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Meet the ​Members of the Students & Young Professionals Program at the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Commercial Service

   
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Directors:

  • Dorette Coetsee, State & Acting Regional Director, 2008–Present: Dorette is the South Carolina State Director and has served as the Acting South Regional Director for the U.S. Commercial Service, overseeing 11 states. Dorette has led the Students & Young Professionals Program since she and Joey Ravenna developed the Program in late 2024. In her nearly twenty years at the U.S. Commercial Service, Dorette has led a number of initiatives, including developing the Mid-Atlantic Network's congressional outreach initiative, organizing Discover Global Markets: The Americas, and leading various workshops and roadshows. Dorette continues to personally counsel over 100 clients each year, and she has become a recognized authority in international trade, having given keynote remarks at the Harvard Law Entrepreneurship Project's annual convention and represented the agency to the Vice President of the United States. She is a native South African. She received her M.B.A. from the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina and her B.Sc. (Honors) and B.Sc., both in Agriculture Horticulture, from the University of Pretoria. She can be reached at Dorette.Coetsee@trade.gov.


  • Robert Stackpole, State Director, Fall 2025: Robert is the Alabama State Director for the U.S. Commercial Service. He oversaw the Students & Young Professionals Program in the fall of 2025, broadening the Program's scope to include organizational planning for the U.S. Commercial Service at large. He can be reached at Robert.Stackpole@trade.gov.


Senior Associates:

  • Joseph "Joey" Ravenna, Senior Export Associate, 2020–2022, 2024–Present: Joey serves as a Senior Associate for the U.S. Commercial Service, having led this Students & Young Professionals Program through four cohorts. He and Dorette Coetsee originated this Program for the Southern Network in late 2024, and they also previously collaborated to create the Mid-Atlantic Network’s congressional outreach initiative in 2021. Before transitioning to the Commercial Service, Joey began in Commerce's Industry Monitoring & Analysis Unit in 2020. He brought experience at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, the National Bureau of Economic Research, and the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. Joey is pursuing his M.B.A. at Harvard Business School and received his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School. He received his B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of Business and his B.A. in Political Science from the College at the University of Pennsylvania, summa cum laude, and has passed the New York bar exam. He can be reached at Joseph.Ravenna@trade.gov.


  • Edisis Hunter, Senior Export Associate, Spring 2025: Edisis served as a Senior Associate for the U.S. Commercial Service in the spring of 2025, developing project management dashboards using Power BI and Salesforce. Additionally, she contributed to intern recruitment, screening, interviewing, and onboarding processes. Her analytical work supported applicant and outcome evaluations and informed targeted outreach strategies through data visualizations. Her experience spans user research and user design, including leading the redesign of a mental health-focused app and implementing A/B testing to assess its effectiveness. Edisis also brings skills in research and market analysis. She has served as a research assistant at the Institute of Gerontology on an Alzheimer’s disease project and conducted market research in the hospitality industry. Edisis received her M.S. in Business Analytics from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. With an undergraduate foundation in Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, she approaches data analysis through the lens of user behavior and perception.

Junior Associates:

  • Ishon Liao, Junior Export Associate, 2025–Present: Ishon serves as a Junior Associate for the U.S. Commercial Service, having joined the Program in its first cohort in the spring of 2025. With a strong interest in international trade, international relations, and global markets, he supports the mission of the U.S. Commercial Service by leading the Program's business-to-business and structural projects team. Ishon is enthusiastic about helping U.S. businesses explore new markets and exploring the intersection of business and international policy. He’s active in several organizations at his school, including an entrepreneurship fraternity, the Carolina Diplomacy Initiative, and student government. Ishon hails from Orange County, California, and in his personal life, enjoys playing sports, exploring the wilderness, and listening to music. Ishon is a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, studying Political Science and Business Administration. He can be reached at Ishon.Liao@trade.gov.


  • Travis Kimball, Junior Export Associate, 2025–Present: Travis serves as a Junior Associate for the U.S. Commercial Service, having joined the Program in its first cohort in the spring of 2025. He leads a business-to-business generalist team that focuses on market research, client engagement, and process improvement. In this role, he supports small and mid-sized U.S. businesses exploring global markets by identifying foreign market entry opportunities, managing client relationships, and developing more efficient workflows for the agency. His process improvement initiatives have enhanced the Commercial Service’s ability to connect U.S. firms with international partners and maximize the impact of its resources. His areas of expertise include European policy and international affairs, economic theory and policy, and applied policy analysis. Travis is committed to leveraging economic analysis to inform strategic decision-making and strengthen the global competitiveness of U.S. businesses. Travis is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, double majoring in Economics and Political Science with a minor in Business Administration from the Kenan-Flagler Business School. He can be reached at Travis.Kimball@trade.gov.

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  • Isaiah Flores, Junior Export Associate, 2025: Isaiah served as a Junior Associate for the U.S. Commercial Service, having joined the Program in its first cohort in the spring of 2025. Isaiah led the Program's market analytics team, bringing prior experience in investment banking at J.P. Morgan. He is passionate about supporting small businesses, using market research to help connect business owners with the resources they need to grow. Originally from Amarillo, Texas, he enjoys running along the Charles River and birdwatching in his free time. Isaiah is a junior at Harvard College, studying Economics with a secondary in Environmental Science and Public Policy.


  • Eden Cho, Junior Export Associate, Spring 2025–Summer 2025: Eden served as a Junior Associate for the U.S. Commercial Service, having joined the Program in its first cohort in the spring of 2025. He led the Program's congressional outreach team, bringing experience both from Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and the World Bank. He was a senior and James O. Freedman Presidential Scholar at Dartmouth College, studying History.


