REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN TRADE WINDS.
Join us in São Paulo for the largest U.S. government-led trade mission and business development forum. Organized by the U.S. Commercial Service, the Trade Winds business forum will feature meetings with U.S. commercial diplomats 16 countries in The Americas, exciting conference programming, and plenty of networking. The registration fee for the business forum is $750 per attendee.
Qualified U.S. businesses may customize their experience with optional business-to-business matchmaking meetings with interested buyers, agents, distributors, or joint-venture partners in Brazil (April 9), as well as Colombia and Uruguay (April 3 - 4), and/or Argentina and Chile (April 10 -11). The registration fee for this option, which includes the business development forum and one mission stop, is $2,200 for the first company representative ($4,200 for companies with over 500 employees) and $500 for each additional company representative. The registration fee for each additional mission stop is $1,200. Note: Additional costs may apply if translation services are needed during these pre-arranged matchmaking meetings, ranging from $300-$600/day. Flight and hotel costs are the responsibility of the traveler.
We invite you to explore the wide variety of events that we offer to help U.S. companies expand their global sales.
Abrao Neto
CEO, AmCham Brazil
Arrow Augerot
Director for International Policy - Americas, Amazon
Brenda Stelly
President, Oil Center Research International
Brittany Hansen
Chief Discovery Officer, Viiision
Chad Remp
Director of e-Commerce & Intl Trade, Matheny Motors
Chad Remp established the eCommerce and international sales division of his family’s heavy-duty truck dealership in Wheeling, WV, in 2010, successfully expanding the company’s sales presence to all 50 states and over 100 countries worldwide.
He is a recipient of the President’s E-Award for export excellence and has been honored as the West Virginia Small Business Administration (SBA) Exporter of the Year.
Currently, Chad serves as the head of international and eCommerce sales for Matheny Motors, a prominent heavy-duty truck dealership group headquartered in West Virginia.
Additionally, Chad holds the position of chair within the West Virginia District Export Council.
Fabio Kujawski
Partner, Mattos Filho
Gabriel Escobar
Chargé d'Affaires, U.S. Embassy in Brasilia
Gabriel Escobar assumed the position of Charge d’Affaires, a.i., at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia on January 21, 2025. Prior to serving in Brazil, he was the Deputy Assistant Secretary overseeing policy towards the countries of the Western Balkans and the Office of Press and Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of European Affairs. Previously, he served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy Belgrade. His leadership positions in the Department of State include Economic Minister Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Coordinator for Cuban Affairs in the Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs from 2017-2018, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia 2014-2017, Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Peshawar, Pakistan 2013-2014, and Team Leader of the U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kirkuk, Iraq 2009-2010.
From 1998-2001, Gabriel completed four consecutive tours in the former Yugoslavia, including serving as the Chief of Staff for the Office of the High Representative in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Head of the Embassy Branch Office in Banja Luka, the Deputy Head of the U.S. Diplomatic Liaison Team in Podgorica, and Political Unit Chief in Belgrade shortly after the U.S. Embassy reopened in 2001. In the Bureau of European Affairs, Gabriel has served as the Counselor for Political and Economic Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon, Deputy Political Counselor in Rome, and Political-Military Officer in Prague, and Vice-Consul in Moscow.
A career diplomat, he has been awarded the State Department’s Superior Honor Award six times and the Meritorious Honor Award once. He has also been awarded the Department of State’s Expeditionary Service Award and the Department of the Army Superior Civilian Service Award. Gabriel is a graduate of Columbia University in New York and Cathedral High School in El Paso, Texas. He speaks Spanish, Russian, Italian, Serbian, Croatian, Czech, and Portuguese.
Isabella Cascarano
Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere, International Trade Administration
Isabella Cascarano is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere at the International Trade Administration. She is a career member of the Department of Commerce’s U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, class of Minister-Counselor. She served most recently as the Senior Commercial Officer (SCO) at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Italy (2020 -2024) responsible for supporting U.S. commercial interests in Italy and promoting Italian direct investment into the United States. She previously served as Deputy SCO at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, Mexico; SCO at the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; SCO at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City, Kuwait; Deputy SCO at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt; and Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulates in Munich, Germany and Guadalajara, Mexico.
Isabella earned a MA in Economics and Management from Bocconi University in
Milan, Italy and a BA in International Economics from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She speaks German, Spanish and Italian, and studied Arabic at the Foreign Service Institute. She has a son who is in college in Virginia.
John Worthington
CEO, IBT Online
John Worthington is the CEO of IBT Online. He brings decades of successful international business development experience to clients. Being deeply involved in international online operations, digital marketing and sales management programs; John is a frequent keynote speaker at export and international business events.
A founding partner at IBT Online at its creation in 2002, John started his professional career in London qualifying as a Chartered Accountant. Today, he is an acknowledged expert in the field of international online business development. John sits on the board of a number of international companies on both sides of the Atlantic. John manages overall operations as well as directing his team to assist companies in optimizing their online presence in international markets.
