Video On Demand

Securing America’s Economic Future: A Conversation with EXIM Chair Reta Jo Lewis

January 14, 2025 • 10:30 – 11:00 am EST

Please join the Economic Security and Technology (EST) Department at CSIS for a discussion with Chair Reta Jo Lewis of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), hosted by Navin Girishankar, President of the CSIS Economic Security and Technology Department. This conversation will highlight EXIM’s newly introduced Supply Chain Resiliency Initiative (SCRI) as a transformative financing tool for U.S. economic security. 

The SCRI is designed to strengthen U.S. supply chains by reducing reliance on China for critical minerals, safeguarding American jobs, and fostering partnerships with trusted global suppliers. By encouraging domestic manufacturing, the initiative plays a pivotal role in ensuring resilient supply chains essential for transformative technologies such as battery storage and semiconductors. 

In addition to SCRI, Chair Lewis will discuss other innovative programs, including the Make More in America Initiative (MMIA), which was spearheaded under her leadership, and the China and Transformational Exports Program (CTEP), a congressional mandate initiated in 2019. Together, these initiatives position EXIM as a critical player in advancing U.S. economic security and global competitiveness. 

Join us for an engaging discussion on how SCRI and EXIM’s broader efforts are shaping the future of economic resilience, strengthening industrial capabilities, and ensuring U.S. leadership in technology innovation. 

This event is made possible through general support to CSIS.   

Reta Jo Lewis

On February 9, 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed Reta Jo Lewis as EXIM’s President and Chair of the Board of Directors. Chair Lewis was sworn in by Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris on February 16, 2022. Ms. Lewis is a senior executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in international affairs, legal, public policy, business and regulatory affairs, and subnational diplomacy. 

Ms. Lewis was most recently a Senior Fellow and Director of Congressional Affairs at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. At GMF, Ms. Lewis led and oversaw initiatives, programs, and bipartisan exchanges for members of the U.S. Congress and their European counterparts, focusing on leadership development and subnational diplomacy efforts. Prior to her time at GMF, she served as the first-ever Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs under Secretary Hillary Clinton at the U.S. Department of State during the Obama-Biden Administration. As Special Representative, Lewis was the chief diplomat in charge of the international efforts to build and support strategic relationships between the federal government, state and local leaders, and their foreign counterparts. In 2013, she was awarded the Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award. 

Ms. Lewis was the first Black woman to serve as Vice President and Counselor to the President at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She led the Chamber’s initiatives focused on fostering strategic alliances between small businesses, especially women- and minority-owned businesses, entrepreneurs, and executives. She is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and former Member of the Board of the Leadership Council for Women in National Security. Ms. Lewis received a J.D. from Emory University School of Law, an M.S.A.J. from American University, and a B.A. from the University of Georgia. She is a native of Statesboro, Georgia. 

Contact Information

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Reta Jo Lewis
President and Chair of the Board of Directors, Export-Import Bank of the United States