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BTI Fellows

The BTI Institute enlists the support of highly experienced and eminently qualified subject matter experts, over a wide spectrum of interests related to border security, trade, and immigration, in order to expand the Institute’s capabilities and capacity. These BTI Fellows are engaged to work on BTI Institute projects as needed.

BTI Fellows will possess the ability to access and work with sensitive and/or classified materials on a “need to know” basis. The BTI Fellows possess or have possessed security clearances from the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, or other federal agencies.

Applicants for BTI Fellowships will provide their resume, documentation of security clearance, five professional references (name, title, work address, telephone number, and email address) to the BTI Institute’s Executive Director, Strategic Partnerships via email.

New applicants for BTI Fellowships will be screened every six months by a review panel composed of members of the BTI Institute. Selected applicants will then be interviewed telephonically. Selectees will be flown to the BTI Institute for final interviews and orientation.


Jeffrey O. Baldwin, Sr.

Jeffrey O. Baldwin, Sr.

Jeffrey O. Baldwin, Sr., is the Founder and President of Baldwin Liaison Consulting, LLC., a strategic advisory and training company specializing in international trade & travel, homeland security, supply chain security, importing & exporting, crisis & risk mitigation and management, infrastructure protection, emergency preparedness and leadership development. Clients include airport authorities, freight transport companies, customs & immigration law firms, importers/exporters, law enforcement agencies and other major consultant groups. Recent business travel has included trips to China, Panama, Colombia, the Bahamas, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Mr. Baldwin has more than 38 years of federal service, serving as a Senior Executive in various high-level positions overseeing CBP operations domestically and worldwide. He has represented the United States on Customs related matters and training initiatives in Europe, Central and South America, and Africa. A strong supporter of leadership development, he served as an Executive Mentor for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s first Leadership Institute class in 2010 and again in 2011 at the University of Chicago.

Mr. Baldwin was awarded a certificate of completion for the Leadership in Crisis program from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Executive Education and completed the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Leadership Program at Columbia University Business School.

An honor graduate of Temple University and a distinguished Marine Corps veteran (embassy security), Mr. Baldwin continues to foster partnerships between the federal government and the local & international community, balancing goals of security, enforcement and business facilitation.


Tom Cardamone

Tom Cardamone

Tom Cardamone is a subject matter expert in trade misinvoicing, trade-based money laundering, illicit trade as well as the opacity in global commerce that facilitates these illegal activities such as flags of convenience, free trade zones and asymmetry in trade data. As President and CEO of Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a Washington, DC-based think tank, he has pioneered the concept of ‘trade integrity’ which aims to ensure that all global trade is legally sourced, properly priced and transparent. Further, GFI promotes policies and regulations to governments and multilateral institutions which will encourage best practices with the goal of reducing trade-related criminal ! activity while also assisting governments in capture proper amounts of revenue.

Mr. Cardamone is a visionary, accomplished thought leader with over two decades of strategic planning, management and revenue generating experience. Decisive, results-driven executive with entrepreneurial mindset who excels in a fast-paced environment. Creative, nimble thinker and problem solver able to design and implement policies and projects to advance organizational objectives with integrity and diplomacy. Persuasive communicator with collaborative approach. Adept at building relationships, coaching, and motivating team members and championing transparency, accountability, and equity to a variety of audiences.


Pete Heine

Pete Heine

Pete Heine is a Senior Advisor in Global Security Technology and Policy at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He received his BS in Applied and Engineering Physics from Cornell University and his MBA from the University of Chicago.

Pete has worked on strengthening measures to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) for over 25 years. His personal focus is on effective control of trade in materials and equipment related to the development or production of WMD. He has worked to advance trade data analysis strategies for identifying high-risk shipments and developed and conducted export control training programs for the outreach programs of the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of State, and the World Customs Organization. He has also worked with the International Atomic Energy Agency to promote the use of export and import information in international safeguards.


Jeffrey O. Baldwin, Sr.

Christine McDaniel, Ph.D.

Christine McDaniel is a Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center, George Mason University. Her research focuses on international trade, customs procedures, globalization, and intellectual property rights.

Christine McDaniel previously worked at Sidley Austin, LLP, a global law firm, where she was a senior economist. She has held several positions in the U.S. government, including Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Treasury Department and senior trade economist in the White House Council of Economic Advisers, and has worked in the economic offices of the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Trade Representative, and U.S. International Trade Commission.

Christine McDaniel teaches international trade theory at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and applied econometrics in the Department of Economics at the George Washington University. McDaniel has written for the Wall Street Journal, Politico, The Hill, and Forbes, among others, and her media appearances include CNBC, CBC, Bloomberg, and MSNBC.

Christine spent three years in Australia as deputy chief economist in Australia’s patent office. She has published in the areas of international trade, intellectual property, and empirical trade analysis and modeling. She received her B.A. in Economics and Japanese Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder.


Henry J. Sienkiewicz

Henry J. Sienkiewicz

Henry J. Sienkiewicz is a retired member of the federal Senior Executive Service (SES), where he most notably served in the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) as its Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Authorizing Official (AO).

Sienkiewicz served as the CEO for two companies (one technology and one services), the COO for one software company, and the CIO for three technology companies. He retired from the Army Reserves with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

In addition to being a BTI Fellow, Henry is currently an adjutant faculty member at Georgetown University, where he teaches three courses in cyber security at the Masters level: cyber security for the critical infrastructure, cyber threats and vulnerabilities assessments, and information assurance and risk management.

He is the author of “The Art of Cyber Conflict,” (2017).


Bradd Skinner

Bradd Skinner

Bradd Skinner is a Senior Advisor with CT-Strategies, advising and training clients on supply chain security matters and import requirements. He retired from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with 34 years of service in December 2021.

From 2015 through 2021 he held positions in Houston and Laredo, Texas as Assistant Director for which he was responsible for all Trade related enforcement, compliance and policy matters throughout the greater part of Texas and Oklahoma.

From 2012 through 2015, Mr. Skinner was assigned to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of International Affairs as the DHS Attaché to Ottawa, Canada. In this position he served as the representative of the Secretary of Homeland Security in Canada, providing support and advice to the U.S. Ambassador on issues within the DHS mission, and collaborated with Canadian counterparts on DHS policy initiatives.

Previously Mr. Skinner served for five years as the Director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Customs – Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program (C-TPAT) and was based in Washington D.C. He directed the efforts of 195 Supply Chain Security Specialists that travel throughout the world conducting supply chain validations in collaboration with 10,000 plus member companies which participate in the program.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Skinner was the Deputy CBP Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City where he was responsible for managing several trade and investigation programs as well as supporting many new initiatives resulting the Security and Prosperity Partnership and Secure Border Accord post September 2001.

He began his federal career in 1987 as an Import Specialist based in Nogales, Arizona and worked his way through a variety of progressively more responsible positions finally achieving the position of Field National Import Specialist in 1997 during which he was responsible for issuing written and binding classification rulings and conducting training nationwide regarding the North America Free Trade Agreement, specifically those sections pertaining to Rules of Origin and Customs Procedures.

Mr. Skinner attended Ohio Wesleyan University where he graduated with Honors with a degree in International Business and Spanish.