ACE/AES Export Compliance Seminar

Eric Gauthier is supervisor of the AESDirect Team in the Trade Data Collection Branch. His efforts include determining, reviewing, and coordinating the requirements to maintain and improve the AESDirect application according to the Foreign Trade Regulations (FTR) and the requirements from other partnership government agencies (PGAs). He is also part of the Compliance Seminar team, presenting to the trade community about how to follow the FTR and the AES compliance practices. He also conducts these presentations in Spanish.

Mr. Gauthier led the testing, outreach, and training initiatives related to the transition of the legacy AESDirect applications into the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). His contributions to the release of the new system made him worthy of receiving the U.S. Department of Commerce Gold Medal, the Department’s highest distinction.

Mr. Eric Miller is the Houston Regional Director for EXIM Bank. He is a Texas native and experienced international trader. Prior to joining the Bank, Eric spent over a decade in the private sector exporting capital equipment to buyers in 33 countries covering the continents of Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe. As a prior customer of EXIM, he experienced firsthand how the Government Agency can be leveraged as a strategic tool to increase sales. He is passionate about international business and excited to be an advocate for EXIM.

Mr. Miller attended the University of Houston’s Bauer School of Business where he earned a B.B.A. in Operations Management and continued MBA studies with a major in Finance. Eric is Certified in Global Business by the Harvard Business School and as a Global Business Professional by NASBITE International.

Ms. Mayumi Brewster embarked upon her career in the International Trade Management Division (ITMD) formerly known as Governments and Trade Management Division (GTMD) at the U.S. Census Bureau in 2015 as a Survey Statistician. She began working in the Data User and Trade Outreach Branch (DUTOB) coordinating and facilitating a number of webinars and Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) exports compliance seminars in support of the ongoing outreach efforts to the export trade community. In addition, Ms. Brewster continues to provide guidance to exporters requiring ACE export reports access through the Census Bureau’s verification process.

In DUTOB, one of her key contributions was creating export reports training resources for both beginner and advanced users. She worked directly with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and provided a thorough presentation that discussed various features within the ACE export reports application. In just 5 years of serving within this capacity, Ms. Brewster has trained thousands in utilizing the export reports feature. She is enthusiastic about serving the export trade community both in-person and virtual training and improving outreach efforts that lead to higher productivity and competitiveness.

Ms. Brewster has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Undergraduate Certificate in Management Foundations and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Maryland, University College.

Tirrell McKnight, an experienced Export Administration Specialist at the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security since 2018, brings over 25 years of diverse Federal civil service experience. With a background that includes service as a Navy veteran and roles at various government agencies, Tirrell is known for her engaging teaching style and dedication to guiding exporters through export regulations with clarity and approachability. She is a valuable member of the Western Regional Office exporter services team.

Ms. Kristi Sellers is a Survey Statistician in the Trade Regulations Branch (TRB) within the Economic Management Division at the U.S. Census Bureau.  Ms. Sellers joined the U.S. Census Bureau in 2016.  In her current role as a Supervisor in TRB, she responds to regulatory questions posed by the trade community, develops marketing and outreach materials, participates in regulatory writing, conferences and seminars held by the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Industry and Security and trade associations to promote the Foreign Trade Regulations, electronic filing of export information via the Automated Export System and improves overall regulatory knowledge of the trade community. She is also responsible for managing the day-to-day processing of Voluntary Self-Disclosures submitted by the trade community and National Interest Determinations for government agencies that receive export data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Ms. Sellers earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and a concentration in Forensic Crime Scene Investigation from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. Ms. Sellers also holds a Master of Social Work degree from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA and is a Licensed Graduate Social Worker. Ms. Sellers a 2020 graduate of the Economic Ambassador Training Program at the U.S. Census Bureau and a recipient of the Census Bronze Award for her work on the Working Capital Fund in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer in 2022.