To register for this event, click HERE or contact Gloria Penas at 402.596.1210, mita@mitaonline.org.

Registration Deadline: Thursday, May 7, 2026

Late Registration Fee:  $10/person

Beth Richardson

Consul General of Canada in Minneapolis

Beth Richardson was appointed Consul General of Canada in Minneapolis in August 2023. As Canada's Consul General in the Upper Midwest, Ms. Richardson works to strengthen trade and economic ties; reinforce our security alliances; enhance political, academic and cultural links; and assist Canadians visiting or living in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Richardson joined Global Affairs Canada in 1996, where she has worked in in the Eastern Europe and Eurasia Division, on the Afghanistan Task Force and at the Canadian International Development Agency. Her assignments abroad include Seoul, London, Moscow, Miami and Vilnius, Lithuania.

Ambassador Darci Vetter

Principal

Sower Strategies, LLC

Ambassador Darci Vetter is a global public policy leader and trusted advisor working at the intersection of agriculture, sustainability, and international trade. With more than two decades of experience across government, business, and the nonprofit sector, she helps organizations navigate complex global policy environments and advance more resilient food systems. 

Darci served as Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, a Senate-Confirmed appointment where she led agricultural negotiations for a 12-nation Asia-Pacific trade agreement and concluded key agreements with Brazil, China, and other major partners. She also served as Deputy Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade where she oversaw the Foreign Agricultural Service, including global market access, food assistance, and capacity-building programs.

Following public service, Darci held executive leadership roles as Head of Global Public Policy at both The Nature Conservancy and PepsiCo, advancing policies on regenerative agriculture, climate action, renewable energy, health and nutrition, and sustainable packaging. Darci currently advises companies, nonprofits, and international organizations on aligning policy and market incentives to support sustainable agriculture and global trade.

Kellie Meiman

Senior Counselor

McLarty Associates 

A long-time Latin America and trade policy hand, Kellie for over three decades has managed the most challenging issues confronting companies as they seek to manage global operations, tackle market access barriers, and grow internationally. She worked for nearly a decade as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer at the Department of State, serving in Bogota, Colombia, and throughout Brazil in Porto Alegre, São Paulo, and Recife. Her final posting was at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative as Director for Brazil and the Southern Cone.

Kellie joined McLarty Associates in 2000, originally founding the firm’s trade and Brazil/Southern Cone practices and eventually becoming Managing Partner. She is now Senior Counselor to the firm and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She also guest lectures at University of Nebraska and McGill University. Kellie is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, chairs the Women’s Foreign Policy Group Leadership Council, and is on the board of the Inter-American Dialogue and the Washington Campus. 

Cicely Batie

Policy Advisor to the Governor

Office of Governor Jim Pillen

Cicely Batie is a policy advisor to Governor Jim Pillen on agriculture, natural resources, and energy issues. She acts as a liaison between several state agencies and the Governor’s office to coordinate regulation enforcement and policy development. Prior to joining the Governor’s office in January 2023, Batie served as the Deputy Director for the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. She began her career as a Legislative Aide for Senator Fischer in Washington, D.C. where she also covered the agriculture and environment policy portfolio.

Batie grew up on her family’s farm in South Central Nebraska and works to keep agriculture an innovative and dynamic industry in the state. Batie has a Bachelor of Arts from Nebraska Wesleyan University in Global Studies and German Language and a Master of Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Agricultural Economics. 

Stephen Zambo

Founder and CEO

The AGL Group

Stephen Zambo is the Founder and CEO of The AGL Group, a global, end-to-end logistics and supply chain solutions provider with office in Massachusetts, Florida, Pennsylvania and Colombia. Under his leadership, AGL has scaled into a high-performance international platform, exporting more than 55,000 TEUs annually, managing over 10,000 domestic brokerage shipments, and operating as a fully licensed customs brokerage. The company has developed a strong niche in agricultural commodities, particularly lumber and logs, serving clients across complex global supply chains.

