Thank you for attending Fashion Forward 2024!
Agenda
Fashion Forward 2024 will run from 9am until 4pm.
This agenda is preliminary and subject to change prior to the event.
8:30 AM to 9:00 AM
Registration & Networking
9:15 AM - Outlook for 2024: Politics, Trade Policy, and Customs Issues for the Fashion Industry
- Julia K. Hughes, President, United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA)
- David Spooner, USFIA Washington Counsel and Partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP
- Angela Santos, Partner and Customs Practice Leader, ArentFox Schiff
- Walter Fong, Sr. Director, Global Trade Compliance, Levi Strauss & Co.
10:30 AM - Coffee Break, sponsored by the Port of Long Beach
10:45 AM - The West Coast Perspective for Logistics
- John Tullis, Senior Manager, Business Development, Northwest Seaport Alliance
11:00 AM - What's on the Horizon for the Fashion Industry in 2024
- Maytee Pereira, Managing Director and Co-Leader, PwC Customs and International Trade Practice, New York
- Thais Pupio, Director, PwC Customs and International Trade Practice, North Carolina
11:30 AM - How to Maximize Value in Trade Operations
- Craig Pinkerton, Managing Director, PwC Customs and International Trade Practice, Orange County
- Lucy Wan, Senior Manager, PwC Customs and International Trade Practice, Los Angeles
12:00 PM - Lunch Break, sponsored by Sayari
1:00 PM - Using Public and Commercial Data to Prepare for a Changing Regulatory Environment
- Colby Potter, Senior Analyst
1:30 PM - Forced Labor Due Diligence: What to Do on the Ground Level
- Avedis Seferian, President and CEO, WRAP
2:00 PM - From Forced Labor to Responsible Sourcing: The Continuing Challenge in Uzbekistan
- Bennett Freeman, Co-Founder, The Cotton Campaign
2:15 PM - Coffee Break, sponsored by the Northwest Seaport Alliance
2:30 PM - Update from CBP Headquarters: Top Issues for the Fashion Industry
- Felicia Pullam, Executive Director, Office of Trade Relations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
3:15 PM - Update from the CEE
- Eric Batt, Center Director, Apparel, Footwear, and Textiles Center
- Alice Buchanan, Assistant Center Director, Apparel, Footwear, and Textiles Center
4 PM to 5 PM
Networking Reception, sponsored by Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Speakers
Eric Batt
Director, Apparel, Footwear, and Textiles Center of Excellence and Expertise,
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
For over three years, Eric Batt has served as the Center Director for the Apparel, Footwear and Textiles (AFT) Center strategically located in San Francisco, California. The AFT Center oversees the entry post-release trade activity for an industry sector comprised of over 74,000 importers with over $121.5 billion in annual imports. This year, Eric completed 27 years of combined federal government service with both the U.S. Customs Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). During his early career, Eric served as an Import Specialist, Customs Inspector and Supervisory Paralegal Specialist in the Fines, Penalties and Forfeitures office. Eric has also held various management, liaison, and operational program positions at CBP Headquarters in Washington, DC for over seven years and formerly served as the Assistant Port Director of Trade at the Port of San Francisco.
Alice Buchanan
Assistant Director of Partnership, Apparel, Footwear, and Textiles Center of Excellence and Expertise,
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Alice J. Buchanan is the Assistant Director of Partnership in the Apparel, Footwear, and Textiles Center of Excellence and Expertise (AFT Center). When she began her career with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in 1992, she was learning fashion sketching, pattern drafting, and millinery at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. Never did she imagine that there would one day be a CBP Apparel, Footwear and Textile industry-focused Center organizational structure for the processing of post-release trade activities.
