Jeremy Coon is currently serving as the Director of Programs for the Trade Capacity Building Institute as well as consulting for several development organizations where he is addressing how cities and regional communities remain competitive in the global marketplace. Prior to joining the TCBI, which he co-founded, Jeremy consulted for the City of New Orleans on a range of trade and small business development related projects. Jeremy advised the City on how to best position itself in response to free trade agreements such as DR-CAFTA. He reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of the New Orleans transportation, trade, and small business assistance infrastructure and leveraged partnerships both in and outside of Louisiana to maximize New Orleans opportunities to capitalize on new trade activity. Immediately after the Katrina crisis, Jeremy played a critical role facilitating communication between the City, State and Federal governments to support the return of small business and to identify new opportunities for new business development. He has also worked in Latin America for over 10 years and speaks fluent Spanish and Portuguese. Jeremy previously worked for the World Bank and served in the Peace Corps. He has designed and implemented a variety of technical short courses around business, trade, and urban development. He holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Economics and International Relations from Boston University, a Masters of Science in International Development as well as a PhD in International Economic Development from Tulane University.