Stephen brings a deep, operator-level understanding of international logistics, trade, and supply chain execution. Prior to founding AGL, he held a role with Mediterranean Shipping Company in the VIP export division, where he managed strategic global accounts including BDP International and Mercedes-Benz. Earlier in his career, he demonstrated early entrepreneurial leadership by launching the Los Angeles branch of an IT recruiting firm.

Known for his practical, execution-focused approach, Stephen speaks on topics including global logistics strategy, scaling brokerage and freight platforms, international trade flows, and building high-growth operational teams.

He is also a husband, a father, an avis basketball fan, and lately has been spending a lot of time developing AI tools for AGL. He brings a grounded, long-term perspective to both business and leadership.

Erin Saxby

Vice President of Enterprise Data & AI

FNBO

Erin Saxby is Vice President of Enterprise Data & AI at FNBO, where she combines 30 years of financial services and technology experience with a passion for making artificial intelligence work for people, not just processes. She believes AI's real power isn't in replacing human judgment—it's in enhancing it, uncovering insights we might miss, and freeing people to focus on what matters most.

Since 2023, Erin has been leading FNBO's generative AI journey from the ground up, building the strategy, adoption practices, and governance frameworks that help the bank harness this technology responsibly. Throughout her career, she's focused on turning emerging technologies into practical innovations that improve how customers experience banking. She's particularly committed to responsible AI integration—championing solutions that deliver measurable business value while keeping the human element at the heart of financial services.

Caleb Hall

Director, US Customs Brokerage

Scarbrough International, LTD

Caleb Hall is the Director of US Customs Brokerage for Scarbrough International. He has been with Scarbrough for twelve years and has been a Licensed Customs Broker since 2016. Having spent most of his time working with Customs clearance into the US, Caleb has dealt with clearances for just about any type of commodity, from machine parts and plastics to firearms and food items. His background in education helps him ensure that his team is always up to date on the latest developments in the tariff regulations, which is a must in today’s ever-changing tariff landscape.

Alec Gorynski

Sr. Vice President of Economic Development

Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce

Alec Gorynski is a community and economic development leader with twenty years of leadership and practitioner experience across private, nonprofit, and government sectors. Currently, Alec serves as the Sr. Vice President of Economic Development for the Greater Omaha Chamber and Economic Development Partnership, where he leads the economic growth strategy for the Greater Omaha region. Prior leadership includes President and CEO of Lincoln Community Foundation, Vice President of Community Development for FNBO and, President of the FNBO Community Development Corporation, Vice President for Community Development at Bank of the West, and Deputy Grant Administrator for the City of Omaha Office of the Mayor. 

Alec’s career also includes extensive professional community service, where he co-founded three community development financial institutions, has been appointed by the Governor to two State of Nebraska boards, and has held numerous board, officer, and committee roles with over a dozen foundations and community development organizations.

Alec holds a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Peru State College. Alec and his wife Laura have three children: Jamie, Ben, and Claire.

Jason Ball

President & CEO

Lincoln Chamber of Commerce

Jason is president and CEO of the Five-Star Accredited Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, Visit Lincoln and the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development. Together, these programs represent the unified voice of business in Lincoln for economic development, tourism and business policy advocacy. 

Jason is a Certified Economic Developer and a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management and Oklahoma University’s Economic Development Institute. He is an active member of the International Economic Development Council, the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the U.S. Chamber’s Committee of 100 and serves on the board of the U.S. Chamber Midwest Institute for Organization Management. He was also selected as one of Development Counselors International “40 Under 40 Rising Stars in Economic Development in 2015.

Prior to his current role with the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, Jason served as the president & CEO of the Round Rock Chamber of Commerce, the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and the Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce. He also served as the director of business development for the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce for five years. Jason has prior professional experience in chemistry, technology transfer and business plan development.  A Nebraska native, Jason was raised in Sidney, Nebraska and earned his undergraduate degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University and an MBA from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. In 2024 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Nebraska Wesleyan University. 