Ms. Buchanan has 25 years of experience with CBP across a broad range of trade program areas. She started her career as an Import Specialist on the machinery commodity specialist Team at the Port of San Francisco. In 1998, she relocated to New York, where she worked as a National Import Specialist Assistant for handbags and luggage. While in New York, she studied fashion design in the evenings at the Fashion Institute of Technology. In 2001, Ms. Buchanan transferred to CBP Headquarters in Washington, D.C., where she worked and served for nearly eight years. She was the Branch Chief for the Antidumping/Countervailing Duty (AD/CVD), Account Management, and Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Coordination branches. During this time, she participated in negotiations for the 2006 U.S./Canadian Softwood Lumber Agreement, oversaw over five billion dollars in AD/CVD refunds, supervised the issuance of instruction messages from the Department of Commerce, trained National Account Managers and participated in the development of ACE and the ACE Business Rules Document. In 2009, she returned to San Francisco as a Supervisory National Account Manager. In this position, she was a virtual supervisor of employees in other geographic locations. She also researched, analyzed, and developed policies for imports of petroleum via pipeline.
As Assistant Center Director of Partnership in the AFT Center since June 2013, Ms. Buchanan has participated in building the AFT Center from its inception to its current state. She developed processes for the assignment and routing of entry summary and post summary activities. With a focus on industry partnerships, she implemented account based processing for the AFT Center Partnership Division. Specializing in training and training development for the AFT Center, she has trained Center employees via webinar and in person in a variety of areas. Ms. Buchanan works in the historic San Francisco Customhouse. She enjoys living in California with her family and going to classical music concerts.
Walter Fong
Senior Director, Global Trade Compliance
Levi Strauss & Co.
Walter joined Levi Strauss in 2012 as the Director of Trade Compliance with oversight on trade compliance and supply chain security in over 25 markets globally. He has over 25 years’ experience in trade compliance with an emphasis in the apparel industry. As a trade compliance practitioner, he focuses his strategies on the three pillars of value creation, trade operations and risk mitigation.
He has a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from UC Davis and is a licensed customs broker.
Outside of work, Walter enjoys snowboarding, cooking BBQ, traveling and exploring different cultures.
Bennett Freeman
Co-Founder, The Cotton Campaign
Maytee Pereira
Customs & International Trade Co-Leader, Senior Managing Director
PwC
Maytee Pereira is a Senior Managing Director in the Customs & International Trade practice, located in New York. She has over 30 years experience in the area of customs law and international trade matters and has assisted firm clients from myriad industry sectors including consumer and industrial products, Bioscience and Pharma, as well as apparel & textiles and footwear, involved in import/export activities in taking full advantage of both U.S. and foreign customs laws to minimize their import related liabilities while managing compliance with all applicable customs and export requirements. Maytee is particularly involved in developing and supporting customs valuation strategies that align to complex tax planning as well as in designing implementing streamlined global supply chain strategies aimed at minimizing overall duty expense for inbound and outbound clients as well as opportunities to leverage Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). She also assists clients in administrative proceedings and compliance audits before the U.S. Bureau of Customs & Border Protection (CBP), implementing Foreign Trade Zones and has preparing to participate in Customs programs such as the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), Duty Drawback, Importer Self-Asessment (ISA), Reconciliation and others.
Craig Pinkerton
Managing Director, Customs & International Trade Practice
PwC
Craig is a Director in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Customs & International Trade Practice based in Southern California. For nearly twenty years, he has advised companies on all aspects of cross-border movement of merchandise. This includes assisting companies involved in import and export activities to minimize their duty liability while ensuring compliance with all applicable Customs requirements. Craig has experience in identifying global issues and opportunities in the areas of valuation (including the coordination with transfer pricing), classification, trade preference programs such as NAFTA, country of origin/marking issues and global customs strategy. He has helped numerous companies identify cost savings opportunities, increase customs operational efficiencies and reduce internal control and compliance risk.
Craig currently assists companies in implementing and supporting the use of cost-saving strategies such as "first sale for export" valuation, foreign trade zones and duty drawback. He is involved in global customs structuring projects and in conducting internal compliance reviews. Craig assists companies in preparing for U.S. Customs Focused Assessments (audits), conducting C-TPAT validation reviews and supply chain self-assessments, merger and acquisition due diligence, working with external legal counsel in litigation cases, and trade agreement implementation.
