U.S.-Mexico Trade Business Breakfast with the LACC: Tariffs and Upcoming Review of the USMCA

Diego Marroquín Bitar is the Inaugural Bersin-Foster North America Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center and the driving force behind their North America research agenda. He co-founded the North America Project at the US-Mexico Foundation and the non-profit North America 3.0.

As a think-tanker, Diego specializes in North American trade, investment, energy integration, labor mobility, and US-Mexico relations. His insights are frequently featured in publications such as Bloomberg, El Universal, Foreign Affairs, NPR, Politico, Reforma, The Hill, The New York Times, The Economist, and The Financial Times. Before joining the Wilson Center, Diego worked as a Senior Researcher at the Brookings Institution, a Fellow at the US-Mexico Foundation, and a Consultant at The Economist Intelligence Unit. He created the Brookings USMCA Tracker and Scorecard. Diego received his  BA from ITAM in Mexico City and earned his Masters in Public Policy from Georgetown University, where he was honored with the Global Leadership Award.

Jim Reed is President of YKK Corporation of America, the parent company of the YKK Americas Group. In this role, he is responsible for YKK’s operations in the Western Hemisphere, which consist of 19 dynamic operating companies spanning six time zones in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. 

Prior to becoming President, Jim served as YKK’s Chief Legal Counsel. Prior to joining YKK, Jim was in-house counsel for Georgia-Pacific, LLC and also served as managing director of intellectual property licensing for BellSouth (and later AT&T).  He was also an associate with Troutman Sanders LLP in Atlanta, Georgia.  

Jim currently chairs the board of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta and serves on the boards of the Atlanta Rotary Club, the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), and the Japan-America Society of Georgia, as well as The Carter Center Board of Councilors. 

A graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Georgia School of Law, he lives in Marietta, Georgia, with his wife, Sheri, and their three children.

Marek Brabec is an Operations Manager at ALBAform, with extensive experience in manufacturing and management within the automotive sector. In his role, Marek oversees the company’s middle management and plays a key role in ensuring that key performance indicators (KPIs) are consistently met. Beyond day-to-day operations, Marek is instrumental in shaping the company’s medium- to long-term strategic vision. He is deeply involved in strategic planning, including goal setting, pricing policies, budgeting, capacity calculations, and human resource planning. Additionally, he fosters strong business relationships with key partners, working closely with top management to drive sustainable growth and operational excellence.

As General Counsel of East West Manufacturing, Jonathan Picard is responsible for planning and directing all aspects of the company’s legal affairs. Jonathan is responsible for all commercial legal and dispute matters for the company globally and supports our team in managing and advising legal matters across all functions.

Prior to joining East West, Jonathan served as the North American legal director for a global manufacturing company in the food and beverage packaging industry. Previously, he was a partner at the global law firm, Squire Patton Boggs, representing public and private companies in corporate and commercial matters (including M&A transactions, joint ventures, investments and divestures, as well as a wide variety of corporate and commercial transactions).

Jonathan holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida, a juris doctorate from Florida State University College of Law, and an LLM in Taxation from New York University School of Law.