Michael Brown advanced to president and CEO of Avalon Risk Management, succeeding founding partner Lisa Gelsomino in that role, the surety said Aug. 9. Brown was most recently executive vice president at the company, overseeing sales and marketing. Gelsomino plans to spend more time with her family but “will continue to serve Avalon as a Senior Advisor focusing on her continued role in the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) through various working groups,” the company said.
Alex Amdur, previously director for antidumping/countervailing duty policy and programs at CBP, recently became a trade adviser in the Office of the Commissioner, an agency spokesperson said. Kristin Weaver is now in Amdur's role on AD/CVD policy in an acting capacity, the spokesperson said.
Brenda Barnes, co-chair of CBP’s 15th term Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee Export Modernization Work Group and export manager for Geo. S. Bush & Co., will retire July 29 after more than 30 years in the industry. Barnes served on several COACs and helped to produce the Export Modernization White Paper, a broad undertaking meant to serve as a road map for the export process (see 2106230056). “I have been devoted to exports for my entire career and I hope to have served its community well and for the betterment of our United States of America’s economic security,” Barnes said in a July 27 email.
Lisa Wang has been chosen by the Biden administration for the role of assistant secretary for enforcement and compliance at the Commerce Department. Wang specializes in trade policy and antidumping and countervailing duty litigation at Picard, Kentz and Rowe, where she is a partner. She also was a senior attorney in the Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement and Compliance at Commerce before going to the private sector, and worked as assistant general counsel in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. She also worked as senior import administration officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Wang graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and from Cornell University. Her nomination was announced July 13.
Candice Andalia has joined Kirkland & Ellis as the firm's new litigation partner in the Washington, D.C. office, according to the firm's website. Andalia joins Kirkland from Orrick Herrington; she specializes in "managing and coordinating national defense and strategy for clients in the manufacturing, technology, and financial sectors," it said.
Kenneth Juster, former U.S. ambassador to India under President Donald Trump, joined Freshfields as senior counselor in its New York office, the firm said a July 7 news release. He will work on cross-border and regulatory matters with a focus on U.S. and Indian issues, the release said.
Cynthia Whittenburg, who retired as CBP deputy executive assistant commissioner in the Office of Trade earlier this year (see 2102090059), joined the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America Educational Institute (NEI) as an associate director, the trade association said in an emailed July 6 news release. Whittenburg will “assist in expanding the delivery of our content though institutions of higher learning as well as other appropriate avenues as well as assist in the development of additional courses needed to continue our mission,” NEI Executive Director Kiko Zuniga said. “Some of these courses will deal with current issues such as forced labor, USMCA, to name a few.” While at CBP, Whittenburg helped in examining the need for continuing education requirements for customs brokers (see 1910160056), an issue that CBP is still working on and that the NEI is following closely (see 2105040004).
Stu Seidel, a customs lawyer at Baker McKenzie for the past 19 years, retired, the firm said in a July newsletter. Seidel joined the firm in 2001 as a partner in the firm's International Trade group and was editor of the Baker McKenzie International Trade Compliance Update newsletter. Seidel previously was assistant commissioner for the U.S. Customs Service, now known as CBP.
D. Michael Kaye has joined Squire Patton as a partner in the firm's international trade practice and commodities and shipping industry group, the firm announced in a June 28 press release. Kaye most recently was global director of business management at Baker McKenzie. Before that, he was chief counsel to Archer Daniels Midland Company's largest business unit. Kaye will work on international trade remedy cases with Squire Patton and provide legal services for international trade and shipping for all commodity sectors, the firm said.