2026 Symposium: Toward A New International Trading System

Jayson Beckman joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2026 as associate professor and the Michael Yanney Chair in International Trade and Finance in the Department of Agricultural Economics and the Clayton Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance. After his Ph.D., Jayson worked for the Economic Research Service of USDA for 17 years--providing economic analysis for policymakers. For his work at the USDA, he received honors of distinction including the USDA Economist of the Year Award as well as the American Agricultural and Applied Economics Association’s Bruce Gardner Award and Quality of Communication Award. In 2025, he was named a GTAP Research Fellow. out of the 10,000-member network for Purdue University’s Global Trade Analysis Project. Jayson is developing research and outreach programs with a focus on international agricultural trade and non-tariff barriers.

He graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and joined Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp., U.S.A. (KMM) in Lincoln. He started in the engineering department as a process engineer, designing robot welding cells and automation systems, new composite molding and joining processes, and bringing new Jetski personal watercraft and motorcycles into production.

Eventually Mike was promoted to Engineering Manager, overseeing all engineering in Lincoln. At various times, he also managed Production, Quality, Information Technology, and the Continuous Improvement departments. He became Vice President in 2007, overseeing operations at Kawasaki’s Lincoln plant. In 2017, Mike was promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, responsible for operations in Lincoln and the Maryville and Boonville, Missouri engine manufacturing plants. In January 2022, when Mike was selected as KMM President and CEO, he became the first non-Japanese president in the history of Kawasaki’s global operations. Mike is active on several Boards and industry groups.

Kathleen Claussen is Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center.  She is the author of more than five dozen works concerning trade, investment, and international dispute settlement, among other related research areas. She has also acted as counsel or arbitrator in over two dozen international disputes. Among other leadership roles, she has served on the Executive Council and Executive Committee of the American Society of International Law and is co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of International Economic Law.  Prior to joining the academy, Professor Claussen was Associate General Counsel at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.  Earlier in her career, she was Legal Counsel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague covering disputes between countries and investment law arbitrations.  She is a graduate of the Yale Law School, Queen’s University Belfast where she was a Mitchell Scholar, and Indiana University where she was a Wells Scholar.

Jordan Dux serves as Senior Director of National Affairs for the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation, where he directs federal policy, regulatory engagement, and national advocacy initiatives on behalf of Nebraska farmers and ranchers. Since joining the organization in 2009, he has led its federal legislative and regulatory affairs efforts, managed strategic grassroots campaigns, coordinated the organization’s policy development, and federal political programs. Prior to joining Farm Bureau, Jordan served on the staff of Congressman Adrian Smith (NE-3), advising on agricultural and federal agency matters.

With more than seventeen years of experience in federal policy and association leadership, Jordan brings deep expertise across Farm Bill programs, tax and budget policy, environmental regulations, renewable fuels, livestock and marketing policy, international trade, and agricultural technology. He works closely with Nebraska’s congressional delegation, the American Farm Bureau Federation, and national agricultural leaders.

Jordan also maintains his connection to production agriculture as a co-owner in his family’s showpig operation in Southeast Nebraska. 

Joe Glauber is a Senior Research Fellow Emeritus at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington, DC and until January 2024 served as interim Secretary of the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS).  He also holds appointments at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the American Enterprise Institute.  Prior to joining IFPRI, Glauber spent over 30 years at the US Department of Agriculture, including as Chief Economist from 2008 to 2014.  From 2007-2009, Glauber was the Special Doha Agricultural Envoy at the office of the U.S. Trade Representative where he served as chief agricultural negotiator in the Doha talks. He is the author of numerous studies on agricultural insurance, trade policy and U.S. farm policy. 

He is currently Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer at American University’s School of International Service. His research focuses on the impact of trade and trade policy on economic development and growth.  Bob is also currently Editor-in-Chief of the Global Value Chain Development Report, 2025 and Senior Academic Advisor to the Research Institute for Global Value Chains at the University of Industry and Business Economics in Beijing. 

