Experience | Creativity | Results | Integrity
OUR TEAM
Co-Founder and Principal
Ron Sorini
Ron Sorini manages the firm's business development, consulting, and lobbying practice, which focus on legislation, regulatory affairs and international trade negotiations. He represents a wide range of companies and trade associations before the U.S. Congress and various governments. Ron's unique combination of government, political, and corporate experience enables him to offer well-rounded strategic advice and international market analysis to multinational corporations and foreign governments. A recognized expert in the areas of trade negotiations, international politics, and the economy, Ron has been featured on NPR including All Things Considered and Planet Money, CNBC, Voice of America, and others. Prior to founding Sorini, Samet & Associates, Ron ran a successful government affairs practice of an international trade law firm for eight years. Ron created and developed this practice into a multi-million dollar business, where he served on the firm's operating committee and managed the practice's business development and trade negotiations. After serving in the administration of President George H. W. Bush, Ron served as Senior Vice President for International Development & Government Relations at Fruit of the Loom for six years. At Fruit of the Loom, Ron conducted an intensive study on the Chinese market, identified potential business partners, and began negotiations on a manufacturing/marketing joint venture. He also analyzed new locations for manufacturing facilities in Mexico and Central America, and developed strategies for hedging in the international cotton market. He developed and advocated company positions on trade, tax, and regulatory issues before the U.S. Government. Ron also started and managed the company's Political Action Committee. Ron has more than thirteen years of experience in high-level positions in the federal government at the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). In 1989, Ron was appointed by President Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to the position of Chief Textile Negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), holding the rank of Ambassador. Ron advised the U.S. Trade Representative, the Cabinet, and the President on domestic and international economic issues. He developed and implemented policies to enhance the international competitiveness of the U.S. fiber, textile, and apparel industries. Ron chaired U.S. delegations in the negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Uruguay Round, which lead to the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and bilateral agreements with more than fifty nations. He developed U.S. negotiating positions, weighing the views of other government agencies, domestic industry, retailers and broader economic and foreign policy considerations. His successful negotiations opened foreign markets for domestic manufacturers, helped U.S. companies with trademark and design counterfeiting problems, and worked with the U.S. Customs Service to identify and eliminate fraud and circumvention of U.S. trade agreements.
Co-Founder and Principal
Andrew Samet
Andrew Samet develops, implements, and manages the firm’s consulting and lobbying practice on international trade negotiations and legislation. He counsels U.S. and foreign clients on trade agreements, legislation in the Congress, and decisions by the Executive Branch that impact their global interests. He also provides strategic advice on global markets, and crisis management on international labor and social responsibility issues. He has worked for clients throughout Asia, Latin America and Africa – and in various industrial sectors including apparel, footwear, and agriculture. Andrew has more than three decades of experience in law practice, government policy development, international negotiations, and program implementation related to international trade issues. He has also served as a consultant to the Inter-American Development Bank and the Ministers responsible for trade and labor from the countries of Central America, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia on the complex labor issues linked to free trade agreements. Most recently, Mr. Samet has worked on labor complaints under free trade agreements with Jordan, Costa Rica, Bahrain and the Dominican Republic. Prior to co-founding Sorini, Samet & Associates, Andrew served as Deputy Under Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration, where he was responsible for all international activities of the Department of Labor, and was a member of the senior sub-cabinet deputies group of the White House National Economic Council for international policy decisions. He also represented the United States on the Governing Body of the International Labor Organization. Among his accomplishments within the organization was his negotiation of the 1999 ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor and the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. In addition, he was responsible for the implementation of the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation, the labor agreement that accompanied NAFTA. He also represented the Department of Labor at meetings of the OECD and the WTO, including the Singapore and Seattle ministerial meetings. Andrew joined the Clinton administration in 1993 after serving on the staff of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York for six years, primarily as Legislative Director. In that capacity, he worked on the 1988 and 1990 Trade Acts and the 1991 fast track legislation, as well as clean air and surface transportation bills. Andrew has also served as a professional staff member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations. Before joining the staff of Sen. Moynihan, Andrew practiced international trade law.
