Tami Overby on Trade

We were honored to have Tami Overby stop by our headquarters at Skysong and discuss the ongoing trade activities in Washington, DC and around the world. Tami is SVP of Asia for the US Chamber, and she knows trade, particularly in Asia. Tami leads international policy for the U.S. Chamber helping American companies compete and prosper in Asia. She resided in Korea for 21 years and now is involved with all the US trading partners in Asia.

The US Chamber is the largest chamber in the world, with 3 million members and connections to 3000 other organizations including 117 AmChams (American Chambers). 95% of members are 'small business' - 500 employees and less. Tami gets involved with many of them - and she mentioned some we all knew that she is working on trade issues for right now.

Some of the most interesting insights Tami shared included the background on trade negotiations by the U.S. We learned how the U.S. approaches trade deals and how it is both selective and effective in negotiating with other countries and regions.

There are 368 free trade agreements in the world, and only 20 of them involve the U.S.

Three important trade agreements being negotiated that Tami discussed were TTIP, TPP and TPA. All are important for the U.S. and the world, and there is reason for optimism that all 3 will be completed. The DOHA WTO trade negotiations? Don't bet on it.

Follow the trade deal activity in the news and at the US Chamber. You can see their primary international initiatives including their support of the U.S. government by clicking here.

More on Tami Overby:.

Tami Overby is responsible for developing, promoting, and executing programs and policies relating to U.S. trade and investment in Asia. She works closely with U.S. Chamber member companies, business coalitions, AmChams, government leaders, and business executives to achieve their business objectives in this very important part of the world. Overby and her team led the efforts for the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement ratification. She works with a talented senior-level group of professionals including Jeremie Waterman, executive director for China and senior policy adviser for Asia; Jim Fatheree, senior director for Japan and Korea; Esperanza Jelalian, director for South Asia; and John Goyer, senior director for Southeast Asia.

Before joining the U.S. Chamber as vice president for Asia in 2009, Overby lived and worked in South Korea for 21 years. There she worked with AIG and William M. Mercer Ltd. and spent the last 14 years leading AmCham Korea, aiming to improve the business environment for member companies in Korea. During this time, she was actively engaged in ensuring that Korea entered America’s Visa Waiver Program. Overby raised the profile of AmCham Korea to make it the largest, most influential foreign business group in Korea.

In recognition of her efforts for promoting mutually cooperative economic relations between South Korea and the United States, Overby was awarded the Korean Order of Industrial Service Merit, Silver Tower by President Lee Myung-Bak in June 2009. She was previously recognized with a Letter of Citation (Bronze Tower) from both President Roh Moo-Hyun and President Kim Dae-Jung. In April 2007, Overby was awarded an Honorary Citizenship of Seoul from Mayor Oh Se-Hoon.

In Korea, Overby was active in charitable programs like the Pearl S. Buck Foundation, the Seoul Children’s Welfare Committee, and AmCham’s Partnership for the Future Foundation, which raised more than $8 million and helped more than 1,400 Korean university students obtain full scholarships.