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WIT-NC is proud to partner with Family Giving Tree to provide wished-for gifts that allow Bay Area families to create holiday memories and celebrate the season.

As the holidays approach, we will be building a bridge of kindness and joy through our virtual giving tree. Our goal is to help check off those wish lists items by donating $2,000 in gifts.

We have from now through early December to reach that target.

You can fulfill a holiday wish by visiting https://wishdrive.org/WomenInTradeNorthernCA. Here, you can select a gift for a special someone in the community. No gifts will need to be wrapped or shipped – Family Giving Tree does all the shopping and packaging on their end!

Thanks for your support!

CBFANC is a member organization. By default of working as a Customs Broker or Freight Forwarder you automatically become eligible for membership.
The Association was founded because at the time there was only a Forwarders Association and brokers were not represented. Ted Rausch, one of the original founders says that the Association was built over conversations between Jim Burns, Jim Boyle and Jim Connors and himself. This gave birth to the first version of the S.F. Brokers Assn in the 1960s.

Dear WIT-NC members,

We made it through the Back-to-School season! We are so proud of everyone at WIT-NC who contributed to Family Giving Tree’s Back-to-School Drive. We had set out to meet a goal of $1,500 and are ecstatic to share that we exceeded it with total donation of $2,070! With our help, Family Giving Tree was able to provide 50 supply-filled backpacks to our bright Bay Area students who started their school year off on the right foot.

Thank you for bringing equity into our classrooms and communities. Our bright, young students have amazing futures ahead of them. Uplifting their voices and equipping them to write their own story will help build a stronger, more empathetic, and inclusive future for us all.

Looking forward to working together again soon to do some more good!

Warm regards,
Laura Putnam
Director of Endowment
WIT-NC

Priscilla Dobbs is currently serves on the WIT-NC board as our Compliance Officer. Priscilla is a Staff Program Manager with Tesla and a recent transplant to the Bay Area. Prior to this she spent the last 13 years studying and working in the Boston area.

Boomerang’s vast experience with U.S. and foreign Customs services, temporary exports and International Trade extends to 87 countries and territories utilizing our ATA Carnet expertise in the U.S. and U.K. We partner with companies to help them navigate through the complexities of international trade. Boomerang professionals consult with clients to gain an understanding of their business processes and needs. For generations, and with our worldwide network of international trade and logistics partners, we have identified cost-savings opportunities, helped to manage compliance risks that are associated with the global supply chain, and streamlined the ATA Carnet and surety bond process. While working with clients, Boomerang has acquired a reputation as an innovator in streamlining international trade processes.

Physical Gift and Virtual Giving Tree Drive – Nine Days Left for Our Main Event! There is still time to join the WIT-NC’s Back-To-School Backpack Drive and make a difference in the lives of those in our community who need our support.
WIT-NC is now 30% of the way to meeting our goal of 150 backpacks. However, we still are 70% short of our goal and need your help to meet it. You can join us by picking up a backpack or school supplies, and bringing the donation to the Family Giving Tree table at Ristorante Don Giovanni on Wednesday, August 17th, 2022 from 5:30pm – 8:30pm. Registration is still open for WIT-NC’s August networking event and closes on Tuesday, August 16th at 5pm. If you are unable to make the event, you can still purchase a backpack from the virtual tree. Thanks again to the WIT-NC community for your continued efforts to support our local students!

WIT-NC is proud to partner with Family Giving Tree, a charitable organization committed to empower, uplift, and unite Bay Area students.

This year, we have set a goal of 150 supply-filled backpacks to support Family Giving Tree's 26th annual Back-to-School Drive. Our young, bright Bay Area scholars are counting on us to help prepare for the upcoming school year.

Join us as we strive to reach this goal by Wednesday, August 31, 2022.

Thank you for your support.

E2open delivers everything companies need to manage global trade compliance with confidence.

A unified set of applications enables companies to accurately identify ways to reduce duty costs and expedite cross-border movements by ensuring strict compliance with trade rules for over 200 countries.

Powerful collaboration tools allow supply chain partners to exchange essential data for export and import activities seamlessly. Automated validation and plausibility checks verify all transactions against up-to-date trade rules, lower risk, improving speed and reducing costs.