Special Adivsor
Rick heflenbein
Rick Helfenbein, Special Advisor for Sorini, Samet & Associates clients is the former Chairman, President & CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (“AAFA”), the national trade association representing more than 1,000 brands in the apparel, footwear, and accessories industry. At AAFA, Mr. Helfenbein oversaw a complete overhaul of the association. Under his leadership, AAFA dramatically increased its revenue base, re-branded itself with a new logo, website, and weekly newsletter, and increased AAFA’s presence on Capitol Hill, achieving notable legislative victories. Mr. Helfenbein also increased AAFA’s exposure, with notable press coverage in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Atlantic, and Forbes. He also appears on CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg, BBC, and Fox.. Prior to joining AAFA as President & CEO, Mr. Helfenbein served on the AAFA Board for 10 years and had risen to be a two term Chairman of their Board of Directors. At that time, he also served as President of all USA operations for Luen Thai Holdings Limited - USA Companies in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, and California. Luen Thai was the largest publicly listed apparel manufacturing and supply chain services company on the Hong Kong Exchange. Customers included Polo Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie & Fitch, Dillard’s, Banana Republic, Adidas, Victoria's Secret, Macys, Ann Inc., Adidas, and Uniqlo in Japan. Mr. Helfenbein started at Luen Thai as the USA Representative when the company maintained approximately $300 million in annual sales. When he left (after 16 years) to lead AAFA full time, Luen Thai’s annual volume had quadrupled to $1.3 billion. Mr. Helfenbein has been credited with numerous achievements in the apparel and supply chain field, including the creation of the original Le Tigre brand, and splitting Izod from Lacoste. He introduced Burlington Industries into the apparel manufacturing segment, turned around two ailing apparel companies, and developed the apparel structure for several popular global brands. Mr. Helfenbein served on the management boards of Campus Sportswear, Crystal Brands (Lacoste), and the Board of Blythedale Children's Hospital in New York. Prior to Luen Thai he served as a President at Lacoste and as a Managing Director at Burlington Industries. Rick holds a BS in Economics from the Wharton Business School. He participates annually in the Consortium for Operational Excellence in Retailing at Wharton and Harvard and guest lectures at Wharton, Harvard, Columbia, Cornell and continues to provide commentary on national & international TV as well as in print media.
Vice President - Government Relations
Mattie Amagai
As Vice President of Government Relations at SSA, Mattie Amagai provides strategic, political and technical advice on policy, legislative and regulatory matters relating to trade. In this capacity, she works as part of a team to deliver expertise and creative solutions to trade challenges for various businesses and associations. Before joining SSA, Mattie served as Vice President of Client Services at a government relations consulting firm, managing government affairs programs for numerous clients in the advanced manufacturing, energy and high-tech sectors. This includes tracking and advising on US federal and state policy developments for one of the world’s largest energy companies and managing their congressional relations activities. Mattie provided in-depth reporting and analysis on various trade and international policy issues for global companies and foreign sovereigns including CFIUS reform, Section 201 and 301 tariff issues, US sanctions policy, GSP exclusions, AD/CVD cases, various trade-related legislation and geopolitical matters, among other issues. Mattie has also advised companies from around the world on US and international market entry, including regulatory and policy considerations, relationship building and analyses of the various markets and politics. She has collaborated closely with international partners in these efforts particularly in Asia and South America. In her early career, Mattie managed international USAID-funded political party development projects in the Eurasian region, with a particular focus on Moldova and Belarus. She coordinated regularly with the USG and overseas offices, helped to arrange high level delegations and provided briefings and talking points to Members of Congress on issues impacting the region. Mattie helped to arrange and participated in election observation missions in Donetsk and Zhytomyr, Ukraine, as well as several in Moldova. Mattie also served briefly on a presidential campaign and as an intern on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, focusing on immigration issues. Mattie is a graduate of Bowdoin College, where she received a degree in Government/International Relations and Russian Language. She lives in Mount Vernon, Virginia with her husband Bryan, son Theodore, and two cats.
