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Congratulations to the 2013 SIA Scholarship Fund Recipients

Carmella Thompson - noemail@siaed.org — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:00:00 GMT

In 2008 SIA established a scholarship program for students pursuing a degree in the field of International Trade (political science; international relations; economics; international business). The $2,500 scholarships are paid directly to the college or university. The scholarship recipients also receive free admission to one of SIA’s “Basics” conferences.

To be eligible, a student must be a rising junior or senior undergraduate, or a graduate student, having a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited college or university and be sponsored by a member of SIA. The criteria for selection, are: proven interest or experience in international trade or related area, to include work or volunteer experience; current academic standing and performance; narrative and letter of recommendation from a professor or work colleague; and honors and extracurricular activities.

The SIA Scholarship recipients for 2013 are:

David Levy - George Mason University

Bill Binder - University of South Carolina

Kathryn Corbin - The American University

Alexandra (Ola) Czerska - Johns Hopkins University

15-Apr-13 8:00 AM

SIA Volunteer of the Year, Speaker of the Year, and Government Volunteer of the Year Awards

Carmella Thompson - noemail@siaed.org — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 17:00:00 GMT

SIA honored the Volunteer of the Year, Speaker of the Year and Government Volunteer of the Year at the January 2013 luncheon held in Crystal City, VA.

The Volunteer of the Year award is given to an SIA volunteer who has gone above and beyond the call of duty and continues to support SIA in achieving its' overall mission. It is always difficult to select just one individual for the award, as all of our volunteers deserve to be recognized for their service to SIA.

This year's award was given to Fran Mulla from Moog Inc. Space and Defense Group. Over the years, Fran has volunteered to help at every SIA function she registered to attend. She was the Speaker Chair for the 2011 Fall Conference, the Conference Director for the 2012 Summer Basics Conference and continuously assists with registration at all the conferences she attends, which is most of them.

The VOTY award is presented in memory of Joyce Poetzl, a long time SIA volunteer. A donation in the amount of $1,000 will be made in Sandra’s name to The Joyce Poetzl Memorial Fund at Washington College, MD.

The Speaker of the Year award is given to a U.S. Government speaker who has gone beyond what is asked of them and actively supports SIA in our mission.

This year’s recipient of the Government Speaker of the Year Award is Eric McPherson from the Office of Defense Trade Policy. Eric spoke at three SIA conferences in 2012. At both of our basic conferences he spoke and also participated in the round table discussions with attendees. He also spoke at our Fall conference. He has been instrumental on the Commodity Jurisdiction panel and is always willing to help out where needed.

The Speaker of the Year award is presented in the memory of Stu Quigg, a past SIA president and volunteer. In addition to the award, a donation in the amount of $1,000 will be made to the 1st Infantry Division Foundation in honor of our SOTY.

This year’s Government Volunteer of the Year award was given to Yolanda Gantlin of DDTC. Yolanda is the SIA Point of contact at DDTC. In this role she helps SIA coordinate DDTC attendance and participation at conferences, luncheons and workshops. She also participates in all the meetings on conference agenda planning. She also participates in each Basics Conference as a presenter on the Licensing Panel.

A donation will be made in the winner’s name to the 1st Infantry Division in memory of Stu Quigg.

6-Feb-13 12:00 PM

2012-2014 SIA Board Objectives

Tom Donovan - noemail@siaed.org — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:00:00 GMT

2012-2014 SIA Board Objectives

The Society for International Affairs, Inc. (SIA) is a volunteer, non-profit, educational organization that was jointly formed in 1967 by US Government and Industry. SIA provides a forum for the exchange of information related to export and import licensing. SIA interests cover the entire spectrum of export and import licensing issues pertaining to the Departments of State, Commerce, Defense, Justice, Treasury, Homeland Security and others, as appropriate.

At the beginning of each new term, the SIA Board of Directors assesses the current state of affairs of SIA to ensure alignment with our overall purpose and mission, and to put in place a strategic plan focused on realistic and “achievable” objectives that strengthen SIA over the years.

MISSION OF SIA

To educate the international trade community by providing a forum for the exchange of information on the export and import process.

