The Coalition of New England Companies for Trade (CONECT) named Amy Elmore of Bob's Discount Furniture as its president; and Erin Merkel of the Massachusetts Port Authority as its vice president, according to a LinkedIn post. Paula Connelly, who was previously CONECT's president, is now board chair. Connelly is a lawyer with Sandler Travis.
The White House announced this week it has selected Joseph Barloon to be its ambassador to the World Trade Organization, a role of a deputy U.S. trade representative. Barloon served as general counsel to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative 2019-2020, during the first Trump administration. He also was nominated to be a judge at the Court of International Trade by President Donald Trump in that first term but wasn't confirmed (see 2102050032).
Sohan Dasgupta has joined DHS as assistant secretary for trade and economic security, he announced on LinkedIn. Dasgupta will work on issues related to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. and the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, along with other trade and supply chain issues. He previously served as a DHS deputy general counsel before going to a private practice in 2021.
Forbes Tate Partners hired a former trade adviser to Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., to join its government relations team to expand the firm's tariff, tax, economic, and financial technology areas. The firm's founding partners said Tori Smith "maintains robust connections throughout Congress and the Executive Branch." Blackburn is a member of the Senate Finance Committee.
William Poplawski, former deputy communications director for the House Select Committee on China, has joined the State Department as a senior adviser, he announced on LinkedIn.
The Trump-aligned trade advocacy group Coalition for a Prosperous America named E.J. Valentine its new director of government relations, it said in a news release. Valentine previously was policy director for the National Republican Congressional Committee and, before that, senior policy adviser to Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.
International trade and customs attorney Jon Cowley has rejoined Baker McKenzie as a partner after working as principal counsel for trade and export at Apple, the firm announced. Cowley worked at Baker McKenzie during 2017-21 as a partner in the Hong Kong and Chicago offices. Before that, he was assistant general counsel for customs and international trade at Nike.
Two former senior advisers from the Commerce Department, Sahar Hafeez and Julian Beach, have joined Pillsbury Winthrop in the regulatory business unit and international trade practice, the firm announced. Hafeez rejoins the firm as senior counsel after serving in various roles at Commerce and the White House, most recently as senior adviser to the assistant secretary for industry and analysis at Commerce. Beach joins the firm as special counsel, most recently working as senior adviser and chief-of-staff for enforcement and compliance at Commerce.
Nicholas Czajkowski, a former trade analyst for the Commerce Department, has joined Schagrin Associates, the firm announced. Czajkowski worked at Commerce for over 20 years, conducting various trade remedy investigations, administrative reviews and new shipper reviews.
Dan Stirk, former chief counsel for litigation in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, has joined Picard Kentz as counsel in the international trade practice, the firm announced. Stirk served as an attorney-adviser at USTR for nearly 18 years, covering World Trade Organization and free trade agreement dispute settlement proceedings, compliance proceedings and arbitration, the firm said.