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Trump Commerce Deputy Meets with NorCal International Trade Pros

By Susanne T. Stirling

September 26, 2025

Susanne T. Stirling, CalChamber senior vice president of international affairs, pauses with Bradley McKinney, deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. Commercial Service in the U.S. Department of Commerce, during a Port of Oakland-hosted gathering on September 23. The meeting allowed McKinney, appointed by President Trump, to meet with Northern California Export Council members appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce for a roundtable discussion of international issues. It was one of the first visits to California by a Trump administration official from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Stirling, a longtime Export Council member, joined other international trade professionals, including representatives from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. Discussion centered around the U.S. Department of Commerce emphasis on several strategic areas, including technology, minerals, and energy through a lens of national security. Also discussed were tariffs, recent trade deals and pending additional shipping fees. The mission of the Export Councils is to work with the U.S. Commerce Department on export promotion and commercial diplomacy. Stirling also has been a longtime member of the National Association of Export Councils, which provide support and guidance for fulfilling the mission of the councils, and facilitate communication between the councils and the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the international business community and policymakers.

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Susanne T. Stirling

Susanne T. Stirling, senior vice president, international affairs, has headed CalChamber international activities for more than four decades. She is an appointee of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to the National Export Council, and serves on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce International Policy Committee, the California International Relations Foundation, and the Chile-California Council. Originally from Denmark, she studied at the University of Copenhagen and holds a B.A. in international relations from the University of the Pacific, where she served as a regent from 2012 to 2021. She earned an M.A. from the School of International Relations at the University of Southern California.

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