Please note times are in Eastern Time Zone.
Come celebrate Women's History Month with the SBA’s Office of International Trade in partnership with the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration’s Office of Western Hemisphere and the Foreign Commercial Service in Canada! Together, we invite you to join a discussion on March 23 at 1pm EST for woman-owned U.S. small business looking to grow exports to Canada.
Whether you are preparing your market entry strategy or looking to expand, register to hear insights on opportunities in the Canadian market, considerations for U.S. women-owned businesses on doing business in Canada, and information on programs and services available from both SBA and Commerce to support you.
Featuring:
Tracey Ford | Senior Commercial Specialist, U.S. Embassy in Ottawa | U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce
Tracey Ford is a Senior Commercial Specialist with the U.S. Department of Commerce at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa. She began her career at Newbridge Networks Corporation doing statistical analysis on the performance of their Information Technology Department. After several years at Newbridge, she transferred into their global help desk, helping 5600 clients on Mac and PC platforms with their computer related problems, and then to the Remedy Support Team supporting UNIX based developers. When the opportunity arose, Tracey made the move to Nortel Networks Corporation to purchase strategic software.
Tracey joined CS Canada in March 2007 as a Commercial Specialist after 5 years serving the Department of State as a procurement agent. As a Commercial Specialist, Tracey counsels U.S. businesses that wish to begin exporting or increase their exports to Canada as well as Canadian businesses that are looking for U.S partners. Tracey covers the IT sector on a national basis, Atlantic Canada and is the lead on Canada’s Commercial Diplomacy team. Tracey is a graduate of Carleton University in Ottawa, BA Economics.
Shweta Nagpal | Commercial Specialist, U.S. Consulate General Toronto | U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce
Shweta Nagpal is a Commercial Specialist working out of U.S. Commercial Service Toronto offices in Canada. Her role includes developing strategies and implementing trade promotion programs to help U.S. businesses in the critical minerals & mining, infrastructure, ITC, and advanced manufacturing sectors. She also works on the bilateral programs under the U.S.-Canada Action Plan for Critical Minerals Cooperation. Prior to this, she worked with the UK Department for International Trade in Canada and India. In India, Shweta also worked extensively with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) focusing on policy, advocacy, and diplomatic relations. Shweta holds an MBA in Marketing and Finance. A nature lover, she enjoys hiking and camping.
Claire Ehmann | Deputy Associate Administrator | Office of International Trade | SBA
Claire Ehmann is the Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of International Trade where she is responsible for helping U.S. small businesses grow by reaching new customers in the global marketplace. Working with U.S. Export Assistance Centers, SBA district offices, and public and private-sector partners, the Office of International Trade directs Export Loan Programs, the State Trade Expansion Program, and other trade assistance to encourage and assist U.S. small business exports.
Claire Ehmann is a member of the Senior Executive Service with over 20 years of experience working on international issues. Before joining SBA, she served as the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) Deputy Director for Management Services, where she oversaw the Agency’s operational readiness, workforce safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a wide range of management services including the Agency’s real estate portfolio and planning efforts for the post-pandemic Future of Work. From 2015-16, she was selected as a White House Leadership Development Fellow and spent a year at the Office of Management and Budget, working on federal IT, open data, and data-driven decision making for the Federal Chief Information Officer. She has extensive experience working on international development policy and programs, research and evaluation, and developing public-private partnerships.
Ms. Ehmann has a Master's Degree in International Public Affairs from the School for Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, was a Fulbright Scholar in Burkina Faso, and has a BA from the College of William & Mary.