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Key Personnel Bernestine
Allen, Director OFFICE FUNCTION OFFICE MISSION: To provide Departmental leadership, direction, and coordination on international surface and intermodal transportation and trade policies and programs, including trade facilitation, technical assistance and cooperation programs, trade promotion and advocacy, multimodal transportation issues, and international diplomatic and protocol activities; to lead and coordinate Departmental representation in global transportation and trade organization. KEY OFFICE FUNCTIONS: a. Provides the Secretary with the best information available to develop international transportation policy and carry out the Department’s international responsibilities in a timely manner. Division of Diplomatic Programs and Protocol The Division is primarily responsible for all secretarial-level protocol and diplomatic activities, including arranging DOT participation in international meetings and conferences for the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Assistant Secretaries; developing foreign visit programs for senior-level DOT officials and visits to the Department by foreign dignitaries and officials. Division staff works with U.S. and foreign embassy officials to ensure coordination of U.S. DOT staff support while in-country and follow-up on issues raised during foreign visits. They also ensure that foreign inquiries to U.S. DOT for assistance are addressed in a timely manner. Division of International Cooperation and Trade Promotion The Division develops policy positions on transport and transport-related international trade matters and participates in the negotiation and implementation of trade agreements between the United States and other countries. It carries out cooperative efforts between the United States and other countries in transport-related science and technology. It develops and administers the Department’s overall relationship with international aid agencies such as the World Bank, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Trade and Development Agency (TDA), and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The Division manages Departmental participation in non-security aspects of the Security and Prosperity Partnership program as well as overall DOT involvement in NAFTA-related transportation issues. To help ensure freer and more even-handed international competition, the Division promotes the overseas interests of U.S. transportation firms. Division of Program Planning and Implementation The Division develops, with DOT modal administrations, plans for achieving Departmental International Strategic Plan (ISP) goals in the priority functional and geographic areas. It leads or supports Departmental participation in international organizations having a significant transportation component such as the Asia/Pacific Economic Community (APEC), and the Western Hemisphere Transportation Initiative (WHTI). It further coordinates Departmental international technical assistance programs, such as the Department’s Safe Skies for Africa Program, and other special projects which are multimodal in nature or which support U.S. foreign policy. Revised July 2008
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