Vice President - Trade and Customs Policy
Megan Costello
Megan Costello combines her technical expertise and ability to navigate Washington’s dynamic challenges to deliver comprehensive solutions for a diverse range of international trade and customs issues. She excels at translating the technical nuances of proposed legislative or regulatory policy into real world impacts, and develops comprehensive business strategy for clients. Megan spearheads the Ship Safe Coalition, a group of U.S. stakeholders working to amend U.S. law to allow for Section 321 de minimis entry from U.S. Foreign Trade Zones (“FTZ”). This eliminates the powerful and growing economic incentive for companies to use foreign e-commerce distribution facilities instead of U.S.-based operations. Importantly, it also alleviates American consumers’ and Customs and Border Protection’s (“CBP”) health and safety concerns over package contents because shipments originating from U.S. FTZs are inherently safe. Megan has worked behalf of small businesses, multinational corporations, domestic and foreign industry associations, and foreign governments. She is SSA’s resident expert on securing product removals and exclusions from Section 301 China tariffs, crafting Miscellaneous Tariff Bills (“MTBS”), and assessing preferential eligibility under trade agreements and preference programs., among other things. Before joining SSA, Megan was the Manager of Government Affairs for Samsung Electronics America, Inc. Megan is a 2003 graduate of James Madison University, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs. She also holds a Master’s in Public Administration from George Mason University. She loves anything outdoors, especially biking and hiking. She resides just across the bridge in Alexandria, VA with her fur baby Rex, a 12.5-year-old cockapoo.
Senior Advisor, Global Policy Development and Asia-Pacific Affairs
Akshay Sinha
Akshay Sinha focuses on consulting and government relations and provides strategic advice related to policy and legislative developments in supply chain management across the world. He undertakes research and advises clients on the impact of free trade agreements, with particular emphasis on labor issues and industrial relations. He also monitors upcoming trends and recent initiatives undertaken by governments, international organizations, trade associations and civil society organizations to improve supply chain efficiencies and labor compliance around the world. Previously, Mr. Sinha has worked for KPMG Advisory Services Private Limited in South Asia as a management consultant and subject matter expert specializing in business process improvement, institutional strengthening and organization structuring. He has advised both public and private sector clients across industries such as energy, mining, infrastructure, textiles and pharmaceuticals. He has also led business development initiatives and has articulated thought leadership articles in the areas of business process improvement and workforce optimization. Through his academic and professional career, Mr. Sinha has maintained an avid interest in qualitative and quantitative research, and is currently working on papers related to governance and regulation in the energy sector around the world.
Manager - Classification and Rulings
Andrea Curtis
Andrea “Andi” Curtis provides our clients with expert advice on all matters related to classification of imports under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, both for finished products, parts, and raw materials. Andi helps our clients understand the requirements for meeting rules of origin, including under free trade agreements and preference programs. Andi joined the firm after several years at Cabela’s Inc., leading a team of classification specialists in their Global Trade department. Prior to joining Cabela’s Global Trade team in 2013, she held various roles in apparel product development for 15 years. This knowledge and experience provided the perfect background to perform true tariff engineering – bridging the gap between design and import classification and enabling designers and product developers to understand how design, materials and construction affect duty rates. She helped achieve lower duty rates in apparel, footwear and hardgoods through education and training of the product development team, developing a process to review design concepts and perform pre-classification during initial development and submitting successful Customs ruling requests. In her unique role at Cabela’s, Andi ensured that Cabela’s products complied with Customs and Border Protection guidelines by setting up product development testing protocols, maintaining pre-qualification paperwork for Free Trade Agreements and conducting audits of existing classifications. Andi earned an MS in Textile Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), and maintains memberships in both ASTM International and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC ). In 2016, she became a Certified Classification Specialist®. Andi served two terms in the Professional Advisory Council for the UNL Textile, Merchandising and Fashion Design department. In her free time, Andi enjoys sewing, doing home improvement projects and volunteering with children in her community.