Bob previously served as the Chief Economist of the World Trade Organization and an Adjunct Professor of International Economics at the Graduate Institute, Geneva from 2014 to 2022. Between 1999 to 2014 Bob served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Economist at the United States International Trade Commission. Bob also previously served as Deputy Administrator for Economic and Community Systems at the National Institute for Food and Agriculture, USDA, and various leadership positions at the Economic Research Service of USDA from 1985 to 1999.

Ken Levinson serves as the CEO of the Washington International Trade Association and WITA Foundation. WITA is the world’s largest non-profit, non-partisan membership organization dedicated to providing a neutral forum for the open and robust discussion of international trade policy and economic issues. Ken has over 30 years of experience working with companies, associations, NGOs and governments, advocating innovative solutions to complex public policy challenges. Over the years, Ken has worked with clients in the technology, telecommunications, biopharmaceuticals, agriculture and food, financial services, retail, apparel, energy, and consumer products sectors. Early in his career, Ken advised U.S. Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV on foreign policy and national security matters and served as the Senator’s chief advisor on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, dealing with issues related to international trade and tax policy.

Jill Kosch O’Donnell has served as the inaugural director of the Clayton Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance and a professor of practice at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln since July 1, 2018. She was named the Haggart-Work Director of the institute on July 1, 2022.

Jill leads the Yeutter Institute across its mission areas of education, research, and public engagement, working with faculty in the colleges of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Business and Law. She teaches “International Trade Policy and Politics,” an undergraduate course she developed in 2021. She is also the creator and host of “Trade Matters,” a podcast of the Yeutter Institute.

As an analyst, writer, and strategist, Jill has published, lectured, and developed programming on a variety of international affairs topics. Prior to joining the university, she served as a consultant to the NATO Communications and Information Agency on the implementation of the NATO Industry Cyber Partnership. She has done extensive research and published articles on South Korea’s green growth strategy for The Asia Foundation and the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), including a chapter in the book, Middle Power Korea: Contributions to the Global Agenda, published by CFR. She has also collaborated with a former senior State Department official on a series of writing projects about the future of diplomacy. Jill first brought her experience into the classroom in 2012 when she began teaching political science and U.S. foreign policy at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Jill began her international policy career in Washington, D.C., serving as a foreign policy assistant to U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel, where her work primarily focused on the Senator’s role on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She also worked at a global business consulting firm led by former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen.

Jill graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with her B.A. from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. She also holds a M.A. in international relations and international economics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). She is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and a Fellow at the National Strategic Research Institute.

A native of Columbus, Nebraska, Jill is a proud graduate of Scotus Central Catholic High School and enjoys returning to run in the annual Downtown Runaround whenever possible.

María Pagán was most recently Deputy U.S. Trade Representative and Chief of Mission for the Permanent Mission of the United States to the WTO.  Prior to that, she was Deputy General Counsel at USTR, responsible for supervising and providing legal advice to senior USTR officials on all legal aspects regarding trade negotiations, implementation of trade agreements, and trade related legislation and regulations. Prior to joining USTR in 2003, she worked as an attorney advisor at the Office of the Chief Counsel for International Commerce at the U.S. Department of Commerce (1993 – 2003).

Ms. Pagán received her law degree and a Masters in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and a B.A. from Tufts University. She is from Puerto Rico, and has a son. 

Yes, the event will be broadcast live on our website homepage: https://yeutter-institute.unl.edu/

There will be coffee and doughnuts available during the check-in.

Doors for the event will open at 8:30 AM, where you can check-in or register. The conference starts at 9:00 AM.

No. Registration and tickets are for RSVP purposes only. No ticket is required for entry.

 We recommend arriving 15-20 minutes before the beginning of the conference, which starts at 9:00 AM.

Yes, materials will be shared with registered attendees after the event. They will also appear on our website at a later date.

Yes! This event is free and open to the public! Please make sure to stop by the check-in table on your way in.

Please email yeutterinstitute@unl.edu for any additional questions.

We will have parking available. Please read below on how to register for parking.