Economy

Trade Policy Veteran Joins SMA Staff

January 16, 2018

Jean Carroll Kemp, a Washington trade and public policy veteran, has joined the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Trade Policy.

“Jean’s experience and character make her uniquely qualified for this role at the SMA. She is a trade policy expert adept at creating solutions to the sensitive and complex global challenges facing our industry,” said SMA President Philip Bell.

Added Bell: “This is a newly created position that represents SMA’s desire to increase our focus on government affairs and trade policy. This is the first time we have had someone serve in this capacity.” Bell’s role as president is unchanged.

Kemp previously served in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) as Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Industrial Competitiveness. During her 14 years at USTR, she also served as Director, Industrial Metals, Materials and Energy and as Director, Steel Trade Policy, developing strategies and recommendations for multilateral and bilateral trade agreements and enforcement matters, and leading policy meetings of the OECD, G20 and Global Steel Forum. Her work included dispute settlement cases at the World Trade Organization and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations on energy and raw materials.

Prior to USTR, Kemp spent 16 years at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where she administered U.S. trade remedy cases and served as a policy analyst and advisor. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in International Relations, Kemp began her government service in Washington as a congressional staffer in the Office of U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski (R-AK).

SMA’s EAF steelmaker members represent over 75 percent of domestic steelmaking capacity.