The Center for International Trade Development hosted its first annual “Integrating Global Trade and Logistics and Cybersecurity” Conference in San Francisco from November 12-14, 2015. The theme of the event was “Protecting Intellectual, Digital, and Physical Assets,” and the Conference brought together experts from the U.S. government, academia, Fortune 1000 Retailers, manufacturers, technology and logistics service providers, as well as students from Skyline College, the Middlebury International Institute, Excelsior University and Robert Morris University.
This auspicious conference was met with resounding enthusiasm and excitement by all who participated in the event. Located at the historic Westin St. Francis hotel in downtown San Francisco, the conference was attended by many students, faculty, industry leaders, and international delegations. The impressive roster of speakers included Bindiya Vakil, CEO of Resilinc, Michele Robinson, Chief Information Security Officer for the State of California, Murray Dunn, CEO of iControl, as well as other trade and security experts from the healthcare industry, Juniper Networks, Facebook, and the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. They kept the audience engaged with their insights on the security risks of using wi-fi and smartphones, the data protection measures being used in hospitals, and steps needed to ensure that freight and goods travel quickly and securely across local, national, and international borders.
The IGTLC Conference inspired and benefitted not just local companies and business leaders, but students as well. The Center for International 
Trade Development’s own student intern, Ms. Angele Kizler, leveraged her networking skills and impressed conference guests and speakers so much that she received four internship offers! She appreciated the opportunities the conference presented and says she is excited about the experience she is about to gain and apply towards her career goal of becoming either a nurse or future exporter.
For more information about the Bay Area Center for International Trade Development, and to learn more about speakers and view their presentations from the Conference please visit www.bayareacitd.org.
The Center for International Trade Development is housed at Skyline College in the Division of Global Learning Programs and Services.
Article by Alina Din | Pictures by Gino De Grandis
