Leslie M. Schweitzer (Chairman of the Board)
As Senior Trade Advisor for the National Chamber Foundation of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Leslie M. Schweitzer is developing and directing the TradeRoots Initiative, a national grassroots international trade education program designed to raise the public awareness of international trade. Schweitzer has over thirty years of experience in the international trade arena. She pioneered U.S./China business beginning in 1977 and is proficient in foreign negotiation, marketing, product development, bartering, counter purchase and manufacturing, as well as experienced in analyzing growth potential of foreign companies. Before joining the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Schweitzer’s background includes founding and managing a full service offshore apparel manufacturing and marketing company in 1987 geared to acquiring advantageous foreign manufacturing sources for U.S. companies. The company specialized in utilizing and developing consumer product industries in third world and developing countries. Schweitzer also owned and managed factories in the Caribbean that produced labor intensive apparel for U.S. and foreign retail stores, manufacturers and catalog companies.
In 1977 Schweitzer co-founded Noble Trading Company, which assisted U.S.-based companies with product sales to China, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Poland, Rumania, South America and the Caribbean. Clients included Pepsi World Trade and Motors Trading Company of General Motors. Schweitzer also developed manufacturing facilities in these countries to produce consumer products for export. She has been involved in international business ventures in the Soviet Union and Finland. In addition to these activities, she is a frequent speaker on entrepreneurship in international trade and has been a member of various boards, including the American Management Association, CARESBAC, Operation Enterprise and the Department of Commerce’s Trade Advisory Board. Currently Schweitzer serves on the Advisory Board for International Programs at the University of Kansas. Schweitzer attended the University of Kansas and University of Copenhagen and received her B. S. in International Relations from George Washington University. She is the mother of two sons.
Ogai Haider
Ogai Haider received a Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Southern California.
While at USC, she served as an Unruh Institute Scholar and published a scholarly article regarding issues affecting Islamic political and legal thought, the Middle East, and terrorism and genocide.
While at UC Hastings, she volunteered as a student organizer for the Friedman 1st Amendment Education Project, organizing a summit to encourage the creation of legal clinics in conjunction with local law schools, lobby political representatives, and conduct public education. Furthermore, she interned at the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, where she assisted in the development of a project approved by international treaty bodies for implementation at the country level to begin Afghanistan’s reporting to the treaty bodies. She served as a Symposium Editor, organizing “Human Rights and Liberties 50 Years After Brown”, featuring nationally-acclaimed legal scholars and practitioners to encourage provocative discussions on crucial issues facing the legal community. Ogai also interned at Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi’s District Office, assisting the caseworker for immigration and related issues and was a delegate at the “Next Generation Democratic Summit”. Ogai was a board member of the Hastings to Haiti Delegation, the Hastings International and Comparative Law Society, and the Middle Eastern Law Students Association.
Ogai was an Open Society Institute/Soros Foundation Grant recipient for work assisting the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. She worked with the Commissioner for Transitional Justice and UNAMA’s Chief Technical Advisor for Human Rights on judicial reform and transitional justice measures in Afghanistan, liaised with UNHCR to develop a framework for partnership between the organizations, coordinated training seminars for the staff of the Research and Policy Unit, and assisted the Commissioner on Transitional Justice with analysis of the public consultation on transitional justice. She also interned with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as a Liaison Assistant, where she assisted in preparation of partnership agreement between UNHCR and the AIHRC.
Following law school, Ogai served as a Political Officer at the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, D.C. providing legislative and legal analysis, executed broad based public advocacy efforts to assist in Afghanistan’s development process, and acted as the Embassy’s liaison with the U.S. Congress.
Currently, Ogai is an independent consultant. She provides legislative, legal, and policy analysis regarding various issues based on client needs and assist in preparation of formal working agreements, proposals, and papers.
Daeman P. Harris
Daeman P. Harris is currently the Vice President, Government Affairs, Occidental Oil and Gas Corporation. He resides in Abu Dhabi.
Prior to accepting his position at Occidental, Daeman was the Vice President for the Middle East and Africa of the Chamber’s International Division. Daeman was an Arabic linguist and interpreter with the U.S. military, and is a combat veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is fluent in Arabic and studied language at the American University in Cairo. Prior to joining the Chamber, he developed economic, political and security analyses on the Middle East and North Africa for the U.S. government.
Farid Maqsudi
Farid A. Maqsudi is the Founder of ARC Companies LLC. Through his work with ARC Companies LLC, Farid has successfully and quickly organized a diverse shareholder base and professional management to lead the reconstruction of Afghanistan post 9/11. He has over 20 years of leadership positions in public and private sector projects in developing countries in Africa, Central Asia and Afghanistan. His public sector projects include the US Embassy Construction in Kabul, Kabul-Kandahar Highway, Kabul-Doshi Highway, and USAID funded road projects in various parts of the country.
His private sector projects include the creation of Afghanistan International Bank, Afghanistan Finance Company, and Afghanistan Beverage Company. Prior to his work with ARC, Farid was the Chairman of ROZ Group LLC and the president of Maqsudi Corp. He has his MBA from the University of Chicago and his BS in Accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University-Madison.
Thomas Fleetwood “Woody” Mefford
Thomas Fleetwood “Woody” Mefford served as the Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia Bureau, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In this position (Aug.2003- Feb. 2009), Mefford directed the design, implementation, and evaluation of a comprehensive economic development, democracy, health, and poverty reduction assistance portfolio (FY 2008=$650 M) and managed a field staff of 760 development professionals, in 18 countries across Europe and Eurasia.
As Deputy Assistant Administrator, Mefford lead the expansion of USAID public-private partnerships as a means of leveraging donor and private sector resources to support targeted local economic and employment development in the region, initiated through the tourism sector. In this role, he spearheaded the Adriatic Economic Development Initiative to bring together U.S. and European investors and donors to bolster the economic growth of nations on the Adriatic coastline through the development of sustainable tourism development. He also represented USAID as the principal interlocutor with Capitol Hill, the Assistance Coordinator at the Department of State, the National Security Council, the Office of Management and Budget and other U.S. Government agencies regarding policy and programming in Europe.
Mefford possesses extensive experience in international development, trade, and public affairs. His previous government appointments include Senior Advisor, International Information Programs, Department of State and Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. Mefford has also held various private sector positions, including: Vice President for International Trade at Hill and Knowlton, Inc; Public Affairs Account Executive with Scott Prenn in London; and, Government Affairs Manager for Merrill Dow Pharmaceuticals. From 1992-1999, Mefford co-founded and served as Development Director and on the Board of Directors of Lifeline Humanitarian Organization, a London-based, non-governmental relief organization that delivers emergency aid and continuing care to victims of civil conflict, political strife, and natural disaster in the Balkans and Eastern Europe. He currently serves on the Board of the Baltic American Partnership Fund and on the Directing Committee of OECD’s Trento Italy Centre for Local Economic and Employment Development.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Mefford earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Wake Forest University in North Carolina and a juris doctor in law from the University of Cincinnati.