To learn more about E2open, visit https://www.e2open.com/intelligent-applications/global-trade-management/

WIT-NC will be hosting our future monthly events at Don Giovanni’s Restaurant in Mountain View through 2022. Our in-person option allows attendees the opportunity of networking, wine and appetizers, conversing with trade experts in the Bay Area, along with receiving first-hand industry knowledge from renowned speakers, seated dinner and dessert. Make an evening of it! Meet up with colleagues before the program, or go out afterward for nearby ice cream, upscale bars, coffee, boba or even a beer garden. A virtual option for the Program only will be offered as well.

In-person, including all of the above, will be $60 for WIT-NC members and $90 for non-members. The Virtual option will be $25 for WIT-NC members and $50 for non-members. This is a great value as the membership fee is $85 annually and offers access to member only pricing for monthly events throughout the year.

Hiromi Kobayashi is currently a member of the communications team of WIT-NC. She is in her last semester of the certificate in international business at San Francisco State University, Lam Family College of Business. Prior to that, she has more than 17 years of professional experience working in Japan as a product and service planner in a major telecoms firm and in Singapore as a senior manager in a general trading house. She is passionate about international commerce by understanding the impact of culture as a powerful factor in shaping how people think, communicate and behave.

The Middlebury Institute of International Studies is a graduate school of Middlebury College and training ground for developing and implementing practical solutions. It is home to some of the world’s leading experts who will be your mentors, teaching you how to take your education and experience and make the difference you want in the world.

For More information, please visit: https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/

Krypt is the leading SAP trusted partner for Global Trade and Supply Chain Solutions. We believe that we are only as successful as our customers. Because of this philosophy, we partner with our customers and become their trusted ally in everything from strategy and planning, to execution to maintenance and support. We are there to help our customers every step of the way. This principle has helped Krypt develop innovative solutions to complement the SAP suite to help our customers optimize their solution and maximize their ROI. We are business and technology experts who strategize, build and deliver high-quality and innovative solutions. Established in 2008, Krypt serves customers in over 35 countries with offices located in the United States, Canada, Germany, India, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Krypt has helped hundreds of customers leverage their SAP investments to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and gain a competitive advantage. Learn more at https://kryptinc.com/

Daniel Morizono is the Assistant Volunteer Director at WIT-NC and a 3L at Santa Clara University School of Law, where he serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Santa Clara Journal of International Law. He is an East Bay native and has been a trade professional since 2015. Daniel is a Licensed Customs Broker and earned a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA. Daniel has been a WIT-NC member since 2018 and credits the organization for fostering many new connections in the trade industry and for its engaging programs. If you have any questions for me, I'm happy to chat. Feel free to reach out at Daniel.M.Morizono@gmail.com.

Descartes (Nasdaq:DSGX) (TSX:DSG) is the global leader in providing on-demand, software-as-a-service solutions focused on improving the productivity, performance and security of logistics-intensive businesses.

Customers use our modular, software-as-a-service solutions to route, schedule, track and measure delivery resources; plan, allocate and execute shipments; rate, audit and pay transportation invoices; access global trade data; file customs and security documents for imports and exports; and complete numerous other logistics processes by participating in the world’s largest, collaborative multimodal logistics community.

Our headquarters are in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada and we have offices and partners around the world.

Learn more at www.descartes.com.

WIT-NC celebrates our MEMBER OF THE YEAR for 2021—congratulations Ngoc Lewis, LCB!

Ngoc Lewis, LCB has been a member of Women in International Trade - Northern CA since 2006. She served as Assistant Membership Director and Sponsorship Director from 2018- 2022. Ngoc provided active leadership and guidance to other board and chapter members through active participation in the committee. She also supported WIT-NC’s goals and objectives by attendance at programs and events, outreach to other organizations, outreach to existing and potential WIT-NC members and the trade and business community.

Ngoc has over 15 years of experience in international trade starting with global trade management, customs brokerage, trade compliance and now transitioning into logistics and supply chain. Ngoc recently joined C.H. Robinson Global Forwarding, working with an amazing team to create innovative and tailored solutions that help customers optimize their supply chains.