Krishna Formiga
Government Affairs Director Latin America and the Caribbean, Motorola Solutions
Landon Loomis
President - LATAM and Vice President for Global Policy, Boeing
Lisa Worcman
Partner, Mattos Filho
Lisa is a tax partner who focuses on consulting for multinational companies.
Using her expertise, Lisa provides a multidisciplinary approach to assisting clients, especially in the technology and entertainment industries.
Lisa also heads attix an innovation initiative that Mattos Filho launched in October 2022.
Matis Pellerin
Vice President, Global Government Affairs, Oracle Corporation
Moacir Rodovalho
Commercial Specialist, U.S. Consulate General Recife
Nicole DeSilvis
Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy - Brazil
Paul Bonovich
President/CEO, CIS Quality Parts and Components
Richard H. Glenn
Consul General, U.S. Consulate General - Sao Paulo
Koreen Grube
Director, U.S. Commercial Service Wisconsin
John Breidenstine
Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy - Mexico
A career Senior Foreign Service Officer, class of Career Minister, John Breidenstine began his assignment as Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City in August 2023. Before his current assignment, John served as the Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs and ASEAN Regional Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok (2019-2023); Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs and Senior Commercial Officer for Europe at the U.S. Mission to the European Union (2015-2019); Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs in London (2011-15); U.S. Consul General in Hermosillo, Mexico (2008-11); Regional Director for Europe and Eurasia (2006-08); and Commercial Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City (2003-06). Prior to a 2002 reconstruction-related assignment at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, John’s postings included: Ankara, Turkey (1997-2002); Tashkent, Uzbekistan (1994-97); Kuwait City, Kuwait (1991-93); and Munich, Germany (1990-91). Before joining the Foreign Service in 1990, John studied international relations at the University of Miami (1987-88) and at the Free University of Berlin (1988-89) and worked as an Account Executive for International Paper in New York City and Atlanta (1984-87). He is a 1984 graduate of Davidson College in North Carolina.
Timothy Cannon
Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy - Panama
Timothy Cannon has been with the Department of Commerce since 2003. Prior to joining the Commercial Service, Tim was a Marine at the barracks in Washington, D.C. where he served as a Presidential Honor Guard. After the Marines he worked as a Personal Protection Officer. He then pursued a career in sales with Gallo Winery, Miller Brewing, and Red Bull. After the beverage business, Tim accepted a position with an aerospace company and while attending the Paris and Australian Airshows, Tim utilized the services of the Commercial Service. He was impressed with their assistance and decided to return to the service of the government as a Commercial Officer himself. Since then, Tim has served in Fargo, North Dakota on a domestic tour, Russia, Vietnam, and Saudi Arabia and will be in Panama for the next four years.
Martin Claessens
Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy - Chile
Nicole DeSilvis
Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy - Brazil
Philip Finiello
Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy - Peru
Philip has been with the U.S. Commercial Service since May 2015. Prior to his current posting in Lima, he was stationed at the U.S. Consulate-General in Istanbul, 2018-2021. Prior to that he was attached to the U.S. Export Assistance Center in San Diego, CA. He has held a number of positions encompassing commercial promotion and trade policy, including Sr. Manager for European Affairs with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Sr. Trade Policy Advisor with the British Embassy (Washington DC) and Business Development Associate with the British Consulate-General (Chicago, IL). He has also worked for state and local government in New York spanning budget analysis, human resource development and legislative research. Philip has a Master of Public Administration and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, both from the University at Albany, New York.
Daniel Gaines
Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy - Guyana
Daniel Gaines is assigned to Georgetown, Guyana as the Senior Commercial Officer for the U.S. Department of Commerce’s U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service (CS). Prior to this assignment, Daniel served as a Commercial Officer in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Nairobi, Kenya. He has also served stints as the Acting Senior Commercial Officer for CS Angola, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Tanzania.
Within the United States, Daniel served as the Director of the CS Phoenix Export Assistance Center (USEAC), as a Senior International Trade Specialist in the Northern Virginia USEAC, and has experience in Washington, DC from his time in the Office of the Assistant Secretary & Director General in Commerce Headquarters.
Daniel holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Business from the University of Alabama and a Masters in Global Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Reinaldo Garcia
Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy - Honduras
Reinaldo Garcia currently serves as Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He manages an office of three trade professionals assisting U.S. companies with market access and trade promotion in Honduras and helping Honduran companies invest in the United States. His previous assignment was with the Multilateral & Strategic Initiatives Team, Office of Western Hemisphere, in Washington, D.C., covering critical minerals, border security technology & passport technology, climate/clean tech, and distribution and logistics (supply chains) portfolios. Reinaldo also served as the Deputy Director of the SelectUSA Investment Services Team. Prior to that, he served in Guangzhou, China from 2018-2021. Before joining the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service, Reinaldo worked as the General Counsel for Latin America for a major U.S. real estate company. He holds a JD, a BA in Political Science, and postgraduate studies in international economic and trade law.
