*05/29/15 Janine Bisaillon-Cary, President Maine Int'l Trade Center

The role international trade plays in Maine’s economy is sometimes underrated, or misunderstood. Maine’s geographical position is proving to be more and more of an attraction to both European and Asian exporters. In 2013, the Maine North Atlantic Development Office (MENADO) was created to increase trade and investment between the state and North Atlantic region markets beyond the $400 million of products currently sold to Northern Europe and Nordic countries. Our speaker this week, Janine Bisaillon-Cary, President of the Maine International Trade Center, will discuss this effort, and others designed to increase the flow of global trade in and out of Maine.

Janine was appointed by Governor John Baldacci and assumed her duties as Director of International Trade for the State of Maine in 2006.

In addition to leading MITC and consulting with Maine’s internationally active industries, Ms. Bisaillon-Cary serves on the boards of the Maine Port Authority, the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Trade Cooperation Committee, the New England Trade Adjustment Assistance Council, and the Eastern Trade Council. Prior to her present position, Ms. Bisaillon-Cary was Vice President of Maine International Trade Center for six years and Vice President of Resource Trading Company of Portland, Maine.

Ms. Bisaillon-Cary has worked for over 25 years in international markets, including the seafood export and consumer goods import markets. Her work has focused mostly on Western Europe and parts of Latin America and Asia. She holds a B.A. in Economics and French from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst; a Certificate of French History and Literature from the Sorbonne University, and a Global Leaders Executive Education Certificate from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. She is conversant in French and Italian.