Margaret Cekuta, a former chief of staff to the U.S. trade representative general counsel, has been hired as senior director for trade and innovation policy at the National Foreign Trade Council. Her portfolio will include intellectual property, digital trade, environment and health, and she will lead on NFTC engagement in the Indo-Pacific.

Micah Myers, former senior associate general counsel at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, joined Cozen O'Connor as a member of its Washington D.C. office, the firm announced. At USTR, Myers worked on various international trade negotiations, World Trade Organization disputes and proceedings as part of the USMCA labor enforcement team. Myers will advise clients on international trade issues including litigation, administrative proceedings and other matters, the firm said.

Sharon Lindan Mayl, former FDA senior adviser for policy, joined DLA Piper as a partner in its Washington D.C.-based FDA Regulatory team, the firm announced. At the FDA for over 25 years, Mayl worked on a host of matters involving food safety, nutrition, dietary supplements, cannabis products and cosmetics. She also worked on regulatory, legislative and policy issues, including aiding the agency's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Center for Veterinary Medicine and Office of Regulatory Affairs, the firm said. Mayl will parlay this experience into aiding DLA Piper's Food, Beverage and Consumer Goods sector, the firm said.

Diaz Trade Law has hired Coraly Schreiber, who most recently worked as an attorney-adviser in the CBP Office of Trade, as managing attorney, the firm said Aug. 15.

International Trade Administration Deputy Assistant Secretary Ian Saunders will be the U.S. nominee to become the next secretary general of the World Customs Organization. Saunders would have to win the support of a majority of countries at the WCO to become the secretary general. No American has led the organization in more than a dozen years. “Ian Saunders is a deeply respected member of the global customs community who represents the very best of America’s public service,” CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said in a news release. “Ian’s customs and trade expertise, strategic thinking, and diplomatic acumen make him uniquely suited to lead the WCO in this time of rapid global change.”

Scott Taylor, former partner at Miller & Company P.C. for over 23 years, has joined Sandler Travis as the leader of its foreign-trade zones practice area, the firm announced. Joining the New York office, Taylor will work on FTZ, international trade and customs cases, the firm said. At Miller & Company, Taylor helped structure over 550 FTZ projects, "including general-purpose zones and expansions, special-purpose subzones, subzone expansions, alternative site framework applications, boundary modifications, and scope determinations." He also served as a member of the Kansas City, Missouri, City Council for eight years.

Retired Army Gen. Stephen Lyons, who ran the U.S. Transportation Command when he was in the military, has been named the new port and supply chain envoy to the administration's Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force. He replaces John Porcari.

Venable has hired Richard DiNucci, a long-time CBP official who most recently was director of field operations in San Francisco, as a senior policy adviser in its international trade group, the law firm said. He will be based in Washington.

President Joe Biden will nominate Alexis Taylor, director of Oregon’s Department of Agriculture, to be USDA’s undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, the White House said May 13. Taylor previously oversaw USDA’s Farm Service and Foreign Agricultural Service agencies, where she worked to “open new markets and improve the competitive position of U.S. agricultural products in the marketplace,” the White House said. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack praised the nomination, saying it builds on USDA's commitment to "enhance export opportunities for American farmers and producers and increase global food security."

Heather Hurlburt will be the new chief of staff for the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. She comes from New America, a left-of-center think tank, where she studied the intersection of political polarization and foreign policy. She replaces Ginna Lance, who was interim chief of staff.