All the attorneys from Cerny Associates will be moving to Sandler Travis, Michael Cerny said by email. Michael Cerny will be vice president with the Sandler Travis Trade Advisory Services drawback group, the firm said in an emailed news release. The titles for the other lawyers weren't specified in the release.

President Donald Trump on June 19 sent the nomination of Gregory Doud to be chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the White House announced (here). Doud is currently president of the Commodity Markets Council, a trade association dedicated to commodity futures exchanges.

The Department of Agriculture named Jason Hafemeister to the newly created position of acting deputy undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, it said (here). Previously acting deputy undersecretary for farm and foreign agricultural services, Hafemeister has also spent time as a negotiator for the U.S. trade representative.

The US-China Business Council (USCBC) elected Evan Greenberg, CEO of Chubb insurance company, its chairman, the council announced (here). "For more than four decades, the US-China Business Council has represented American business interests in China, a very important market for US companies,” Greenberg said in a statement. “We advocate for greater US business access to and freedom of trade and investment in China, both of which will create more US jobs and benefit the Chinese people. At the same time, we support Chinese investment in the United States, which is a growing source of US job creation." The group also elected Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and Thermo Fisher Scientific CEO Marc Casper vice chairmen, UL LLC CEO Keith Williams secretary-treasurer, and Sidley Austin attorney Andrew Shoyer its counsel, USCBC President John Frisbie said. USCBC also elected several executives to its board of directors at its 44th Annual Membership Meeting on June 7, the group announced.

The White House is adding Everett Eissenstat, who previously served as chief international trade counsel on the Senate Finance Committee, to serve as deputy director of the National Economic Council, the White House announced (here). In that capacity, Eissenstat will serve as the lead U.S. negotiator for international economic summits including G7, G20 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group, the White House said. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, announced (here) the promotion of international trade counsel Shane Warren to chief international trade counsel on the committee. Warren has served as an international trade counsel on the committee since 2013, and has helped drive customs, trade preferences, miscellaneous tariff and Trade Promotion Authority legislation, Hatch said. Warren previously worked at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, serving as assistant general counsel and representing the U.S. at the World Trade Organization.

Grunfeld Desiderio named Joseph Spraragen, Heather Litman and Andrew Schutz partners effective May 1, the law firm said (here).

Tina Potuto Kimble resigned as clerk of the Court of International Trade as of July 14, she said. Kimble will move to Tata Steel Europe, where she will be deputy director for U.S. governmental and regulatory affairs. CIT posted an ad for the soon-to-be vacant clerk of court position (here).

Thompson Hine hired Mark Lunn, previously at Dentons, as a partner in the international trade practice, the law firm said in a May 3 news release (here). "Lunn represents foreign manufacturers and exporters and domestic manufacturers and importers in antidumping and countervailing duty cases," Thompson Hine said.

The National Council of Textile Organizations elected William McCrary, CEO of William Barnet and Son, chairman for 2017, the NCTO said March 24 (here). The group also elected Marty Moran, CEO of Buhler Quality Yarns, vice chairman.

Jeff Weiss, formerly the Commerce Department's deputy director for Policy and Strategic Planning, joined Venable's International Trade and Logistics practice as a partner, the law firm announced (here). Weiss, who also previously worked in the White House Office of Management and Budget, "comes at a critical time for trade, transport, and cross-border issues, including the possible renegotiation of NAFTA, a review of other free trade agreements, a post-BREXIT world, the increased importance of digital trade, and evolving trends facing global transactions,” Ashley Craig, co-chair of Venable’s International Trade practice, said in a statement.