in by WIIT members, all of which make WIIT a success. Please read the articles, a book review, information about WIIT events and much more.
The Fall 2007 edition
of the newsletter includes articles submitted by WIIT members about food regulation
law and its impact on international trade. Read
more...
Letter from the President, Susan Schmidt:
WIIT
Participation as a Professional Development Tool
WIIT members value the range and depth of the professional development discussions
offered by our Professional Development Committee. In addition, we recently
reinvigorated our mentoring program under the guidance of Angela Hofmann (WIIT
President, 2005-2006) and Christine Ramsdell (WIIT Board member, 2005-2006).
These professional development programs support both new and longstanding
WIIT members as they enhance skills that make them more effective in their
current positions as well as prepare them to assume even greater professional
challenges and responsibilities. WIIT has a Toastmasters chapter and soon
hopes to provide members with opportunities to participate in a Speakers Bureau.
WIIT also maintains a Members-Only job site and, as a member of the Organization
of Women in International Trade (OWIT), provides access to the OWIT job bank.
Often overlooked, though, is how involvement in WIIT itself can be an excellent
professional development and career enhancement tool. Read
more...
This newsletter is the first of three newsletters that will celebrate WIIT's corporate donors. Starting with this issue, we have invited corporate representatives from Gold Level Donors to submit information about each donor and its commitment to WIIT. Starting in alphabetical order, find out which companies support WIIT and learn more about our Gold Level Donors.
Gold
Level
Angola Trade Representative Office - ANIP
One of the prime tasks of the National Private Investment Agency (ANIP - Agência
Nacional de Investimento Privado) is the active promotion and selective targeting
of foreign investment that might facilitate the reconstruction and economic
and social development of Angola. WIIT as an influential international trade
association based in Washington D.C., is an important ally that helps ANIP
achieve its goals.
Blank
Rome LLP
Blank Rome LLP is an international law firm of over 500 lawyers. With offices
in Washington, D.C., New York, Philadelphia, Hong Kong and six additional
U.S. cities, Blank Rome provides a full spectrum of legal services to businesses
and organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-up entities.
Through our affiliate, Blank Rome Government Relations LLC, Blank Rome provides
lobbying, public affairs, and strategic communications assistance, and has
established a strategic alliance with Interel, a Brussels based communications
and government relations firm. Read more...
Gold Corporate Members
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer, & Feld,. LLP
Angola Trade Representative Office - ANIP
Blank Rome, LLP
Manatt Phelps Phillips, LLP /ManattJones Global Strategies, LLC
Pfizer
Sandler, Travis, Rosenberg, P.A
Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood, LLP
Wal-Mart Stores
Silver Corporate Members
Boeing
DHL Express
Delegation of the European Commission
Bronze Corporate Members
AdvaMed - Advanced Medical Technology Association
Baxter Healthcare
FWH and Associates, LLC
GE
Nortel Networks
NOVARTIS Corporation
Thompson Coburn, LLP
How
Much are You willing to Pay for Product Safety?
by Edward Steiner
Across the country, newspaper headlines are full of news of tainted imports
from China. Confetti bags are the latest culprit, but there have been recalls
on a wide array of products: holiday ornaments, children's pencil pouches,
children's jewelry, holiday baskets, plush toys. All of these items were recalled
because of excessive levels of lead. All of these items were made in China.
Congress is busily working on a solution to the problem. Ultimately, however,
the solution is not with Congress, but rather the consumer. Whichever policy
route lawmakers decide to take, the effectiveness of their action will be
measured by consumer response. Read more...
Food Safety Reform: What the FDA Can Learn From Other
Major Importing Countries
by Bradford L. Ward and Lisa W. Wang
Given
the abundant news reports, congressional hearings, and trade data on imported
food safety concerns, American consumers are justifiably concerned that the
imported food products they consume, particularly seafood imports, are tainted
with banned and harmful substances, and that the federal agency charged with
ensuring the safety of 80 percent of our nation's food supply, the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration ("FDA"), is not taking the necessary steps
to safeguard the health and safety of its people. In contrast to the FDA,
other major food importing countries including the European Union ("EU"),
Japan, and Canada have instituted stringent food safety controls for animal
products that been effective in protecting food supplies while facilitating
trade in safe products. The FDA's lax enforcement efforts coupled with the
stringency of foreign import safety regimes has had significant trade effects
in that it has encouraged the diversion of unsafe and contaminated food imports
to the United States. Read more...
Strengthening
America's Food Safety Net
by Cal Dooley
America has come a long way since the days of Upton Sinclair's turn-of-the-century
novel, The Jungle. Sinclair's portrayal of the U.S. meat industry sent shock
waves through the public and launched a heated food safety policy debate that
ultimately led to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act by Congress in
1906. A century later, the United States has the safest food supply in the
world, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is widely regarded
as the world's leading food safety agency. This long track record of success
is a credit to both the private sector - the companies that manufacture our
food, and the public sector - the policymakers at the federal, state and local
level who set and enforce the standards that protect the safety and security
of the food supply. Read more...
