Industry advisory group to Customs and DHS gets new members.
The Department of Homeland Security has named a dozen new industry members to sit on the Commercial Operations Advisory Committee. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske made the announcement in a speech Tuesday morning at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The new members of the 14th COAC are:
- Cynthia Allen, vice president and head of customs brokerage for DHL Global Forwarding in the U.S. and a former head of the Automated Commercial Environment Business Office at CBP
- Brenda Barnes, director of export customer service, George S. Bush & Co.
- Celeste Catano, senior global strategist, Kewill (trade management software provider)
- Lenny Feldman, a Miami-based trade attorney with Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg
- Lisa Gelsomino, president and CEO of Avalon Risk Management
- Alexandra Latham, director customs compliance, Costco Wholesale
- Amy Magnus, director of customs affairs and compliance, A.N. Deringer (freight forwarder and customs broker)
- Madeleine Veigel, director of customs for the Americas, Expeditors International (freight forwarder and customs broker)
- Adam Salerno, senior director of national security, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Michael White, director of cargo facilitation, security and standards, International Air Transport Association
- Michael Young, vice president process and systems, Orient Overseas Container Line USA (ocean carrier)
- Heidi Brey, customs compliance manager, Chrysler Group
Sandler, Travis & Rosenber, Chrysler and Microsoft have previously been represented on COAC.
Members returning for a second term are:
- David Berry, a vice president at Swift Transportation (Phoenix-based trucking company)
- Scott Boyer of Kraft Foods Group
- Suzanne Hoeger, director of global trade compliance and policy at Abbott Laboratories
- Vincent Iacopella, managing director of the Los Angeles office The Janel Group (third-party logistics provider)
- Julie Ann Parks, senior manager export/import operations at Raytheon Corp., Plano, Texas
- Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwaders Association
- Elizabeth Merritt, director of cargo services for Airlines for America
- Kevin Pinel, Microsoft Corp.
The first public meeting of the 14th COAC is scheduled for April 24.