Akin Gump added Daniel Feldman, previously a State Department official, to its firm as a partner in its international trade practice, the law firm said on Sept. 22 (here). Feldman previously worked as special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the State Department. Feldman will focus on the Middle East and South Asia regions at Akin Gump, the firm said.
CT Strategies hired Kathleen Conway, previously CBP director-preclearance operations and World Customs Organization attaché, Noel Sanchez, formerly CBP Laredo assistant director-port security, and Joe Uribe, recently acting port director at CBP Laredo. The Command Consulting Group subsidiary, led by former CBP Assistant Commissioner Allen Gina, also added Charles Morton, most recently vice president and area security manager-North America at Panalpina.
Kelly Herman, most recently of counsel at Morgan Lewis and previously senior attorney advisor at CBP, joined Hewlett Packard as senior import compliance manager.
Mark Hirzel recently left DHL Global Forwarding due to a corporate restructuring. Hirzel, formerly DHL’s Customs Consultancy Manager, will stay on as president of the Los Angeles Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association for the time being, and will remain active in the Pacific Coast Council of Customs Brokers and the Legislative Committee of the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, he said. Hirzel is the second high-profile customs compliance employee to depart DHL Global Forwarding due to the restructuring in recent months. Cindy Allen, former DHL head of customs brokerage, left for the same reason in July (see 1507170018). DHL Global Forwarding did not immediately comment.
Sierra Club hired Ben Beachy, previously research director for Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, as senior policy director in the climate and trade program, said Beachy (here).
FedEx Trade Networks, the customs brokerage arm of FedEx, appointed Udo Lange as executive vice president and chief operating officer, the company said in a news release (here). Lange will oversee "all global air and ocean freight forwarding and customs brokerage operations for the company," the company said. Lange previously worked for Lufthansa.
The National Treasury Employees Union elected Tony Reardon, previously national executive vice president with the NTEU, as president, the union said in a press release (here). Reardon will replace Colleen Kelley, who is retiring, on Aug. 13. The NTEU also elected Jim Bailey as national executive vice president. The NTEU represents federal government employees, including some CBP employees.
A senior official at the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control recently joined the ranks of attorneys at Gibson Dunn in Washington, the law firm said. Former Senior Advisor to the Director of OFAC, Adam Smith, will counsel and defend Gibson Dunn clients on sanctions law, international trade and other areas, the firm said in a release (here). Smith worked for the Obama administration for the past five years, where he also served as an advisor on the National Security Council, said the firm.
Ellen McClain, previously the Department of Homeland Security Deputy Assistant Secretary, Trans-Border Policy, recently retired, CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske said during the July 29 Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations meeting. Attending the meeting in her place was Mark Koumans, DHS acting deputy assistant secretary, Foreign Investment, Trade, and Transportation.
Cindy Allen will leave DHL Global Forwarding per mutual agreement “due to a structuring exercise,” said a company spokeswoman. Allen, formerly vice president and head of U.S. customs brokerage for DHL, will remain with the company until Oct. 10 as a consultant. Allen said she will retain her membership on the CBP Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC). Allen joined DHL in 2012 after leading the CBP Automated Commercial Environment Business Office (see 12081721). Jim Miller, currently DHL customs operations manager for the northern border, will take over as senior director of U.S. customs brokerage while retaining his current role, said the spokeswoman. “A new role of Head of Customs Brokerage Operations U.S. will be announced in due course,” she said.