ROGERS, Ark. – The World Trade Center Arkansas will host Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner in the Office of Trade for U.S. Customs and Border Protection from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 20.

Smith will hold a round-table session with members of the business and trade community of Arkansas. Topics for discussion may include cooperation between Customs and Border Protection and the trade community to facilitate both lawful and efficient trade, as well as to discuss updates on key trade issues.  

“Opportunities like the World Trade Center Arkansas event to discuss current issues and foster an exchange of ideas between CBP and the trade community are critical to helping promote the economic security and prosperity of the United States,” Smith said.

The Office of Trade is an Office within U.S. Customs and Border Protection which is under the Department of Homeland Security. The mission of the Office of Trade is to protect the American public through the integrated enforcement of trade laws while promoting economic prosperity through a predictable and transparent business-to government experience.

Since joining the U.S. Customs Service in 1994, Smith has served in a variety of leadership roles overseeing trade and border enforcement issues. She was selected as the executive assistant commissioner of the Office of Trade in the fall of 2014.

Previous to that Smith was the executive director for the Automated Commercial Environment Business Office (now the Trade Transformation Office). Under her leadership, Customs and Border Protection has automated trade processes through the Automated Commercial Environment Single Window, which transmits the private sector’s import-export data to 47 partner government agencies, eliminating over 200 paper forms and streamlining trade processes.

For media inquiries, contact Sam Cushman, Strategic Communications and Public Information at the World Trade Center Arkansas through email at scushman@arwtc.org.

About the World Trade Center Arkansas: The mission of the World Trade Center Arkansas is to grow trade and increase Arkansas exports by connecting Arkansas businesses to the world through international trade services. The Center fulfills the University of Arkansas’ land grant mission to serve the state as a resource and a catalyst. For more information and valuable updates, please follow the Center on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to the World Trade Center Arkansas newsletter.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.