MISSION

The U.S.-Cuba Trade Association is a 501c(6) membership-based non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. which works on behalf of its U.S. business members to protect the current trade and to expand and increase the potential for future business between the United States and Cuba.

The Association:

Provides the U.S. business community with reliable and accurate information on all issues surrounding trade and business between the United States and Cuba.

Promotess the full normalization of commercial relations between the United States and Cuba; and

Helps U.S. companies understand and know how to undertake business in Cuba;

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

The U.S.-Cuba Trade Association (USCTA) has formed strategic partnerships with two of the most important and influential national business organizations: National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC – www.nftc.org) and USA*Engage – www.usaengage.org). Both organizations have offered not only to help and support the formation of USCTA but also to facilitate its ongoing activities.

NFTC is a membership organization of 300 member companies throughout the United States and has been the business leader in promoting free trade since it was founded in 1914. USA*Engage, a membership coalition of 650 companies and associations, has been the leading business voice advocating against all policies of unilateral sanctions and for engagement.

NFTC and USA*Engage will initially help arrange jointly sponsored events. But most importantly, both NFTC and USA*Engage will provide their extensive professional lobbying personnel and experience to work on behalf of Congressional initiatives of direct concern to companies which trade with Cuba. USCTA will be able to call on these lobbyists as well as coordinate and work closely with both these organizations on efforts to protect the current business with Cuba from interference and to support and realize new measures to ease the procedures and build new business opportunities.

LEGAL ISSUES and STATUS

The U.S.-Cuba Trade Association (USCTA) has been organized as a  not-for-profit District of Columbia 501c6 corporation.  Under the advice and with the assistance of Arnold & Porter, the prestigious Washington, D.C. international law firm, USCTA complies totally with any and all  IRS regulations governing its organization and management.  Under the direction of its Board of Directors, USCTA operates with total transparency and all its deliberations and board actions will be available to any member for inspection upon request in order to avoid even the appearance of any conflict of interest or other inadvertent transgressions. The U.S.-Cuba Trade Association conducts its activities on behalf of its members in total compliance with all U.S. Government regulations governing bi-lateral relations with Cuba and does not and will not represent or work on behalf of the Government of Cuba or any other outside entity.

ASSOCIATION LEADERSHIP

President
Kirby Jones, President of Alamar Associates, is President of the U.S.-Cuba Trade Association. Kirby has been traveling to Cuba since 1974 when as a CBS Special Correspondent he interviewed Fidel Castro for CBS Reports. Called by the New York Times as “the man to see about doing business with Cuba,” Kirby has arranged visits to Cuba for more than 500 U.S. companies and currently heads his own consulting firm providing market entry and assistance to firms which want to undertake trade with or business development in Cuba. He also worked as Chief of Corporate Communications of the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank for ten years and was Managing Director of the Government and Emerging Markets Practice of Burson-Marsteller, the world's largest public relations firm

Chairman, Board of Directors
Bill Reinsch, President of the National Foreign Trade Council, is chair USCTA Board of Directors. Bill served as Under Secretary of Commerce under President Clinton and brings not only his years of experience in international trade issues but also a well deserved reputation for “getting things done” when it comes to legislative initiatives in Congress or as a watchdog of Administration actions which impact on free and open international trade.

Chairman, Board of Advisors
William D. Rogers is head of the Association Advisory Board. Bill is a former Assistant Secretary of State for Latin America, has had a distinguished career as a senior partner in the prestigious Washington, D.C. law firm, Arnold & Porter. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Vice Chairman of Kissinger Associates.