Shaping U.S. Trade Policy: A Conversation with Jamila Thompson, Acting Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), The White House

Happy International Women’s Day, Minority Leaders!

Our mission is to celebrate and amplify the voices of diverse women leaders, and of course help inspire the next generation.

The theme of International Women's Day 2024 is #InspireInclusion, and that is what we do every day around here. As you can imagine, International Women's Day is our favorite holiday!

I am happy to be back with a new episode featuring my good friend,  the inspirational Jamila Thompson, acting Chief of Staff for the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).

In this episode Jamila shares her journey to the White House, where she is helping to shape more inclusive trade policies.  During our conversation Jamila honors her former bosses, congressional giants Congresswoman Barbara Lee and the late Congressman John Lewis, whose guidance framed her principles in policymaking. We discuss how to glean insight and wisdom from every stage of our careers-- from Hill internships to high-stakes management roles in the executive branch.  We explore how such experiences forge not only effective policymakers, but also compassionate leaders.  We even take some lessons in leadership from the tennis court, where Jamila learned  the secret to long term success is perseverance.

We discuss how to glean insight and wisdom from every stage of our careers-- from Hill  internships to high-stakes management roles in the executive branch.  We explore how such experiences forge not only effective policymakers but also compassionate leaders.  We also take some lessons in leadership from the tennis court, where Jamila learned  the secret to long term success is perseverance.

As proud former congressional staffers, we spotlight the ascent of influential women of color like  USTR Ambassador Katherine Tai and OMB Director Shalanda Young, who rose from the negotiating tables of Congress to powerhouse positions in President Biden's administration. We also delve into the significance of the US-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership, reflecting on the Biden-Harris administration's  engagement with African nations. 

I hope you enjoy this enlightening discussion as much as we did.

Correction: Yes, even brilliant Minority Leaders  sometimes experience a slip of the tongue. At round the 32 minute mark, Secretary Xavier Becerra  is referred to as the Secretary of Homeland Security . He is the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 
__
A note of thanks:

Sadly, this is likely my last episode for a while. My firm, Catalyst Global Strategies is growing rapidly this year, and I have less free time to bring you high quality episodes of this podcast. Don't fret, however, as  I will continue to  bring you special episodes and collaborations featuring dynamic women of color leaders in the furture. .. So stay subscribed and continue to follo

Support the show

Please join us on this leadership journey by subscribing, supporting, rating, reviewing and sharing this episode! Also follow us here:

• Instagram: @theminorityleaders and @algene_1913
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/algene-sajery
• Facebook: @themi