Philadelphia, PA – The Foreign Policy Research Institute, the Mid-Atlantic – Russia Business Council (MARBC), the Bucks County International Trade Council, the Chester County Economic Development Council and the World Affairs Council of Greater Valley Forge are pleased to announce the upcoming seminar entitled “International Trade and Globalization” with Franklin L. Lavin, the Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade. The event will be held on Wednesday, June 7, 2006 from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm at the Union League of Philadelphia, located at 140 South Broad Street in Philadelphia.

Ambassador Lavin served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore (2001-2005) and prior to that worked as a banker and venture capitalist in Hong Kong and Singapore, serving in senior banking and management positions at Citibank and Bank of America. During the George H. W. Bush administration, Lavin served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Asia and the Pacific. In that position, he was responsible for commercial policy, assisting companies with market access, and trade negotiations for all of East Asia, except Japan. He has also held staff positions at the White House, the State Department, and the National Security Council.

Ambassador Lavin earned a B.S.F.S. at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, an M.S. in Chinese Language and History, also from Georgetown, an M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from the School of Advanced International Relations at Johns Hopkins University, and an M.B.A. in Finance at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Lavin is a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserves.

MARBC would like to invite those are interested in international trade issues to attend the seminar. Entry is free for MARBC members; others may attend for a fee of $20. Reservations are required. To RSVP, please contact the Foreign Policy Research Institute by phone: (215) 732-3774, ext 303 or by email: lux@fpri.org. For further information on the seminar, please contact Val Kogan of the Mid-Atlantic-Russia Business Council by phone: (215) 708-2628 or by email: val@ma-rbc.org.