About WCIT

The Washington Council on International Trade (WCIT) is the state’s premier organization advocating for trade and investment policies that increase the competitiveness of Washington state workers, farmers, and businesses. Our diverse membership includes small and medium-sized companies, Fortune 500 businesses and agriculture producers that together represent industries ranging from manufacturing, food, and retail to technology and science.

Washington State Jobs Tied to International Trade

WCIT Advisory Board

Susan Champlain
Director, The Boeing Company, Board Chair

Michael Punke
Vice President, Amazon

Johan Hellman
Regional Assistant Vice President, State Government Affairs, BNSF Railway Co.

Bryn Heimbeck
Chief Executive Officer, Trade Tech Inc.

Sarah O’Neil
Director, International Trade, Microsoft Corporation

Commissioner Ryan Calkins
Port of Seattle

Dorothy Dwoskin
D2 Strategies, Immediate Past Chair

Amy Nguyen
President, Dragonberry Produce, Inc

David Tang
Partner, KL Gates

Mark Powers
President, Northwest Horticultural Council

John Hannah
President, Pacific Valley Foods

Ann Nagele
Partner, Perkins Coie

Glen Bachman
Commissioner, Port of Everett

Jen Berg
Director, Starbucks

Commissioner Kristin Ang
Port of Tacoma

Melissa Nelson
General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, SanMar

Stephen Shafer
SSA Marine

Dontai Smalls
Vice President, Global Public Affairs, UPS

Matt Harris
Director, WA State Potato Commission

Heather Ray
Vice President, Wells Fargo

WCIT Members

Air Tiger Express
Amazon
American Seafoods
Anderson Hay & Grain
Association of Washington Business
At Sea Processors
Banner Bank
BNSF Railways
The Boeing Company
Borton Fruit
Brooks Running
Brown & Haley
Columbia Bank
Columbia River Economic Development Council
Community Attributes
Consulate General of Canada
Consulate General of Japan
Costco
Darigold
Desimone Consulting Group
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Dragonberry Produce
Dry Fly Distilling
Economic Alliance Snohomish County
Eli Lilly & Company
Freezer Longline Coalition
Frontier North America
Global Washington
Google
Greater Spokane Incorporated
Highline College
Hilleberg the Tentmaker

Jon Monroe Consulting
JP Morgan Chase
K&L Gates
Keep Washington Competitive
L’Ecole No 41 Winery
Lund Faucett
Manhasset
Marine Exchange of Puget Sound
Microsoft Corporation
Minority Business Development Agency
Monument Advocacy
National Association of Manufacturers
National Center for APEC
Nike
Nordstrom
Northwest Horticultural Council
Northwest Trade Adjustment Assistance Center
Northwest Seaport Alliance
Pacific Merchant Shipping Association
Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance
Pacific Northwest Waterways Association
Pacific Valley Foods
Perkins Coie LLP
PhRMA
Port Blakely
Port of Everett
Port of Grays Harbor
Port of Longview
Port of Olympia
Port of Portland
Port of Seattle
Port of Vancouver
REI

SanMar
Seven Seas Exports
Shoreline Community College
Snohomish County Economic Development
SSA Marine
Starbucks Coffee Company
Swire Projects
Torres Trade Law
Trade Tech
UK Government Office, Seattle
United States Chamber of Commerce
United Parcel Service
UW Global Business Center
Visit Seattle
Wagstaff, Inc.
Washington Association of Wheat Growers
Washington Grain Commission
Washington Mint Growers Association
Washington Public Ports Association
Washington Retail Association
Washington Roundtable
Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA)
Washington State Department of Commerce
Washington State Farm Bureau
Washington State Potato Commission
Washington Trust Bank
Waterstone Brands Inc.
Wells Fargo
Western Washington University
World Trade Center Seattle
Affiliate Member: British-American Business Council

*The membership list includes current and past members

The WCIT Team

Lori Otto Punke

President

Lori has served as President since 2016, leading the organization to drive trade and investment policies that increase the competitiveness of Washington state workers and businesses. Lori is also the founder of LOP Strategies. She previously held a variety of public affairs positions at Starbucks and Microsoft and also served as a senior policy advisor to U.S. Senate leadership. She is the current Chair of Seattle GenNext and a former member of the NASDAQ Public Policy Advisory Committee. Lori earned her B.A. from George Washington University and studied in London and Madrid.

Angela Green

Events Manager

Angela Green, CMP is WCIT’s Event Manager and oversees all of our event and meeting planning from registration to logistics. Before WCIT, she has executed special events, conferences, heads of state dinners, black tie galas, roadshows, and award ceremonies. Angela has experience in international affairs specializing in Asia Pacific regions as well as in all major US markets planning for associations, government, non-profit and Fortune 500 companies. She has a B.S. from Michigan State University.

Dan Whiting

Communications

Dan has worked in public policy and communications for 25 years in topics ranging from agriculture to natural resources to healthcare to technology. Following 11 years on staff in the U.S. Senate in policy and communications roles, he worked at the USDA, the National Alliance of Forest Owners, the National Fragile X Foundation, and the Linux Foundation. Dan is a graduate of the University of Idaho, Regent University, and the Quantic School of Business and Technology. His dream jobs are artisan woodworker and comedy writer, but, in the meantime, he is passionate about leveraging communications to achieve advocacy goals.

Colleen Boetel

Administrative Assistant

Colleen Boetel joined WCIT in 2018 as an Administrative Assistant. Her 20+ years in Accounting, Office Management, and Client Service make her an excellent fit for the team. With a degree in and an extensive background related to Office Management, she has experience in many areas of accounting, including billing, accounts payable and receivable and payroll for several types of businesses. Attention to detail and customer service are just a couple of her strong attributes.