Recap

View Webinar Recording

Slides

Agenda

Part 1: Introduction

10:00 AM to 10:20 AM

Moderator

Dr. Mark Novak

Central California District Export Council Member

CSU Bakersfield Dean

Welcome Remarks

Colleen Simons, Regional Director

Pacific South Network

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Commercial Service

The Importance of Exporting and FDI for Economic Resiliency

Emily Desai, Deputy Director

International Affairs and Trade

Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development

Part 3: Financing Exports

10:55 AM to 11:05 AM

Export Credit Insurance

Greg Moore, Regional Director

Export Import Bank of the United States

Export Finance Programs

Michael Fazio, Export Finance Manager

International Trade and Finance Division

U.S. Small Business Administration

Part 4: FDI

Part 2: Export Expansion

10:20 AM to 10:55 AM

Federal Support for Exporters

Alicia Rios, Director, Bakersfield Office

Andy Seeto, Director, Fresno Office

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Commercial Service

State Support for Exporters

Mariana Guevara, Program Specialist

International Trade

Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development

State Support for Agricultural Exporters

Josh Eddy, Executive Director

State Board of Food and Agriculture

California Department of Food and Agriculture

11:05 AM to 11:25 AM

Federal Support for FDI Attraction

Manisha Vepa, Economic Research Analyst

U.S. Department of Commerce

SelectUSA

State Support for FDI Attraction

Maria Onorato, Program Manager

Foreign Direct Investment

Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development

Part 5: Q&A, Conclusion

11:25 AM to 11:35 AM

Featured Speakers

Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-BIZ)

Marie Onorato

Foreign Direct Investment Program Manager

Maria Onorato is the Foreign Direct Investment Program Manager at the California Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development (GO-Biz). In that role, she leads the state’s foreign investment attraction portfolio, including working directly with international businesses to highlight resources available in the state, marketing opportunities to global companies, and supporting California communities to attract more foreign investment. Previously, Maria worked in finance, supporting institutional investors in hiring consultants to inform investment decisions. Maria’s focus throughout her career has been on how international engagement can spur economic development. She has a BA in International Relations from UC Davis and an MA in International Trade & Economic Diplomacy from Middlebury Institute in Monterey.

Emily Desai

Deputy Director

International Affairs and Trade

Emily Desai has led the International Affairs and Trade department within the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development since May 2021. In addition, Emily serves as a Council Member for the SelectUSA Investment Advisory Council, a position to which she was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. She is also a Board Member on the State International Development Organizations (SIDO).

Emily started with GO-BIZ in 2019 as a Special Advisor with International Affairs and Investment. She then served as a Trade and Investment Representative for Europe and Middle East prior to her elevation to the Deputy Director position.

Prior to GO-BIZ, she was the Senior Project Manager for International Affairs and Trade with the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Mariana Guevara

International Trade Program Specialist

Mariana Guevara serves as the International Trade Program Specialist with the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). Her responsibilities include administering the California STEP Program and GO-Biz's efforts to serve small businesses in exporting. Her previous experience includes working as an International Business Development Specialist at the Sacramento Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Export Center, where she assisted minority businesses in expanding into foreign markets. Prior to graduating from California State University, Sacramento with a focus on International Business and Marketing, Mariana completed an internship at the United States Embassy in Mexico City with the United States Commercial Service, where she assisted American companies in increasing their exports to Mexico as part of the Embassy's mission. Her international experience began with the United States Commercial Service in Sacramento, where she worked with the director to help small and medium businesses.

U.S. Commercial Service

Andy Seeto

Director, Fresno

Andy joined the U.S. Commercial Service team in January 2023 from the U.S. Small Business Administration, where he worked for 14 years supporting 15 counties in the Central Valley, Central Coast, and Eastern Sierra’s as the District International Trade Officer, Lender Relations Specialist, and SCORE Liaison.

With a background in export finance, trade and business development for over 30 years.

Andy supports businesses located in the Central Valley communities in Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, and Calaveras Counties.

Colleen Simons

Regional Director, Pacific South

Colleen Simons has been with the U.S. Commercial Service since 2015, serving as the Regional Director for the Pacific South region for the past three years. In this role, she's responsible for the operations and performance of 11 U.S. Export Assistance Centers with a combined staff of 30 trade specialists in California, Nevada, and Hawaii. She leads a field-based team of client-focused trade professionals with deep experience working for U.S. exporters to resolve barriers to market entry and identify new opportunities to grow U.S. export sales. In addition, she oversees the work of the region’s six District Export Councils and serve as one of eight Regional Directors reporting to Washington, DC.

