Acting Director General Judy Reinke Travels to San Antonio to Join a 50-Member Delegation from Across the Americas and to Meet with local District Export Council (DEC) Members
April 7, 2017Shawn Ricks is a Senior Policy Advisor for CS/Global Markets – Western Hemisphere
Earlier this week, Acting Director General Judy Reinke represented the International Trade Administration(ITA) at the Seventh Americas Competitiveness Exchange on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ACE VII), which commenced a six-day tour (April 2-7) of the Central Texas region, with stops in San Antonio, New Braunfels, Fredericksburg, San Marcos, College Station, and Austin. ACE VII participants include high-level policy and decision makers from government, business, and academia, representing 25 countries from across the Western Hemisphere, as well as Germany and Israel. And, for the first time ever, the delegation includes as many women as men, fulfilling a continuous goal of the program to achieve a gender balance. DG Reinke addressed the group during the Welcome Ceremony on Monday morning, where she highlighted the benefits of the program, noting the connections ITA has to several of the local sites. She was joined by Ivy Taylor, Mayor of San Antonio, and 9th District Councilmember for San Antonio, John Krier.
The ACE program showcases homegrown excellence in cutting-edge technology and strategic economic development. For each leg of the trip, the host city leads visits to innovation hubs, cutting-edge enterprises, and educational and research institutions. ACE VII combines dynamic, interactive panel discussions on advanced manufacturing, bioscience, cybersecurity, rural healthcare, and disaster recovery, with hands on tours of venues exhibiting best practices in those clusters. The ACE also increases access to international markets for U.S. exports. Imaginative programs like the ACE have the potential to offset factors that pose the greatest threat the region’s economic future and helps to foster a business culture that enables traditional industries to keep pace with global trends. To see the full agenda, click here.
While in San Antonio, DG Reinke also joined the Texas Camino Real District Export Council (DEC) for a Roundtable Discussion on the Department of Commerce’s commercial priorities and activities, as well as well as to hear the DEC’s thoughts on the current global business environment and the impact on U.S. companies.
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