CBP taps Allen to shepherd ACE

CBP taps Allen to shepherd ACE    U.S. Customs and Border Protection has hired a trade specialist to help it get the troubled Automated Commercial Environment program to the finish line.
   Cynthia D. Allen, educational director for the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America and a recognized expert on ACE functionality and development, was named as executive director, trade modernization and ACE Coordination Office, the association said.
   She will report to Assistant Commissioner Dan Baldwin in the Office of International Trade.
   Allen previously was a vice president at Argents Air Express in Detroit.
   This is not the first time CBP has dipped into the private sector to bring specific international shipping expertise on board. Jonathan Gold left the Retail Leaders Industry Association, where he was vice president of global supply chain policy, in 2006 and spent 16 months at CBP as a cargo policy analyst. He is now vice president of supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation.
   CBP's new commercial trade processing system has been plagued by delays and cost overruns, frustrating members of the trade community who have not been able to realize the full benefits of automated account management and expedited information sharing for customs transactions involving cross-border shipments. The inability to complete ACE has forced CBP to operate the legacy Automated Commercial System on a parallel footing, creating an additional financial drain on the agency.
   Allen helped the NCBFAA grow its certification programs for customs brokers and export specialists. The NCBFAA has named Brian Barber, also a licensed customs broker, to replace Allen as head of its Educational Institute. ' Eric Kulisch