Carmen Suro-Bredie, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Policy Coordination, spoke to an audience of students about her experiences at the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Office. Ms. Suro-Bredie coordinates trade and investment policy and negotiating positions with twenty government agencies, framing options for cabinet level and presidential decision-making while working closely with other administration officials to ensure internal coordination of policy positions.
She shared insights from projects she has worked on at USTR to illustrate an important point in negotiations – don’t miss the gorilla in the room because you are so absorbed in a task that you experience “unintentional blindness” and miss the obvious. On some occasions there is an obvious obstacle to resolving a negotiation that’s overlooked because negotiators are intently focused on one task or fall back on what they’ve always done in the past. This is why USTR urges negotiators look at a problem from every possible angle before the government moves forward with a decision. With so many people looking at the problem, eventually the obstacles will be revealed before proceeding with negotiations. These experts include government employees and public groups such as business leaders, labor groups and environmental organizations.
Ms. Suro-Bredie described USTR as an exciting place for negotiation, but you have to be a little persistent to get in. Her office is part of the Executive Office of the President with a small number of employees who generally come from other government offices. Essential skills for the job include a strong interest in “all things commercial” and international, foreign languages, and technical skills. They do have a limited number of unpaid internships that are a great way to get your foot in the door.