Prior to the U.S. Commercial Service, Colleen was an International Trade Specialist for the International Trade Administration. She supported U.S. companies and their investments abroad by promoting global economic prosperity, eliminating barriers to trade, and advocating for competitive and fair trade among all trade partners.

Alicia Rios

Director, Bakersfield Office

Alicia joined in 2021 as the Director, for the US Commercial office in Bakersfield. After 20 years at the Center for International Trade Development (CITD), serving as its Director. During her 20-year career in international trade, Alicia Rios has more than made her mark in the field leading over 250 high-level inbound and outbound trade missions with 30 different countries. Alicia’s international trade experience extends to Mexico, Central/Latin America, Canada, Europe, South Korea, China, India, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore.

Alicia holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in International Business from California State University, Fresno and is fluent in Spanish. She brings with her extensive experience building partnerships across industry, government, education, and other sectors, particularly related to global trade and economic development with focus in Agribusiness, eCommerce, Education, Manufacturing and Irrigation.

Export Import Bank of the U.S.

Greg Moore

Export Finance Director, Western Region

Greg has worked in the export/import field as an entrepreneur, banker, and economic development consultant. As an entrepreneur, Greg has imported display advertising equipment from Europe and natural stone from Brazil and Italy. At the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, he spent six years structuring long term buyer financings on behalf of U.S. exporters. As an economic development consultant, he spent six years at Enterprise Florida counseling companies on the process of exporting and in managing the state’s industrial revenue bond program. He also organized Florida’s participation in numerous overseas trade events.

At the World Trade Center L.A.-Long Beach, Greg’s focus was on bringing overseas employers to L.A. County as part of the County’s job creation effort. He also consulted with local companies on their overseas marketing efforts and other business needs. He joined the Export-Import Bank in 2012. Exim Bank provides payment risk mitigation services to businesses that sell overseas. It insures open account transactions to overseas buyers. It also provides term financing for overseas buyers purchasing U.S. products and facilitates working capital financing — both pre-and post-shipment — for U.S. exporters.

CA Department of Food and Agriculture

Joshua Eddy

Executive Director

State Board of Food and Agriculture

Josh Eddy is the executive director of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, an advisory body to the governor and secretary serving the interests of the state’s agricultural community. Mr. Eddy also serves as the state director of international affairs for the California Department of Food and Agriculture and advises on federal policy issues. As a career civil servant, Mr. Eddy has worked with federal and state officials to enhance international opportunities for businesses as well as further international collaboration with national and sub-national governments related to agricultural trade and climate policies. Mr. Eddy has facilitated trade delegations for California agricultural leaders and growers in the Pacific Rim, South America and Europe and has domestically hosted many visiting foreign delegations within the state.

Small Business Administration

Michael Fazio

Lead Export Finance Manager

Mike Fazio is a Lead Export Finance Manager with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Based in the San Francisco U. S. Export Assistance Center (USEAC), he works with banks and SBA Resource Partners throughout Northern California to increase access to capital for small business exporters.

Previously, he was a Financial Analyst in SBA’s Office of Credit Risk Management, a Lender Relations Specialist and the District International Trade Officer at SBA’s Wisconsin District Office, an Export Development Officer for SBA’s Office of International Trade in Washington, DC and most recently the Lead Export Finance Manager in Chicago, serving the Illinois and Wisconsin markets.

Prior to joining SBA, Mike’s career positions included work in commercial asset review with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and commercial lending with a Midwest-based regional bank. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Executive MBA program, which featured an international residency in Vietnam.

Select USA

Manisha Vepa

Economic Research Analyst

Ascendant Program Services, LLC

Manisha Vepa is an Economic Research Analyst providing contract support for SelectUSA at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Previously, she worked as a Research Associate for Freedom House, where she covered Asia-Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa for two annual publications, Freedom in the World and Freedom on the Net. Manisha holds an M.A. in Korea Studies from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a B.A. in Economics and Global Studies from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Central CA District Export Council

Dr. Mark Novak

Dean of Extended Education and Global Outreach

CSU Bakersfield