STRATEGIC PLAN

The SIA Board conducted a thorough assessment of the current export/import environment, the needs of the community as communicated by our members, feedback on the quality and content of SIA educational forums and products, and realistic capabilities of an all-volunteer organization. As a result of this assessment, the SIA Board of Directors has developed a plan that is focused on four specific areas:

- Advance our Relationship with U.S. Government Organizations

- Refine Training Tools

- Identify, Foster, and Mentor Volunteers to Grow Future Leaders for SIA

- Identify Information Technology (IT) Opportunities to Better Serve SIA and its Members

1) Advance our Relationship with U.S. Government Organizations

Developing and maintaining a strong relationship with U.S. Government agencies that regulate international trade is essential to the success of the Society for International Affairs. Throughout the years, SIA has built and maintains a strong relationship with both the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) and the Defense Technology and Security Administration (DTSA). The strength of this relationship is supported by a mutual respect and trust between the organizations, along with a common objective to better educate the international trade community. SIA will continue to meet with and engage with these organizations not only to maintain, but to strengthen and enhance this vital partnership.

The SIA Board does, however, recognize that many of our members routinely deal with international trade challenges that are not entirely governed by these two organizations. Therefore, as part of our plan, we will initiate a focused effort to develop and enhance relationships with additional U.S. Government organizations such as: the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Department of Commerce; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Office of Foreign Assets Control; Defense Security Services; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and the Department of Homeland Security. As we cultivate these relationships, we will seek out innovative opportunities to partner with these agencies and better address the broader challenges of our member base.

2) Refine Training Tools

With ongoing modifications to U.S. Government regulations, policies and procedures, along with our desire to develop and enhance relationships with U.S. Government agencies, we must ensure our education and training methodologies and products are sufficiently structured to meet the requirements of our diverse membership. Export Control Reform (ECR) has, and will continue to have a significant impact on our training concepts, methodologies, and curriculum. In preparation for the next phases of ECR, we will assess the conduct and construct of both our Basics and Advanced Conferences to ensure we can rapidly adapt to address the critical aspects of such change as part of these events. We will likewise assess our ability to rapidly integrate additional training and education forums into our schedule to ensure timely and accurate dissemination of information to our members and the community at large.

Furthermore, we will search for and assess other creative education and training solutions such as the advancement of Webinars, online training initiatives, and interactive teleconferences to deliver topic-specific and USG agency-specific educational opportunities to SIA members and the community.

Finally, in addition to refining and enhancing our direct engagement educational forums, we will also put forth a consolidated effort to finalize and publish some long awaited revisions to existing SIA publications. Specifically, we will focus on releasing the following handbook revisions: Exemptions; Customs; Licensing; Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestures; and the Compliance Toolkit.

3) Identify, Foster, and Mentor Volunteers to Grow Future Leaders for SIA

SIA would not exist were it not for the selfless dedication and commitment of our member volunteers. These volunteers are essential to the success of the organization and all educational and training events and products provided by SIA, serving in such roles as board members, planners, coordinators, speakers, writers, and a variety of other functions. Our volunteers come from a diverse background across industry and Government service, and it is from this diversity that SIA gains its strength. In order to ensure the strength of the organization in the future, it is essential that we identify ways to maximize volunteer service, and to foster and mentor these volunteers from throughout the organization to become the future leaders of SIA.

Throughout this term, we will seek to maximize volunteer opportunities for our members, and strive to integrate more members into the volunteer community, ensuring diversity of thoughts, ideas, and expertise in every event.

As we focus on maximizing the active participation of current members, we likewise must focus on the recruitment of future industry members and leaders. SIA currently awards up to five $2,500 scholarships annually to qualifying upcoming college juniors and seniors, or graduate degree students. We are now looking to do more. During this term, SIA will assess how we can expand our scholarship program to better serve the trade controls industry. We will explore the value of expanding the number of scholarship recipients, seek opportunities to, and assess the value of partnering with universities, and explore innovative ways to mentor and actively integrate our scholarship recipients into the international trade profession, and as active SIA participants.

4) Identify Information Technology (IT) Opportunities to Better Serve SIA and its Members

As we look to advance partnerships, enhance training and educational materials, and maximize volunteer participation, we must also look for creative ways to better communicate and disseminate information to our members. Today’s information technology networks provide a variety of timely and cost effective solutions to meet this objective.

To identify the most effective and affordable IT solutions to meet our needs, we will conduct an in depth analysis of available processes and tools. We will also assess the functionality of our website and seek ways to make it more user-friendly to our members, research and evaluate the possibilities for electronic delivery of SIA publications, and will survey members to identify other IT modifications or upgrades that will best serve the membership.

Sincerely,
The SIA Board of Directors

13-Nov-12 11:00 AM