U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced June 21 the selection of AnnMarie R. Highsmith as executive assistant commissioner and John P. Leonard as deputy executive assistant commissioner in the Office of Trade. In these positions they will oversee CBP’s efforts to facilitate trade, develop and implement a 21st century customs framework to reduce the costs of trade, and enforce antidumping and countervailing duty laws, forced labor detention orders, and product safety laws.
According to a CBP press release, Highsmith had served as CBP’s deputy chief counsel since 2013. In this role she “enhanced CBP’s enforcement of trade laws designed to protect U.S. consumers and businesses” and “aligned customs procedures with modern business practices to enhance the economic competitiveness of the United States.” She began her legal career in 1992 as a staff attorney with U.S. Customs in Long Beach, Calif.
Leonard has been with the agency since 1989, the press release added. Since 2017 he has led CBP’s strategic efforts on intellectual property rights, AD and CV duties, import safety, and textiles. Earlier in his tenure he served as CBP attaché to Singapore and area port director of San Francisco.
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