Robyn Garfield
Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy - Uruguay
Robyn Garfield is a career U.S. Foreign Service Officer. Most recently, he served as Commercial Attaché at the U.S. Mission to the European Union, where he led a team covering energy, transportation, and climate. In this role, he founded a global whole-of-government initiative to address climate and energy transition needs in Europe and Eurasia. Robyn previously served in the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of China and Mongolia and as Commercial Consul at the Consulate General in Shanghai overseeing transportation, aviation, travel and tourism, and environmental technology. Prior to joining the U.S. Government, Robyn managed large multi-cultural teams in five countries as a corporate strategist, general manager and entrepreneur. Most recently, he advised Samsung Group’s global business units on international strategy from its headquarters in Seoul. Prior to that, he held executive roles in Washington, D.C. and founded a company in Beijing. Robyn holds an MBA from INSEAD, an MA from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a BA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in Business and Intercultural Communication.
Ryan Hollowell
Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy - Costa Rica
Ryan Hollowell is the Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in San Jose where he leads the commercial diplomacy, export promotion and advocacy efforts in Costa Rica. Ryan’s career with the Department of Commerce spans more than 15 years and includes assignments in Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Northern New Jersey and New York City.
In Ho Chi Minh City, Ryan led the U.S.-Vietnam Industry Working Groups for Aviation, Energy, Healthcare, and Smart Cities, helping hundreds of businesses seeking to expand their work in Vietnam. As the lead for Vietnam’s energy advocacy work, Ryan coordinated the efforts of 9 agencies and departments to advance key energy projects and policies. Ryan also led the commercial signings for Indo-Pacific Business Forum, facilitating 7 signings for more than $11 billion.
Prior to Ho Chi Minh City, Ryan was the Regional Commercial Officer and inaugural Digital Attaché for ASEAN at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore working on a regional and bilateral level promoting U.S. business expansion in ASEAN. As the Digital Attaché, Ryan assisted U.S. companies in navigating policy challenges in the region focused on cybersecurity, data flows and data localization, and was instrumental in Singapore’s acceptance of APEC CBPR.
Ryan also served on the U.S. side in the Northern New Jersey and New York City. In between Commerce roles, Ryan joined a startup renewable energy company as the Director for International Business Development focused on reducing diesel consumption by telecommunications companies.
Before joining the U.S. Department of Commerce, Ryan spent two years on Capitol Hill and two years with a lobbying firm focused on climate change policy.
Ryan holds an M.B.A. in Finance and a M.A in International Relations from Seton Hall University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Business with minors in Economics and Peace Studies from Xavier University.
Jennifer Kane-Zabolotskaya
Regional Senior Commercial Officer for the Caribbean, U.S. Embassy - Dominican Republic
Jennifer is the Regional Senior Commercial Officer for the Caribbean based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She coordinates U.S Department of Commerce activities across the DR, Haiti, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, and Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.
Previously, Jennifer was the organization’s Senior Advisor for Career Development and Assignments of the 250+ Foreign Service Officer Corps and advised on strategic staffing and resourcing policies and programs worldwide. Other assignments include serving as the Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest, Hungary; the Deputy Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in London, UK where she monitored nascent HMG policies affecting U.S. interests in response to the pro-Brexit vote; the Senior Commercial Officer in Almaty, Kazakhstan; the Commercial Officer at the U.S. Mission to the European Union; and the Commercial Officer at the U.S. Export Assistance Center Boston, MA. Before joining the Foreign Service, Jennifer worked at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, DC and in the private sector as a consultant to the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). Jennifer has an M.A. from George Washington University and a B.A. from Bucknell University.
Eric Olson
Regional Senior Commercial Officer for Southern Cone, U.S. Embassy - Argentina
Matthew Poole
Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy - Colombia
Matthew has served in Bogota, Colombia since September 2023. Prior to his assignment in Colombia, he served as the Senior Commercial Officer in Montevideo, Uruguay where he was the first FCS officer in Uruguay in over 20 years. Matthew previously served at the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru where he worked on important projects in security and defense, water and sanitation and agricultural equipment sectors. Before Peru, Matthew completed a two-year assignment at the U.S. Export Assistance Center in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to his client-facing work in Chicago, Matthew served as the Global Finance Team’s subject matter expert for the accounting industry.
Prior to working for the Department of Commerce, Matthew worked for KPMG’s Advisory practice in Chicago performing financial due diligence for private equity firms and multinational manufacturing companies. Matthew also served in the U.S. Army Reserve and retired after 20 years of service at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Matthew earned a BA in international relations from Boston University and a MS in accounting from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is registered as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with the State of Illinois.
Tabitha Snowbarger
Economic and Commercial Section Lead, U.S. Embassy - Barbados
Kennia Somerville
Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy - Guatemala
Pamela Ward
Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy - Canada
Prior to joining the Foreign Commercial Service, Pamela served as the Manager of the Eugene (Oregon) Export Assistance Center and as an International Trade Specialist in Newport Beach, California. She entered government service as an Import Compliance Specialist investigating unfair trade practice allegations for the U.S. Department of Commerce. Prior to her government service, she worked in the international trade and shipping logistics departments of several multinational firms. Pamela holds a degree in Business Administration and International Marketing from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and completed Stanford’s Graduate School of Business LEAD program in 2022.