U.S. CBP Roundtable Discussion: Tech, Trade, Transparency

Event Details

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a unified law enforcement border agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responsible for securing U.S. borders while facilitating the flow of trade that is vital to the economy. In response to disruptions and changes to trade and supply chains in the Southeast Asia region, CBP has curated programs and initiatives to ensure the seamless flow of goods between the regions.

As part of their visit to Singapore, CBP Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Internal Affairs Debbie Seguin, Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Trade John Leonard, and Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner for the Office Field Operations Diane Sabatino will be engaging with industry partners on a wide range of issues.

Join us at this in-person roundtable session with U.S. Customs and Border Protection leaders as they share about CBP's programs, focus and initiatives.

Due to limited space, we encourage AmCham members to limit their registrations to one representative per company. We encourage members who import goods between the U.S. and Southeast Asia to attend.

Please note as per MOH guidelines from 14 Feb 2022, persons aged 18 years and above who have completed the primary vaccination series and are eligible for booster vaccination will be considered as fully vaccinated for 270 days after the last dose in their primary vaccination series.

* For any enquires please contact the AmCham Programming and Events Team at pe@amcham.com.sg.

Speakers

Debbie Seguin

U.S. CBP Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Internal Affairs

John Leonard

U.S. CBP Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Trade

Diane Sabatino

U.S. CBP Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner for the Office Field Operations

Nathan Bush

Partner, SG, Head of Investigations, Head of Antitrust and Competition, Asia at DLA Piper

Debbie W. Seguin is the Assistant Commissioner for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of International Affairs (INA). As the INA Assistant Commissioner, Ms. Seguin is responsible for coordinating CBP’s multi-lateral initiatives with international partners, providing capacity building training to foreign counterparts in coordination with CBP’s operational offices, and leading CBP efforts to achieve international agreements and joint efforts that both facilitate and secure legitimate trade and travel.

Prior to joining CBP, Ms. Seguin served in multiple roles at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (ICE) to include the Assistant Director for the Office of Policy and Planning. In this role, she was responsible for the development of policies that govern the agency’s administration and operations, oversight of ICE’s regulatory initiatives, and coordinating policy and regulatory engagements with the Department of Homeland Security and other Executive Branch agencies. Further, Ms. Seguin held the position of Chief of the Government Information Law Division, in the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor at ICE Headquarters; where she oversaw the nationwide Government Information Law Program and effectively coordinated divisional work with stakeholders.

Prior to her roles at ICE, Ms. Seguin served as a Senior Attorney at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), where she provided legal support to DEA leadership and personnel on a range of general law matters, including information disclosure, appropriations, ethics, personnel, and environmental law. Ms. Seguin began her federal service as an Attorney Advisor with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where she practiced in the fields of privacy, e-discovery, appropriations, and intellectual property law.

Assistant Commissioner Seguin holds a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis and a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law. She has been a member of the Senior Executive Service since 2016.

Mr. John P. Leonard is the Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner (DEAC) of Office of Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Mr. Leonard oversees a diverse portfolio of trade enforcement, security, and facilitation to enable legitimate trade, contribute to American economic prosperity, and protect against risks to public health and safety. His work ranges from enforcing over 500 U.S. trade laws, to overseeing 14 trade agreements, to directing CBP’s seven Priority Trade Issues in collaboration with 49 partner government agencies.

Mr. Leonard previously served as the Executive Director for Trade Policy and Programs, Office of Trade until March 2021, leading CBP's strategic efforts on Intellectual Property Rights, textiles, import safety, and antidumping and countervailing duties, while also responsible for policy guidance on trade agreements, interagency collaboration and public-private partnerships. Mr. Leonard has implemented two revolutionary e-Commerce pilots that allow for instantaneous data collection on low-value shipments, established the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement Center and modernized U.S. customs brokers policy.

Mr. Leonard has over 30 years of experience at CBP and the former U.S. Customs Service, first beginning his career as an Import Specialist in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1989. Since then, he has worked in various leadership positions at CBP, from 2013 to 2017 as CBP Attaché to Singapore, and prior to this as the Area Port Director of San Francisco. As Area Port Director, he oversaw passenger operations at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and cargo operations at the Oakland Seaport.

Mr. Leonard holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a master's degree in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University. He is a graduate of the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School Senior Executive Fellows program and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®).

Diane J. Sabatino became the Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Office of Field Operations in July 2020.

In this role, Mrs. Sabatino oversees nearly 31,250 employees including approximately 25,400 CBP Officers and CBP Agriculture Specialists that protect U.S. borders. An annual operating budget of $6.5 billion provides for operations at over 330 ports of entry, and many programs that support the national security, immigration, customs, and commercial trade-related missions of CBP.

Prior to her current assignment, Mrs. Sabatino served as the Director, Field Operations of Miami and Tampa Field Offices for nearly five years starting in August 2015. As the DFO, she had a workforce of over 2,800 employees with oversight of all inspectional operations throughout the State of Florida encompassing 12 seaports, including the top 3 cruise ship ports in the world; and 19 airports, to include Miami International Airport. While serving as the DFO, she was also designated as the Lead Field Coordinator for Incident Response charged with managing the response to multiple hurricanes for all U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) resources that comprise FEMA Region IV.

From September 2011 to August 2015, Mrs. Sabatino served as the Port Director for CBP at the Port of Miami managing complex operations for maritime cargo and the largest cruise passenger port in the country. Prior to her appointment as the Port Director, Mrs. Sabatino was the Assistant Port Director, Passenger Operations, at Miami International Airport. In that capacity, she was responsible for the oversight of all international passenger inspections and enforcement activities.

A native of New Jersey, Mrs. Sabatino graduated from Fordham University, New York City, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and a minor in Philosophy. She began her Federal Law Enforcement career in 1998 as an Immigration Inspector at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Mrs. Sabatino has also attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Senior Executives in National and International Security Program; and the Department of Homeland Security, Partnership for Public Service Fellows Program.

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The American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore

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