Director - Scheduling and Office Management
Molly Cannon
Molly Cannon joined SSA in November 2022 and is responsible for coordinating SSA’s dynamic schedule and providing critical administrative support. She is also working to optimize SSA’s online presence. Prior to this role, Molly was an intern, assistant and then Legislative Aide for a Maryland State Senator from 2020 to 2022. She earned her BA in Public Policy from the University of Maryland in 2021. During her undergrad years, she interned for the Maryland Association of Counties, the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, and the Maryland General Assembly. Molly was born and raised in Maryland, where she still resides. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, and playing the piano.
SENIOR CONSULTANTS AND ADVISORS
Senior Consultant, European Union Trade and Supply Chain Policy and Programs
Julien Schiettecatte
Julien Schiettecatte works as an independent consultant on EU policy and trade issues and how they affect global supply chains. Julien is a French national with almost two decades years of experience in EU and International Public Affairs. After working with the French Ministry for Economic Affairs in Paris, Julien worked as an in-house lobbyist for a French company in Brussels for four years representing its interests across the EU institutions (Commission, Parliament, and Council). He then worked for almost a decade at leading Brussels consulting firms designing and executing EU and Global advocacy campaigns on issues related to a number of industrial sectors, including chemical, metals and mining, and the digital and telecommunications sectors. Julien is also a lecturer in European Affairs at Sciences Po Bordeaux and has a post-graduate diploma in public affairs from Sciences Po Bordeaux, France and Laval University, Canada.
Senior Advisor
David Gossack
David Gossack is a Senior Advisor at Sorini, Samet Associates where he brings deep expertise in Asian markets to assist clients to address policy and business challenges across the region. He also provides expertise and insights to clients on US-China relations, trade policy, and navigating the rapidly evolving Washington policy landscape around geopolitics and technology competition to protect interests and find opportunity. David was previously Vice President for Asia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, where he concurrently served as President of the U.S.-Japan Business Council (USJBC) and President of the U.S.-Korea Business Council (USKBC) leading U.S. corporate engagement with two of America’s most important trading partners. In that capacity, he advised senior executives comprising the leadership on both Councils, including the two Council Presidents, respectively the CEO’s of Cisco and CIGNA. Prior to joining the Chamber, David spent 24 years in Asia for the Commerce Department as one of America’s most senior commercial diplomats, leading commercial and policy engagement for American business in Japan, China, South Korea and Southeast Asia. David was on the Board of Governors of the American Chambers of Commerce in Shanghai, Seoul, Jakarta and Bangkok. Earlier, David was Counsel to U.S. Senator Spark Matsunaga of Hawaii during his chairmanship of the Senate Finance Committee’s International Trade Subcommittee. He also served as a State Department diplomat in Tokyo and Washington, where he was on the inter-agency Generalized System of Preferences Sub-committee and covered US-East Asia trade relations. He also was at the Office of Japan Affairs at USTR, Executive Office of the President, and was Of Counsel in an international trade boutique law firm. David is a native of San Jose, California, and a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Washington School of Law. David serves as a member of the Washington Trade Advisory Council of the Korea International Trade Association, on the Advisory Board of the National Association of District Export Councils.
