Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP partner Craig Owen White has been elected chairman of the Trade Advisory Committee on Africa (TACA). White was appointed to the TACA in 2013 and was recently reappointed in 2018 by United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
The USTR has primary responsibility for developing and coordinating U.S. international trade policy and overseeing negotiations with other countries. In 1974, Congress created 26 advisory committees to ensure that U.S. trade policy and trade negotiating objectives adequately reflect U.S. public and private sector interests. Today, TACA is one of eight advisory committees that work directly with the USTR.
TACA’s 22 members represent a broad range of commercial and private sector interests and serve as an important resource to the USTR in developing U.S. trade policy throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
White also has leadership roles in several professional and civic organizations, including serving as Vice Chair of the International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP), which provides high level pro bono legal services to government and non-governmental entities in developing countries in support of the rule of law and equitable economic development. White also presents commercial law training programs in Zimbabwe and other sub-Saharan African countries, and writes and lectures on issues relating to enterprise governance. White also serves on the executive committee and chairs the governance committee of the Western Reserve Land Conservancy.
At Hahn Loeser, White’s practice focuses on representing and counseling established and growth-oriented companies in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, enterprise governance, financing and licensing issues, both domestically and internationally. He has particular experience serving as primary outside corporate counsel to business enterprises and was listed in the 2017 and 2018 editions of The Best Lawyers in America in the category of Corporate Governance & Compliance Law, and in the 2004-06 & 2010-16 editions of Ohio Super Lawyers. White is rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell, its highest available rating for legal ability and professional ethics.