Heath Mello

President & CEO

Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce

As President & CEO, Mello is responsible for the overall day-to-day management of the Greater Omaha Chamber, with a focus on economic development, public policy, workforce and community partnerships across an eight-county service region.

Mello currently serves as a gubernatorial appointee to the Nebraska Highway Commission and also serves as a member of the U.S. Strategic Command Consultation Committee and the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition Nebraska Advisory Committee. Mello also serves on numerous boards including the Business Ethics Alliance and Aksarben Foundation Board of Councilors.

For eight years, Mello served as a Nebraska State Senator representing South Omaha and spent four years as chairman of the Nebraska Legislature’s Appropriations Committee. While in the Legislature, Mello also served on the Nebraska Retirement Systems Committee, the Legislature’s Planning Committee, and a number of select committees and task forces. 

Prior to his time at the Greater Omaha Chamber, Mello previously served as the University of Nebraska System Vice President for External Relations, a nonprofit executive, and in various community affairs roles with Metropolitan Community College in Omaha. An Omaha native, Mello earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Phani Tej Adidam, Ph.D.

Chairman & Professor, Marketing and Entrepreneurship

College of Business Administration

University of Nebraska at Omaha

Dr. Adidam is the Ward Y. Lindley and George T. Lindley Professor of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). He is the Chairman of the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship and also the Director of CBA’s Center for International Business Initiatives. Professor Adidam is a Fulbright Specialist and has taught in more than twelve business schools across the globe as a Visiting Professor, including schools in Germany, Austria, Finland, Belgium, France, India, Egypt, Pakistan, China, and Australia. At UNO, Dr. Adidam teaches Marketing and International Business courses to undergraduate, MBA and Executive MBA students. In 2024, he received the University of Nebraska System's highest teaching award. In 2019, he received the UNO Faculty Excellence in Global Engagement Award. In 2008, he received the prestigious UNO’s Excellence in Teaching Award, and in 2007, he received the UNO Alumni Outstanding Teaching Award. Students in the Executive MBA program have awarded him the Distinguished Executive MBA Professor Award eight times in the past 25 years. As a researcher, his work was awarded the Journal of Marketing’s Marketing Science Institute/H. Paul Root Award for “…most significant contribution to the advancement of the practice of marketing” for 1999. He has published more than 40 research papers in distinguished peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Xiaoming Yang 

Professors of the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship

University of Nebraska Omaha

Dr. Xiaoming Yang earned his Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. He holds a Master’s degree from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and a Bachelor’s degree from Wuhan University, China. Currently, he is an Associate Professor in the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. His research focuses on social entrepreneurship, corporate entrepreneurship, and technology innovation. Prior to his doctoral studies, Dr. Yang accumulated seven years of professional work experience in China and Singapore. He also serves as the Executive President of the Omaha Chapter for the Asian American Entrepreneur Association.

Dr. Max Yu

Professors of the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship

University of Nebraska Omaha

Zhihao (Max) Yu is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He is a behavioral researcher studying digital interaction design, social media strategies, and human-robot interaction. His research has been published in top-tier business journals such as the Journal of Marketing Research, the Journal of Advertising, and the Journal of Business Ethics. He serves on the editorial review board of the Journal of Business Research, and his research and interviews have been featured in the Harvard Business Review and the American Marketing Association.

Dr. Yanhui Zhao

Professors of the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship

University of Nebraska Omaha

Yanhui Zhao received his Ph.D. in Marketing from Michigan State University. He is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. His research interests include marketing strategy, brand management, sales management, inter-firm relationships, and international marketing. His research has appeared in leading journals such as the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science and the Journal of Business Ethics. His work has been cited by national and international news outlets such as BBC News and CNN Business. He currently serves as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing.

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