  • Charlotte Steers, Junior Export Associate, Spring 2025: Charlotte served as a Junior Associate for the U.S. Commercial Service in the Program's first cohort. Charlotte led a team of Analysts on the trade promotion team, conducting market research for U.S. small and mid-sized businesses entering international markets. She facilitated client meetings to understand business needs and translated research findings into actionable reports and presentations to support their global expansion strategies. Charlotte brought experience as a research assistant at the Folks Center for International Business, where she conducted research and interviews with industry professionals, developed content for LinkedIn and YouTube, advised on website improvements, and coordinated student-industry engagement. In addition, she was a Marketing Consultant within the Darla Moore School of Business, providing go-to-market strategy recommendations and conducting audience segmentation analysis to support branding and marketing efforts. Charlotte received her M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina, specializing in Marketing with a certificate in Business Analytics.


  • Cole Gaines, Junior Export Associate, Spring 2025: Cole served as a Junior Associate for the U.S. Commercial Service in the Program's first cohort. He led the Program's market analytics team, bringing experience in wealth management at Bank of America and in big data and machine learning from Weill Cornell Medicine. At the Commercial Service, he also undertook an initiative to optimize geographic territories for U.S. field operations using mathematical modeling. He previously performed a number of research roles at the Cornell School of Operations Research & Information Engineering as well. He is pursuing his M.Sc. in Math and Computation at the London School of Economics and received his B.S. in Operations Research & Information Engineering from Cornell University.


Export Analysts:

  • Sherry Qin, Export Analyst, Summer 2025–Present: Sherry serves as an Export Analyst for the U.S. Commercial Service. On the business-to-business generalist team, she conducts market research and prepares strategic recommendations for small businesses entering international markets. She brings skills in data analysis and strategic planning in various industries. She continues to pursue opportunities at the intersection of economics and international business. Sherry Qin is a junior at the University of California, Irvine, majoring in Business Economics and minoring in Statistics.

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  • Noa Rubinstein, Export Analyst, Summer 2025–Present: Noa serves as an Export Analyst for the U.S. Commercial Service. On the business-to-business generalist team, she conducts market and distributor research for U.S. businesses looking to enter global markets. At school, she undertakes political science research and serves as an ambassador for Penn Abroad, allowing her to explore global issues outside the classroom. She is particularly interested in political economy and diplomacy, hoping to pursue a career in a related field. Noa is a rising senior at the University of Pennsylvania, studying International Relations and History.


  • Anna Slavuk, Export Analyst, Summer 2025–Fall 2025: Anna served as an Export Analyst for the U.S. Commercial Service. She brought prior experience in operational strategy and analytics from Amazon to the Program's business-to-business and structural projects team. She also brought robust marketing experience to the team, having consulted for Indiana University and several other organizations on marketing strategy. Anna is an honors student and junior at Indiana University, studying Marketing and Finance and having spent a semester at Esade.


  • Nicole Eigbedion, Export Analyst, Summer 2025: Nicole served as an Export Analyst for the U.S. Commercial Service. Nicole worked on the business-to-business and structural projects team, bringing a passion for supply chain equity to her work supporting U.S. small business exporters. ​Nicole is a junior and McNair Scholar at the University of Georgia, studying Economics and International Relations with minors in Public Policy & Management and Spanish.

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  • Garrett Paik, Export Analyst, Summer 2025: Garrett served as an Export Analyst for the U.S. Commercial Service, on the business-to-business and structural projects team. He brought to the team prior federal experience at the U.S. Department of Defense and artificial intelligence sectoral knowledge from Axon, continuing on to the U.S. Department of Justice following this role and McKinsey & Company thereafter. Garrett is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, studying American History.


  • Mark Madya, Export Analyst, Summer 2025: Mark served as an Export Analyst for the U.S. Commercial Service. Supporting the congressional outreach team, Mark met frequently with State Directors in the U.S. South, coordinating and drafting their updates to Congress on the Commercial Service's work. Mark is a junior at the University of Pennsylvania, studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics with an interest in public policy and law.

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  • John Mo, Export Analyst, Spring 2025: John served as an Export Analyst for the U.S. Commercial Service. On the market analytics team, he supported small American technology businesses in expanding to international markets. John conducted research and business promotion initiatives to help companies identify opportunities to connect with potential partners abroad. John is deeply interested in startups, finance, and technology; beyond professional interests, he is passionate about basketball, rowing, listening to music, and learning about innovations in technology. He is a sophomore at the University of Chicago, double-majoring in Economics and Data Science.


  • Brendon Phuong, Export Analyst, Spring 2025: Brendon served as an Export Analyst for the U.S. Commercial Service, on the trade promotion team. He brought previous experience in marketing and communications from LinkedIn, finance from the Santa Clara Board of Supervisors, and consulting from the Center for Social Sector Leadership at Berkeley Haas. He has also researched at the Nicholas C. Petris Center on Empirical Health Care Market and Consumer Welfare. Brendon is a senior pursuing his B.S. in Business Administration at the Haas School of Business and his B.A. in Economics, at the University of California, Berkeley.

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  • Jeremy Ward, Export Analyst, Spring 2025: Jeremy served as an Export Analyst for the U.S. Commercial Service. On the trade promotion team, he created industry analysis and market expansion strategies for U.S. small businesses in the chemicals sector. Jeremy brought experience as an impact investment analyst at Scholars of Finance, where he conducted due diligence and helped optimize portfolio strategy. At school, he also served as vice president of the International House. Jeremy’s core skill set includes financial modeling, market research, data analysis, and workflow automation using tools such as Excel, Tableau, and Power BI. Jeremy is a senior pursuing a B.S. in Environmental Economics & Policy at the University of California, Berkeley.