Many thanks to all of our members and sponsors for your love and support of the WIT-NC community in 2021. It was a pleasure to see you at our 2021 holiday event, to converse in person, and to celebrate this holiday season together.

WIT-NC is proud to partner with Family Giving Tree, a charitable organization committed to uplifting children and individuals facing financial hardships throughout the Bay Area.
This year, we have set a goal to reach 50 physical gifts and $1,500 in cash donations. Let’s work together to reach that target.
You can fulfill a holiday wish in a few ways:
Three options to Donate –
1. Make a cash donation at the Virtual Tree
—Don’t forget Corporate matching!
—Great for Procrastinators!
2. Purchase a gift from the Virtual Tree
3. Bring a physical gift from Family Giving Tree’s Most Needed Gifts List to the WIT-NC In-Person Holiday Event on Wednesday, December 8, 2021.
Please contact info@wit-nc.com if you have any questions or visit www.FamilyGivingTree.org for more information about the Family Giving Tree’s Holiday Wish Drive.
Thank you for your support.

Megan Olsen is a Senior Manager of Global Trade Compliance at local biotech startup, 10x Genomics where she manages both strategic global compliance and day-to-day operations to keep shipments moving around the world.
Her previous trade compliance experience includes an in-house role at a similar company and 10 years of experience at KPMG, where she held different positions in both Audit and Trade & Customs over the years. At KPMG, she worked with companies to build and/or improve their trade compliance programs, as well as to implement different duty savings and mitigation programs.
Megan recently re-joined WIT-NC after relocating back to the Bay Area. She was also previously on the Board of Directors for WIT-NC back in 2015 as the Volunteer Director during her time in KPMG's San Francisco office.

The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey provides international and professional education in areas of critical importance to a rapidly changing world. The Institute was founded in 1955 as the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies by Gaspard Weiss, in collaboration with his wife, Louise Weiss, and cofounders Frank Elton and Sybil Fearnley. Weiss and his foreign language colleagues envisioned a graduate school that would promote international understanding through the study of language and culture. While the Institute’s name and programs have evolved, its core identity as an innovator and leader in international professional education has remained constant.
Middlebury is known worldwide for its leadership in language instruction, environmental studies, international programs, and innovations in experiential learning.

Based in Mountain View, Yvonne Brye-Vela is a tech geek passionate about global trade, compliance, and global community service. She began her career in trade compliance in the ’90s at UNESCO and the US Department of Commerce Export Assistance Center.
Over the past two decades, Yvonne held leadership positions in both nonprofit and private Industries. Currently, she serves as a Program Manager for Trade and Compliance in Mixed Reality at Microsoft Corporation.
Before Microsoft, she worked as the head of trade compliance at two tech start-ups, Pivotal Software (acquired by VMware) and ForeScout Technologies. Also, Yvonne holds a BA from Boston University and Masters in Public Administration from the University of Colorado.
When she is not slaying trade compliance gremlins, Yvonne enjoys time with her husband, Tony, three children (Zade, Kye, and Jaya), two dogs, and a big white rabbit.

Xue Li is a Assistant Communications Director at WIT-NC and a member since 2018. She is an account manager at Wind Financial Information, the largest financial/macroeconomic data provider in China for institutional investors with two offices in the U.S. in New York and San Francisco. Prior to that, she was a programs and communications manager at GlobalSF, a private-public partnership with the City and County of San Francisco and an affiliate program of Northern California Small Business Development Centers. Promoting trade and investment is Xue's passion and there is no better place to do it than California. Xue received her Masters' degree in International Trade and Economic Diplomacy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. She speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese and conversational Japanese.

Tuttle Law is a customs and international trade law firm assisting clients throughout the United States and abroad to reduce import duties, mitigate penalties and achieve compliance with U.S. Customs and international trade regulations. Our Customs and Trade Compliance experts will provide your company with sound advice and knowledgeable, hands-on experience to guide you through the complex maze of relevant legal requirements. We invite you to look at the various scopes of our firm’s practice by visiting our website: tuttlelaw.com.