Craig is a member of the Foreign Trade Association of Southern California, the National Association of Foreign Trade Zones, the American Association of Exporters and Importers and ICPA. He has given lectures on various customs and trade issues including the Focused Assessment Program, NAFTA, C-TPAT, Duty Drawback, Foreign Trade Zone program, Transfer Pricing, and establishing First Sale for Export programs.
Craig received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Florida and is a Licensed Customs Broker.
Colby Potter
Senior Solutions Analyst,
Sayari
Colby Potter is a Senior Solutions Analyst at Sayari, where he specializes in using public and trade data to increase supply chain transparency and identify commercial risk. He has over ten years experience as a senior analyst in the US Intelligence Community as well as in the money services industry, covering a range of issues including counterterrorism, political violence, and various forms of financial crime.
Felicia Pullam
Executive Director, Office of Trade Relations,
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Ms. Felicia Pullam is the Executive Director of the Office of Trade Relations, which serves as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) primary point of contact for private sector and stakeholder engagement.
Ms. Pullam has worked on trade issues from both the state and federal perspective: she has served at the Delaware Department of State, the Maryland Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of Commerce. During the Obama Administration, Ms. Pullam helped steer SelectUSA, a presidential initiative housed within Commerce, through a high-pressure start-up phase to promote the United States as the leading global destination for foreign direct investment. Ms. Pullam was then appointed to the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles, Consumer Goods, and Materials, where she managed three offices to analyze and implement trade policy covering a large swath of the global economy.
Outside of government service, Ms. Pullam was recently the Director of Strategy at the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Earlier in her career, she spent nearly a decade in China, leading the Asia regional corporate responsibility and sustainability practice for APCO Worldwide. She got her start as a Princeton in Asia Fellow, followed by a yearlong adventure as the tutor and translator for actress Zhang Ziyi. She graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University.
Thais Pupio
Director, Customs & International Trade Practice
PwC
Thais is a Director with PwC’s Customs & International Trade Practice, advising US and multinational companies on various issues related to customs compliance and import-related duty, tax and fee savings opportunities. Thais has over sixteen years experience with PwC in different capacities, including 13 years acting as tax advisor in Brazil, supporting clients to address a variety of complex tax issues.
Thais helps clients navigate the statutory, regulatory and practical requirements, and assists companies in identifying savings opportunities and implementing transactional structures to realize savings. Thais support companies assessing their trade compliance functions, and to develop proactive, efficient operations at the local, regional and global level.
Thais holds a Law Degree and a postgraduate degree in Corporate and Tax Law, both from Brazil and holds a LL.M. degree in International Business and Trade Law from Fordham University in New York. Thais is admitted to practice law in Brazil.
Angela Santos
Partner and Customs Practice Leader
ArentFox Schiff
Angela helps companies identify business solutions and structure their transactions to facilitate the importation of merchandise, ensure regulatory compliance, minimize duties, and eliminate Customs penalty exposure. She is especially knowledgeable in the field of fashion, consumer products, and electronics imports and has assisted many prominent brands and fashion houses. Her experience allows her to comprehensively advise fashion and retail companies on the issues specific to their industry.
Angela leads the ArentFox Schiff Task Force designed to assist clients with navigating forced labor developments and import restrictions. She helps clients identify and mitigate the risk of forced labor in their supply chains. Angela works with companies to ensure that all regulatory requirements are observed and that policies and procedures are in place to prevent the use of forced labor in the production of their products. Angela responds to Customs questionnaires and prepares petitions for the release of merchandise detained in connection with forced labor Withhold Release Orders. Angela helps clients to stay up to date on new developments, such as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, and government enforcement measures in the space.
Angela advises clients on compliance issues involving rules governing the importation of merchandise issued by US Customs and Border Protection (Customs) and other government agencies (including the Fish and Wildlife Service, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Food and Drug Administration, Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Commerce, and the US Trade Representative). She represents importers, manufacturers, agents, Customs brokers, freight forwarders, bonded warehouses, and trading companies in various industries such as fashion, consumer products, electronics, food and drug, and cosmetics.
