ACSS
D.C. Chapter
Our Next Chapter Event
D.C. Chapter Launch
Ferrari & Associates
Thursday, June 15
6:00 PM
Speaker
Howard Mendelsohn, Kharon
About Chapter
Come join us to promote sanctions awareness and create a community for sanctions professionals in D.C.! The mission of the ACSS D.C. Chapter will be to serve, inform, and promote sanctions professionals in Washington, D.C. as well as the D.C. area. The Chapter holds regular events centered around hot topics in the sanctions industry that impact sanctions and trade controls professionals.
All ACSS members can join their local Chapter for free. If you are already an ACSS Member, all you need to do is update your membership profile. Click here to access your membership profile.
NOTHING LIKE OUR CHAPTER EXISTS TO PROMOTE SANCTIONS AWARENESS IN THE D.C. AREA. COME BE A TRAILBLAZER WITH US!
Board Members
Carol Beaumier
Chapter Chair
Senior Managing Director | Protiviti
Show more
An experienced consultant with more than thirty-five years of experience, Carol has extensive knowledge of numerous risk and regulatory issues affecting the financial services industry and frequently writes about and speaks on these issues.
For the last several years, Carol has been a regular presenter at the Institute of International Bankers’ BSA/AML/OFAC Training Series. She is also a lecturer at the Boston University School of Law for which she has designed and is teaching a financial crimes course in the University’s Certificate in Financial Services Compliance program.
Donald Pearce
Senior Advisor
Torres Trade Advisory
Show more
A dynamic public speaker, Mr. Pearce has delivered keynote addresses, case studies, and panel presentations worldwide to various audiences. He has developed training scenarios based on actual events, acted as emcee and moderator in various government and private programs, and most recently delivered content via virtual conferences and small group appearances. Mr. Pearce is well-known in the strategic trade community and beyond; he has lectured at the Naval Postgraduate School and the Stimson Center Security & Strategic Trade Control Academy, published articles in World ECR and Export Compliance Manager and is a featured guest on international news programs. Mr. Pearce is adept at helping audiences understand the most complex international trade and national security policy issues and integrating lessons learned into good compliance and security strategies.
Before his retirement in 2020, Mr. Pearce served as the acting Unit Chief for Liaison and Interdiction, providing subject matter expertise to international organizations, other government agencies, and industry worldwide. Mr. Pearce was the principal author of the 2016 amendments to the Wassenaar Arrangement’s Best Practices for Export Control Enforcement, drawing on over 30 years of customs and strategic trade control experience. Mr. Pearce used his knowledge of cyber investigative and forensics techniques to partner with the FBI on a targeted outreach program focused on export control-related cybersecurity issues, significantly increasing awareness in the industry. His career included prosecuting precedent-setting cases, establishing the Regional Export Control Officer position at the US Embassy in Singapore, coordinating successful interdictions of dangerous goods, and protecting the international supply chain through successful public/private cooperative efforts.
Education
Mr. Pearce holds a Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude, from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York.
Honors and Awards
Mr. Pearce received the Commerce Department Gold Medal for his role in a complex criminal investigation that dismantled an Iranian procurement network that provided components for use in improvised explosive devices. Mr. Pearce was awarded the Commerce Department Silver Medal for investigative excellence and the US Department of Justice Executive Assistant Attorney General’s Award as a case agent in the PPG Industries investigation, which uncovered a conspiracy to supply specialty coatings for an unauthorized nuclear end-use in Pakistan. The case resulted in record-setting fines and a guilty plea by a Chinese state-owned enterprise, a first in US jurisprudence. Mr. Pearce has also been awarded the Commerce Department Gold Medal for his participation in protection operations for the Secretary of Commerce during his 2003 visits to Iraq and Afghanistan and a Bronze Medal recognizing his significant contributions to the Export Control Officer program.
David Kostelansky
Subject matter expert
Government
Show more
David has extensive private sector experience. He was a Senior Consultant in Deloitte’s Business Intelligence Services where he worked with a diverse group of finance, defense, and intelligence organizations. Prior to that role, David worked at the Economist Intelligence Unit where he researched and reported on multinational corporations, banking, and foreign direct investment in China.
David received a M.S. in National Security Strategy from the National War College and a B.A. in International Economic Relations from American University. He also spent time studying at the London School of Economics and Peking University.
ACSS CHAPTER FAQs
Who can join an ACSS Chapter?
Anyone can join an ACSS Chapter! Our Chapters are a place for our members to form a community on the ground, network, and share knowledge with like-minded sanctions professionals. If you are an ACSS member, click here to sign up today.
Is there a Chapter Membership fee?
If you are an ACSS Member, Chapter Membership is included as one of your many benefits! Just check the Chapter page and sign up to the Chapter in your location.
What if there is no Chapter in my location?
If you don’t currently see a Chapter in your city/state/country, let us know! We are always very interested to hear from you if you and your colleagues believe there may be a need for a Chapter in your location. Just email: helpdesk@sanctionsassociation.org.
I'm not sure if I want to become an ACSS Member, what are the benefits?
Chapter Membership is one of the many benefits to being an ACSS Member. To find out about all the benefits ACSS membership has to offer, click here.