Senior Advisor, European Union Affairs and Global Labor and Development Issues
Adrianus Melkert
Adrianus “Ad” Melkert is affiliated with Sorini, Samet & Associates LLC as a Special Advisor for European Union Affairs and Global Labor and Development Issues. This relationship provides clients with a range of expertise based upon his impressive career as a senior political leader in the Netherlands and in senior management positions involving the World Bank, the UN Development Prorgamme and the Office of the Secretary General of the United Nations. Through his firm Independent & International Counsel & Connection Inc., Mr. Melkert advises private corporations and public institutions on global issues, business opportunities and social & ecological responsibilities. His areas of expertise include government relations and public affairs, with particular emphasis on the United Nations, World Bank, and European Union, as well as corporate governance and corporate social responsibility, economic, social and trade policies and employment strategies. In addition, Mr. Melkert is Founder of WorkPact, a project management initiative to enhance coherence, coordination and implementation of national employment policies for jobs results. Mr. Melkert served as UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq from July 2009 until September 2011. Before that he was UN Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York. He was appointed by Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon as the first chair of the MDG Gap Task Force, charged with preparing an annual progress report. From November 2002 until March 2006 he served as a member of the Board of Directors of the World Bank Group, which includes the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Finance Corporation, and Multilateral Investments Guarantee Agency. In that role, Mr. Melkert represented as Executive Director the Netherlands and eleven other shareholding member states. Mr. Melkert joined the World Bank after a long and prominent political career in the Dutch Labour Party (PvdA). He was Member of Parliament (first elected in 1986) and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment (1994-1998), becoming the party’s parliamentary leader thereafter. In 2001, he was elected party leader and candidate for Prime Minister in the elections of 2002. Throughout his career he has been engaged with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and with the Global March Against Child Labour. He served as the Special Rapporteur at the 2010 Global Child Labour Conference organized by the Government of the Netherlands and the ILO. Born in 1956 in Gouda, Netherlands, Ad Melkert holds a Master’s Degree in Political Sciences/International Relations from the University of Amsterdam (1981).
Senior Advisor, Latin America
Enrique Milan Mejia
Enrique Millan Mejia serves as a Senior Advisor to Sorini Samet and Associates, specializing in trade, regulatory affairs, and foreign direct investment issues with Latin America. From 2014 to 2021 he was the Director of the Trade Office of the Government of Colombia in Washington, D.C. He was the longest-serving Colombian Ministry of Commerce official in that position based on his outstanding performance and the trust placed in him by successive Colombian Ambassadors to the United States for whom he worked, including Luis Carlos Villegas who also served as Minister of Defense, Camilo Reyes who also served as Foreign Minister, and Francisco Santos who also served as Vice President of Colombia. During his tenure as a Colombian diplomat in Washington, D.C., Mr. Millan Mejia was responsible for ensuring the success of multiple SPS equivalence requests before APHIS and the USDA for Colombian agricultural products, as well as aiding in the implementation of the Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (CTPA) with USTR. He was also a member of the Colombian government team that negotiated the accession of the Republic of Colombia to the OECD. He has more than 20 years of experience as a manager in trade associations in Colombia and Latin America, has served on several Boards of Directors at trade associations, and with public and international organizations, and is a recognized university professor in the areas of international business, economics, and business management. Mr. Millan Mejia holds a degree in Business Administration from Universidad Católica de Pereira, and an MBA with emphasis in International Business from Nova Southeastern University. He resides in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife Carolina and their two children: Mateo and Elena.
Senior Advisor, East Asia
Zhaokang Jiang
Zhaokang Jiang is a specialist in customs and international trade compliance issues as well as supply and trade chain compliance and efficiency strategies in China and the Asia-Pacific region. Mr. Jiang has represented several major international corporations before government agencies on numerous customs and trade issues. Mr. Jiang is a former officer of the Chinese Customs Services where he led the task force for the 2000 Customs Law revisions, and drafted the regulations on Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights and other major Chinese Customs and trade regulations. Mr. Jiang has served as an international consultant with the U.S. Customs service, the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations Development Program. He has also worked for a US-based law firm in Washington, DC and Beijing and as a Customs and Trade Counsel in a major multinational corporation. Mr. Jiang is the founder and former chair of the Customs and Trade Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in China and was also the director of the China Chamber of International Commerce. He is currently an advisor to the Project of Trade Facilitation and International Trade Center Expansion of the Shanghai Municipal Government.