Jennie Kessinger is Logitech’s Global Trade Compliance Corporate Counsel. In this role, she is responsible for advising Logitech’s trade compliance team and ensuring compliance with customs, export controls, and sanctions laws and regulations across the globe.

Prior to joining Logitech this year, Jennie had her own trade law firm for over 13 years and had worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Worldtrade Management practice for over 7 years. Before that, Jennie worked in a large law firm’s Customs and Trade practice after clerking at the U.S. Court of International Trade following law school.

Her expertise include all aspects of U.S. Customs law and compliance (including classification, valuation, special trade programs, and Customs audits), export control compliance under the Export Administration Regulations and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, antiboycott laws, and compliance with economic and trade embargoes and sanctions.

Boomerang’s vast experience with U.S. and foreign Customs services, temporary exports and International Trade extends to 87 countries and territories utilizing our ATA Carnet expertise. We partner with companies to help them navigate through the complexities of international trade. Boomerang professionals consult with clients to gain an understanding of their business processes and needs. For generations, and with our worldwide network of international trade and logistics partners, we have identified cost-savings opportunities, helped to manage compliance risks that are associated with the global supply chain, and streamlined the ATA Carnet and surety bond process.

Nicole Gully began work in foreign service with the US Department of State during the 2003 preparations for the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders Meeting. Rural community business development is where Nicole made the grandest career strides. Nicole operates a brokerage, and retail venture. Currently holding Trademark to eight bespoke health and hygiene products; available soon at gullybodyproducts.tech and internationally.

KPMG’s 150+ Trade & Customs professionals make up the largest practice of the ‘Big 4,’ and are supported by a network of member firms in 80+ countries. This global team of experienced professionals can help companies identify cost-savings opportunities around the world and manage compliance risks associated with supply chains and global trade operations.
To learn more about KPMG’s Trade Customs Services, visit Trade & Customs Services (kpmg.us)

Tiffany Hodang has been practicing and leading projects and operations for 15 plus years in the areas of Global Trade Compliance and Logistics. She is a Licensed Customs Broker (USCBP), a Certified Export Compliance Program Officer (BIS), and Project Management (IIL).

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the leading association for the global information technology (IT) industry. They work to promote investment and innovation, market access, robust cybersecurity solutions, commonsense privacy policies, streamlined procurement, and a skilled IT workforce.

"WIT-NC is everything I want a professional association to be. As a member, I had the chance to hear from expert speakers on a range of trade compliance topics, including things I wouldn’t have encountered in my day job, and I got to connect with fellow members across roles and industries. And as a volunteer on the Programs team, I’ve had an up-close look at how warm and welcoming the leadership team is. WIT-NC describes itself as a family, and I’ve really found that to be true."

Our Educational Sponsor-of-the-month is California State University Maritime Academy!

Cal Maritime is a specialized campus of the CSU system that offers degree programs in International Business & Logistics and Global Studies &Maritime Affairs, as well as licensed degree programs in Marine Engineering and Transportation. U.S. News and World Report ranks Cal Maritime the No. 1 Public Regional College in the West, and No. 2 Overall.

The four points of the compass symbolize the key elements of Cal Maritime’s mission commitment to our students: intellectual learning, applied technology, leadership development, and global awareness.

For more information on Cal Maritime visit https://lnkd.in/d45pxnv . And for further information on our internship program, contact Bob Neumann at RNeumann@csum.edu .

We are thankful for E2open's continued sponsorship, and are looking forward to having the Director of E2open's Global Trade Academy Suzanne Richer as a panelist for our November event!

E2open is creating a more connected, intelligent supply chain. It starts with sensing and responding to real-time demand, supply and delivery constraints. Bringing together data from customers, distribution channels, suppliers, contract manufacturers and logistics partners, our collaborative and agile supply chain platform enables companies to use data in real time, with AI and machine learning to drive smarter decisions.

For more information, visit https://www.e2open.com/intelligent-applications/global-trade-management/ or contact Anissa de la Torre, Field Marketing Manager at anissa.delatorre@e2open.com.

This August we're celebrating our sponsor CompTIA. We're thankful for their support, and looking forward to connecting with them at our August 12 networking event!

This is an easy-to-follow summary of how to access the Members' Only area of the new website to register for an event.