Former acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and former CBP commissioner Kevin McAleenan (see 2003050033) joined private equity firm AE Industrial Partners as an operating partner, the company said in a news release. “He will also be joining the board of directors at AEI portfolio companies Gryphon Technologies and American Pacific Corporation,” it said.
Williams Mullen hired Chris Skinner, previously at Squire Patton, as a partner in the International Trade practice, the law firm said in a news release. Skinner has “represented a range of U.S. and non-U.S. importers and exporters with respect to compliance with U.S. international trade laws and regulations” and is the “co-chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) International Law Section’s Export Controls and Economic Sanctions Committee.”
Steptoe & Johnson hired Jeff Weiss, previously at Venable, to co-lead the firm's International Trade Policy practice, Steptoe said in a news release.
Former acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and former CBP commissioner Kevin McAleenan will be a distinguished guest lecturer at the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point during the spring 2020 semester, for its course on Homeland Security and Defense, the United States Military Academy said in a news release.
Commerce Department Deputy Chief of Staff and Policy Director Earl Comstock is leaving the department, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said March 2 in a news release. Comstock was reportedly heavily involved in the export restrictions on Huawei Technologies and the Section 232 investigations.
The American Apparel and Footwear Association hired Beth Hughes, previously with the International Dairy Foods Association, as vice president, Trade & Customs Policy, the AAFA said in an emailed news release.
Stephen Vaden, general counsel at the Department of Agriculture, was approved for the Court of International Trade in early January. Vaden, in the hearing on his nomination, said he would decide later if he should recuse himself on Section 301 cases (see 1911150010). He was involved in discussions on aid to farmers sent because of Chinese retaliation for the Section 301 tariffs.
Sandler Travis hired Elizabeth Chiavetta, previously “director of audit policy at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, where she oversaw three branches within Regulatory Audit’s Audit Policy Division,” to the firm's auditing team, it said in a news release. Sandler Travis also added David Thomas, previously chairman of Trade for America and vice president for trade policy at Business Roundtable, as a member of the firm, it said. “As an attorney and lobbyist, David Thomas will advise and represent clients on international trade issues before Congress and the Executive Branch as well as assist on issues related to customs rules, policies, and procedures,” the firm said.
Akin Gump hired Hagir Elawad, previously legislative affairs director for the United Arab Emirates Embassy in the U.S., as a senior policy advisor in the firm's international trade practice, it said in a news release. While at the embassy, she worked on “a wide array of issues, including sanctions, export controls, aviation and aerospace, Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States matters,” the firm said.
Hogan Lovells named Jared Wessel, who worked in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative General Counsel's office during the Obama administration, a partner, the law firm said in a news release. Anne Fisher, who works on export control issues, was named counsel, Hogan Lovells said.