Book
Review:
by Barbara D. Linney
Get
Ahead by Going Abroad: A Woman's Guide to Fast Track Career Success
C. Perry Yeatman & Stacie Nevadomiski Berdan
In a book that strikes
just the right balance between serious advice and anecdotal reminiscences,
co-authors Yeatman and Berdan share their experiences and those of more than
forty other female executives in leveraging global experience to speed their
climb up the corporate ladder. Whether the reader is on the brink of deciding
if or when to go, how to get there or how to survive and excel when she does,
or even how to ensure successful repatriation when she is ready to end her
globetrotting days, this book guides the reader in identifying and weighing
all of the relevant factors and making the most of her decision. Read
more...
The opinions in each article are those solely of the author. WIIT does not endorse the views expressed in any of the featured articles.
Find event details and new additions at http://www.wiit.org/events/events.htm.
Upcoming
WIIT Board and Officers/Section Chair meeting dates are listed below. Any
WIIT member who has a topic s/he would like discussed at an upcoming meeting
should contact a Board member or Officer so that it can be put on the agenda,
as appropriate.
Board Meetings:
February 19, 2008
April 15, 2008
Officer/Section Chair meetings:
January 8, 2008
February 12, 2008
March 11, 2008
April 8, 2008
May 13, 2008
A Reception
with the Honorable Janat Mukwaya, Minister of Trade and Industry for the Republic
of Uganda
On April 19, the Baltimore Secion of WIIT
Co-Hosted a reception for Ugandan Minister of Trade and Industry. Read
more...
WIIT Professional Development Brown Bag with Sue Esserman
On October 1, Sue Esserman, former deputy
United States Trade Representative and General Counsel Department of Commerce,
joined the section for a brown bag lunch. Read
more...
Trendcasting:
What Asian Biotech Trends Mean for US Investors
On November 2, the Baltimore Section of
WIIT hosted a panel discussion on the impact of Asian biotech trends on US
investors. Read more...
A Congressional Trade Staff Reception
On November 14, WIIT's Legislative Affairs
Committee organized a reception for Trade Staff on the Hill. Read
more...
What You Need to Know About the Product Recall Process: U.S. Requirements
and International Business and Government Relations Implications
On November
28, WIIT organized a discussion on the Product Recall Process. Read
more...
New
Lobbying Reform and Ethics Rules: What You Need to Know When Interacting with
Federal Representatives
On December
4, WIIT hosted a presentation that specifically addressed changes made by
the new law to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, among other laws, as well
as House and Senate gift rules. Read more...
WIIT's
2007 Winter Gala and Silent Auction
On December 12, WIIT held its signature
holiday event - the Winter Gala and Silent Auction. Read
more...
In a supportive friendly
environment, WIIT Toastmasters can help you improve your public speaking skills.
Public speaking skills can help you more effectively present can communicate
your ideas and help advance your career. We are affiliated with WIIT and with
Toastmasters International. Toastmasters International has been helping people
of all walks of life become effective communicators for over eighty years...
Let us help you achieve your goals. Visit our website http://wiit.freetoasthost.ws
for details and information. We meet the second and fourth Mondays of the
month, except Federal holidays. We meet at 12:30 PM until 1:30 PM at the National
Association of Manufacturers, 1330 Pennsylvania Ave. The closest Metro Stop
is Metro Center; exit to 13th and F Sts.
WIIT Mentoring Program
Want to learn more about the career pathway of a fellow WIIT member? Are you willing to offer career advice and insights to other women in the field of international trade? If so, join the WIIT Mentoring Program!
WIIT offers a unique opportunity for members in all stages of their careers in international trade to share their experiences and learn from one another by tapping into the broad network offered by our membership. The hallmark of the program is one-on-one mentoring, pairing one WIIT member with another.
Participants in the Mentoring Program will gain insight into the various positions and career paths in the field of international trade. The program is loosely structured to afford participants the ability to develop a specific program tailored to their interests, needs, and resources.
Making a difference as a mentor does not have to be a burdensome time commitment. It is expected that mentors will meet (or make contact by phone or e-mail) with the WIIT member with whom they are paired at least once a month over a period of approximately 4 months. Activities could include:
Please note that the Mentor Program is open only to WIIT members. If you are currently not a member and are interested in this program, you are welcome to join the association. Membership dues are $45 for students and government employees and $65 for all other individuals.
If you have any questions
or are interested in participating in the WIIT Mentoring Program, please contact
Angela Hofmann at angela.Hofmann@wal-mart.com or Christine Ramsdell at christine.h.ramsdell@boeing.com
Manka Azefor, Kristin Wedding, and Helen Wicecarver
WIIT Newsletter Editors
wiit_newslettereditors_2006@yahoo.com
