Massachusetts Export Center Team
 

One of the Massachusetts Export Center's key strengths is its highly capable and experienced staff. The Massachusetts Export Center's team is uniquely qualified to help businesses export. Each staff member has private sector international business development experience ranging from five to over 25 years.

In addition, because of the Export Center's certification requirements under the Association of Small Business Development Centers, each staff member is required to undergo 24 hours of professional development training each year. This ensures that staff members stay up-to-date on the latest issues affecting exporters.

The Massachusetts Export Center has a dedicated, resourceful and creative team that works well with clients and partners alike.

• Paula Murphy, Director [bio]
• Catherine Cornwell, Publications and Web Manager [bio]
• Julia Dvorko, Central Massachusetts Regional Director [bio]
• Kathleen Kinahan-Newell, Int'l Market Research & Trade Compliance Manager [bio]
• Nancy Lowd, Senior International Trade Advisor, South Coast & Cape Region [bio]
• Nayara Pechia, Assistant Trade Specialist
• P. Ann Pieroway, Western Massachusetts Regional Director [bio]

In addition to our regular staff, the Export Center also hires interns from local universities and colleges. The following students are working for our offices this semester:

• Derek Chittavong, UMass Boston
• Minnie Katzen, UMass Boston
• Christine Kim, Northeastern University
• Tyler Manitakos, Suffolk University
• Diana Montoya, UMass Boston
• Bogna Sowinska, Clark University

Staff Biographies

Paula Murphy, Director

  Paula is founder and director of the Massachusetts Export Center, part of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network. She has over twenty years of international business experience in both the public and private sectors. Paula helps exporters through counseling, technical assistance, training, market research, and publication development. In addition, she has helped to organize several overseas marketing activities, such as trade shows and trade missions. Most recently, Paula has launched the Export Center's successful Compliance Alliance initiative, which provides a forum for exporting firms to share best practices and stay current on export regulatory compliance issues. In 2009, clients reported over $227 Million in export sales as a direct result of the Massachusetts Export Center's assistance.

In addition to her role at the Export Center, Paula teaches graduate-level international marketing and export/import operations at Boston University. Previously, she served as international trade counselor for the Commonwealth, and was an international marketing consultant with Hagan & Company, where she served as the New England agent for a number of foreign government agencies, including the Irish Trade Board (now Enterprise Ireland), the Australian Trade Commission and others.

Paula has written numerous articles and publications on international trade. She has led the Massachusetts Export Center to receive numerous awards-in 2008, the Export Center was named the national winner of the SBA's Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award. In 2008, the Export Center also received the Presidential E Award-the highest honor the federal government can give to American people, firms or organizations that have made significant contributions to the increase of American exports. Paula was also named the 2005 and 2008 Massachusetts State Star by the Association of Small Business Development Centers. She has served on the boards of several non-profit international trade organizations, and currently serves on District Export Council of Massachusetts and the India New England Business Council. She is a graduate of Suffolk University, received an advanced certificate in international trade from the American Graduate School of International Management-Thunderbird, and is a Certified Global Business Professional.  

P. Ann Pieroway, Western Massachusetts Regional Director

Ann is the regional director for Western Massachusetts for the Massachusetts Export Center and the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network. Based in Holyoke, Ann helps Western Massachusetts companies develop their export plans. In addition, she coordinates export programs and seminars in Western Massachusetts.

Ann has over 20 years of experience, having owned her own apparel business and having held several senior marketing and retail positions. She holds an MBA in finance from Florida State University.

Julia Dvorko, Central Massachusetts Regional Director

   Julia is the regional director for Central Massachusetts for the Massachusetts Export Center and the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network. Based at Worcester State University, Julia assists Central Massachusetts companies in all aspects of international trade and coordinates export programs and seminars in the area. She has over fifteen years of business experience in several countries including Russia, Sweden and the U.S.

Previously, Julia worked at the MSBDC State Office in Amherst, two joint ventures in Russia and a division of Volvo in the North of Sweden. During her career, she has also completed consulting assignments for two Fortune 500 companies and a number of small businesses in the U.S., Ukraine and Russia. She has a MBA degree from the University of Massachusetts, and a Ph.D. from Moscow State University. In 2006 she received a designation of the NASBITE Certified Global Business Professional, achieving the all-time highest score for the CGBP exam. Julia is fluent in English, Ukrainian, Russian and French, and has a working knowledge of several other languages.

Kathleen Kinahan-Newell, International Market Research & Trade Compliance Manager

  Located in the Massachusetts Export Center Boston office, Kathleen is the international market research & trade compliance manager. She has over fifteen years of experience in international trade in both private and public sectors.

In her position, Kathleen helps companies to export their products through counseling, targeted market research, and technical assistance. Additionally, Kathleen serves as project manager for the Export Center's market research program and manages operations for the Export Center's Compliance Alliance initiative. 

Kathleen previously worked at Ixia, a leading manufacturer of telecommunications test equipment, located in Southern California. As Ixia's International Export Administrator, Kathleen oversaw export operations for the company, with a particular focus on export regulatory compliance. She developed the company's Export Management Compliance Program and was responsible for keeping staff up to date on export compliance issues. 

Prior to joining Ixia, Kathleen worked at the Massachusetts Export Center, Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment, national lending institutions based out of Southern California, and Pathfinder International. She received her BA from Saint Michaels College, and the NASBITE Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) designation in 2006. Kathleen has lived in Latin America and Europe, is fluent in Spanish, and has a working knowledge of other languages as well.

Based out of the Export Center's office in New Bedford, Nancy is senior international trade advisor for the South Coast and Cape Region. She has more than 20 years of experience in all aspects of international business, specializing in international marketing. Nancy has worked with companies of all sizes, including Fortune 500 and emerging growth companies, as well as government agencies and universities.

Nancy began her career in Washington DC, where she was an economist for the International Trade Administration, and also worked on US - Canadian trade policy. She then joined the Massachusetts Port Authority as Director of Project Export, a small business export development program, and was also responsible for developing international trade between New England and Asia.  

Nancy was Vice President of International Marketing and Sales for Ziff-Davis Events, a leading integrated media company, and a part of The Softbank Corporation, the global Internet and information services conglomerate. Prior to serving as VP of International Marketing and Sales she was Vice President of European operations and oversaw ZD's expansion throughout Europe. She developed and managed global marketing partnerships with leading IT vendors such as Microsoft, IBM, BT, France Telecom, and others. 

Prior to joining ZD, Nancy was a management and marketing consultant, developing US market entry and expansion strategies for European and Asian companies.  

Nancy is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and also holds a Master's Degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). She is on the faculty of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. Nancy is a Certified Global Business Professional.

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Catherine Reid Cornwell, Publications and Web Manager

For over 20 years, Cathy has been designing publications for the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network. She is also an integral part of the Massachusetts Export Center team.

Based out of the MSBDC's State Office at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Cathy designs and edits all internal and external publications for the Massachusetts Export Center and the MSBDC. In addition, she manages several MSBDC websites, including the website for the Massachusetts Export Center. Cathy also handles the registration process for all Partners for Trade export training programs. She received a bachelor's degree from UMass Amherst.

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