More About
MIIS International Trade Association
The goal of the MIIS International Trade Association is to promote understanding of ongoing trade issues and to cultivate professional excellence amongst graduate students here at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
This club enhances the real world application of student skills and knowledge by engaging with current events in a lively, informal dialogue. Open to all students at MIIS regardless of academic program, MITA creates bridges between disciplines and opportunities for personal and professional growth.
In addition to regular club meetings, MITA provides opportunities for professional development by hosting an Annual Bi-Coastal Trade Talks Conference, inviting guest speakers, and keeping its members informed of upcoming networking and career opportunities in the world of trade.
Our Team
Get to Know Us
Adam Anderson
President
Adam Anderson is a first-year student at MIIS, pursuing a Master's degree in International Trade and Economic Diplomacy with a specialization in the international political economy of East Asia. A student of Mandarin Chinese, his studies and experience center upon the complicated relationships between the United States, China, and Taiwan. A 2018 graduate of the School of International Studies at the University of the Pacific, Adam earned a double-major in International Relations and Chinese Language and Studies, along with a minor in Economics. Being awarded the 2016 Boren Scholarship and the 2017 Critical Language Scholarship allowed Adam to live and study in Shanghai, China and Tainan, Taiwan throughout his undergraduate Junior year and summer. His recent internship with the California Chamber of Commerce has sparked a keen interest in the world of trade promotion. Adam is now pursuing a career that will utilize his talents to expand political and economic cooperation between the United States and partners abroad. Adam is honored to serve as the President of the MIIS International Trade Association, and strives to create opportunities for his peers to engage with the world of trade in meaningful and dynamic ways.
Benjamin Wollam
Outreach Coordinator
Benjamin is a first year International Trade and Economic Diplomacy master's degree candidate, specializing in US-China-Latin America trade and investment; his language of study is Mandarin. A product of Washington, D.C. public schools, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014, double majoring in International Political Economy and East Asian Studies/Mandarin. An avid activist, Benjamin served as President of the local chapter of Oxfam International, frequently leading petition signings and nonviolent protests. Post-graduation, he served as a Bilingual AmeriCorps Leader, completing two years of early literacy tutoring in Title I schools. Before MIIS, Benjamin was a second grade bilingual teacher with KIPP Austin Public Schools, where he spearheaded a new teacher development program. In addition to his post as MIIS International Trade Association (MITA) Director of Outreach and Advocacy, Benjamin is honored to serve as the ITED Program Representative.
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Peter Skarlatos
Treasurer
A Sacramento, CA native, Peter Skarlatos is a current International Trade and Economic Diplomacy Masters candidate at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. He is interested in issues of trade compliance related to the Pacific Rim, particularly China and Japan. Prior to that he served six years in the U.S. Navy as an Arabic Language Analyst and attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. Afterwards he attended the University of California, Davis and received a Bachelors in Linguistics and minoring in Japanese and before attending MIIS taught English in Yamagata, Japan for one year on the JET Program.
Angelo Gonzalez
Director of Development
Angelo is a first year International Policy & Development and International Trade & Economic Diplomacy dual master’s degree candidate, specializing in Global Poverty and Inequality; his language of study in Spanish. Originally from the bay area, Angelo calls Texas home, he graduated from Texas A&M University in 2017, majoring in International Studies, specializing in Latin American Politics and minoring in Sociology & Economics. Angelo had several internships working at the Texas State Capitol during the legislative session for a Texas House Representative as well as the Office of Sustainability for Texas A&M. Post-graduation, he worked as a harvest intern at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars learning how to make wine. Subsequently, he became a political campaign manager for a Congressional primary elections candidate, Eric Holguin. After winning the primary in May 2018, he left for Europe to complete the El Camino de Santiago for a 500 mile month-long hike. In addition to being a student at MIIS, Angelo serves on the executive board for MIIS International Trade Association as Director of Development and produces and co-hosts the MIIS Radio Podcast Group.
Emily Laur
Officer
Emily is currently pursuing dual master’s in International Policy and Development (IPD) and International Trade and Economic Diplomacy (ITED), specializing in Global Poverty and Inequality at Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) with Mandarin Chinese as her language of study. Emily strives to view the changing dynamics of global issues through multiple lenses. She graduated from Colorado College in 2017 with double majors in Environmental Policy and International Affairs, focusing studies on sustainable development and China’s evolving role in global environmental governance. She has conducted field research in Japan with support from the Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment, in China, and in Tanzania, working with local populations to better understand issues of agricultural sustainability, gender dynamics, environmental enforcement, and infrastructure development, through the perspectives of the affected communities. Through her multidisciplinary background, she hopes to become the connective tissue between stakeholders within the field of international development.
Benjamin Orenstein
Communications Director
Ben Orenstein is a first year student from Los Angeles, California. He is pursuing a joint Master's degree in International Policy Development and International Trade and Economic Diplomacy, while specializing in Arabic and the Middle East.
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Pia Park
Officer
Pia is a Monterey local and is currently pursuing the joint Master of Public Administration and M.A. in International Trade and Policy degree at MIIS. Her spoken languages are French and Korean.
Lucia Wittenberg
Web Design
Lucia is currently pursuing the Master's of International Trade and Economic Diplomacy at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Lucia is motivated by her background in development to pursue a career in sustainable supply chain management and market access in emerging countries. Her spoken languages are Nepali and Spanish.