She helps clients manage Customs audits, respond to Customs inquiries and investigations, secure the release of detained or seized goods, mitigate or eliminate Customs penalties, and submit prior disclosures, where necessary. She has represented clients in False Claims Act investigations, FBI and ICE investigations, and in litigation in the Court of International Trade.
Angela advises clients on the development of internal import compliance programs and manuals to reduce the risk of Customs liability. Angela routinely counsels clients regarding country of origin determinations, proper marking, correct tariff classification, valuation, duty recovery, bonded warehouse applications, and duty-free store requirements. She has extensive experience in duty savings programs including Free Trade Agreements, First Sale, and Buying Agency. In addition, she assists clients in mitigating the effects of the Section 301 tariffs by obtaining successful exclusion requests and identifying alternative manufacturing scenarios and duty savings avenues. She conducts Customs due diligence for mergers and acquisitions. Angela also guides clients through the US Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism application and verification process.
Avedis H. Seferian
President & CEO
Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP)
Avedis H. Seferian joined WRAP in 2004 and became its President and CEO in 2012. He has extensive knowledge of social responsibility issues within the highly complex worldwide supply chains of the apparel, textile and footwear sectors. A recognized expert in the area of social compliance and responsible sourcing, Mr. Seferian was named by Assent Compliance as one of the Top 100 Corporate Social Responsibility Influence Leaders for 2020. He often speaks on topics in this field at different forums around the world and has contributed to many leading trade publications and news outlets. Mr. Seferian is the Chairman of the Executive Board (and a member of the Stakeholder Board) of the Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors (APSCA) and sits on the Impartiality Committees of several audit organizations; he also served on the Board of Advisors of the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety.
Mr. Seferian began his career working for a business research and development organization before migrating over to legal research. Prior to joining WRAP, he was with a small law firm in Washington, DC. Mr. Seferian has also taught in various capacities in the business and legal arenas, including as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland University College. He speaks five languages, has lived in four countries and holds three degrees from three continents - a Bachelor’s in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University in India; an MBA from the American University of Armenia; and a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center in the United States, where he was a Law Fellow and made the Dean’s List.
Mr. Seferian is a member of the American Bar Association and the Virginia State Bar. He resides in Fairfax, Virginia with his wife and their 2 sons.
David Spooner
USFIA Washington Counsel
Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP
John Tullis
Business Development Manager,
Northwest Seaport Alliance
Lucy Wan
Senior Manager, Customs and International Trade Practice
PwC
As a Senior Manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Los Angeles office, Lucy Wan is specialized in U.S. Customs and international trade consulting. She assists clients on complex international trade, risk management and regulatory compliance issues in connection with merchandise importing into the U.S. Lucy has significant experience in assisting clients navigate Customs’ Focused Assessment (Audit) Program, Quick Response Audits (QRAs) and Importer Self-Assessment (ISA) program.
With over 19 years of experience in customs and trade, Lucy's areas of expertise include customs valuation, classification, country of origin, various free trade agreements and special trade programs. Lucy also assists clients with global indirect tax and supply chain restructuring projects.
In the customs valuation area, she has extensive experience with transaction value, computed value (including Cost Submission), deductive value, First Sale for Export, and customs pricing between related parties. In the risk management area, she helps clients through complex customs audits and with the implementation of improvement plans. She also advises clients with Maquiladora operations in Mexico on customs valuation, country of origin and NAFTA/USMCA compliance matters.
Lucy's clients include large multinational corporations in retail, houseware, information technology, electronics, automotive, aerospace, pharmaceutical, and textile industries.
Lucy is actively involved in the international trade community of Southern California, and served on the Board of Women in International Trade – Los Angeles Chapter. She is also a Board member of a community non-profit organization dedicated in youth education.
Lucy Wan holds a B.A. in Hispanic Studies and a M.A. specialized in International Management. She speaks Mandarin Chinese and Spanish fluently.
Our Sponsors & Partners
Interested in sponsoring USFIA's Fashion Forward seminar?
Download our sponsorship guide or contact info@usfashionindustry.com
2024 Media Sponsors