Customs and Excise Council Meeting: Coffee and Tariffs

Join AMCHAM?s Customs and Excise Council for an exclusive morning event featuring insights from a former senior US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official currently working in Seoul, South Korea. This session offers valuable perspectives on the current state of Thailand-US trade relations and provides strategic approaches to minimize tariff exposure, maximize compliance, and stay off Customs? radar in these challenging times. Our distinguished speaker will address the current trade landscape, including a focus on the recent Executive Order ?Strengthening Customs Enforcement,? which will have a significant effect on any company exporting to the United States. John will also share insider knowledge on CBP trends, recent legislation, and tariff refunds. Please register to gain a unique opportunity to better understand the current complexities of international trade. This event promises to deliver actionable insights to help navigate the ever-changing world of tariffs and trade regulations About Speakers: John Patrick Leonard is a Senior Advisor in the International Trade & Customs Practice at Kim & Chang and one of the most credentialed US trade and customs authorities in private practice today. A former Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner at US Customs and Border Protection, one of the top ten leaders of the largest law enforcement agency in the United States, he oversaw trade law enforcement, supply chain security, ESG initiatives, and customs modernization, engaging regularly with senior government officials and executives at major US importers and exporters. He now advises clients on the full spectrum of US trade and customs issues, including forced labor, tariffs, free trade agreements, antidumping and countervailing duties, and e-commerce trade. Leonard holds a master's in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University, is a Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executive Fellow, and a certified Project Management Professional. Paul Summer is Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Paul is experienced in advising clients on various aspects of customs and international trade, with particular focus on the valuation of goods for customs purposes and audit and investigation defense. He is actively involved with customs and BOI compliance issues, including internal compliance reviews, dispute resolution, optimizing preferential trading arrangements and implementing customs valuation and tariff classification solutions. Our distinguished speaker will cover analysis of the current trade landscape, along with practical advice for exporters and importers on ''weathering the storm,'' and share insider knowledge on CBP's near and long-term enforcement strategies. Please register to gain a unique opportunity to better understand the current complexities of international trade. This event promises to deliver actionable insights to help navigate the ever-changing world of tariffs and trade regulations About Speakers: John Patrick Leonard is a senior advisor in the International Trade & Customs Practice at Kim & Chang. As an international trade expert, he advises clients on a wide range of issues relating to US trade and customs laws, including forced labor, tariffs, free trade agreements, antidumping/countervailing duties, classification/valuation, duty drawback, intellectual property rights and e-commerce trade. Prior to joining the firm, he served as the Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner (?DEAC?) of the Office of Trade at the US Customs and Border Protection (?CBP?), one of the top ten leaders of the largest law enforcement agency in the United States. As the DEAC, he oversaw a diverse portfolio ? enforcement of US trade laws and agreements, facilitating legitimate trade and protecting public health and safety, and supply chain security, environmental, social and governance (?ESG?), and customs system modernization initiatives. He would regularly meet with US and overseas government officials, as well as high level executives of all major US importers and exporters. Mr. Leonard holds a bachelor?s degree from the University of Massachusetts 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?s Senior Executive Fellows program and a certified Project Management Professional (?PMP?).

• Thursday Jul 16, 2026