Anthony Hemstad has been named the new Executive Director for the World Trade Center Tacoma (WTCT). Members of WTCT’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors selected Hemstad after a competitive process conducted since the start of the year.

According to a statement released April 3 by WTCT, Hemstad has been consulting and lobbying on his own for a variety of clients. Previous to that he served as City Manager in Maple Valley for almost six years. He lived overseas from 1990 to 2002 when he was one of the founding faculty members of the first private college in post-Communist Czechoslovakia. He later founded his own public affairs consultancy, with over 40 staff and offices in four countries at its high point. Before living in Europe, Hemstad worked in Washington, D.C. for three US Senators — including Dan Evans and Slade Gorton. He worked on both international trade and foreign relations issues for Senator Evans.

Hemstad’s education includes an International Executive MBA from the University of Chicago, an MA with emphasis in Japanese Industrial Policy from the University of London, and an Asian Studies BA from the University of Puget Sound.

As Executive Director of the World Trade Center Tacoma, Hemstad will focus on growing international trade and spurring more companies in the Tacoma area and across Washington to actively export. This will be done via community outreach programs, providing trade research and pairing local companies with international partners.

Hemstad replaces James McMahan, who filled the position by contract and left the WTCT in late 2008. Hemstad started work with the WTCT on March 23. WTCT was formed in 1987 and is a non-profit membership-based organization. Membership is open to all those interested in international trade. Its founding member is the Port of Tacoma and it now has many private and public partners.

For more information, visit http://www.wtcta.org/