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AUECO is a volunteer-managed association of export compliance professionals led by an Executive Board elected annually by the membership. The members of the Executive Board serve as the principle contacts for various efforts of the Association. The information below about the 2021/2022 AUECO Executive Board team is provided to encourage engagement between AUECO members and the Executive Board team. Members are encouraged to contact any member of the Executive Board team with questions about AUECO or the role of the Executive Board in the management of the Association.

The Board members below can be reached collectively at: board@aueco.org

2022/2023 AUECO Executive Board


Chair: Bethany Nelson

Bethany Nelson has been the Export Control Coordinator for the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the past 7 years. She has been both the Membership & Outreach Chair for AUECO in the past, has presented at a variety of events for organizations such as AUECO, NCURA, & Kings College London, & is a speaker for the U.S. State Department. 


Vice-Chair: JoseF Mejido

Josef Mejido, the Export Control Officer at the University of Rochester, worked in private practice focusing on intellectual property law. He was previously a research biologist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and as a research fellow in the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER).

Secretary: Emily Pender

Emily Pender has been with the University of Southern California (USC) since 2020 and is currently Manager of Export Controls in the Office of Culture, Ethics and Compliance. She also serves as a member of the Research Compliance Committee and the UAS (Drone) Review Board. Emily has helped draft comment letters for AUECO and has presented at AUECO conferences (managing cybersecurity at an academic institution). Ms. Pender holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University and a Master of Science in Education in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania.

Treasurer: Abigail Nixon

Abby Nixon has served as the Director of Research Operations at Weill Cornell Medicine for the past 8 years. In support of a comprehensive academic and research program, she oversees administrative, operational, and financial areas for all divisions of Research Operations. Abby is responsible for $50M+ in operating budgets, as well as export controls and hazardous materials. Prior to her current role, she was an administrator for Cornell's Embryology Lab for 8 years. Abby holds a B.S. in Hospital Administration & Biology from James Madison University.

Membership: Susan Gasparo

Susan Gasparo, the Assistant Director for Research Compliance's portfolio includes: export controls, foreign influence, conflict of interest, and responsible conduct in research. Susan has been a member of AUECO since 2013 and was on the Membership Committee before being elected chair. 


Outreach: Sarah Marie Schlagter

Sarah Schlagter, the Export Control and Compliance Officer at Cornell University., previously worked in the international contracts group for a large defense contractor. Sara is an attorney admitted to practice in New York State, having practiced law in both the private and public sectors. 

Past Chair: Marci Copeland

Marci Copeland, the Associate Director Export Control in the University of California Office of the President, supports the UC system-wide export control compliance program. She has been an active member of AUECO and served many years on the AUECO Executive Board as Secretary, Vice Chair, Chair and now Past Chair.


Executive Board - Duties and Responsibilities

Chair: The Chair is responsible for leading the organization (via cooperation with the other board members) while focusing on strategic organizational matters. The Chair also oversees the all organizational business and is the leader for setting governance and membership standards, motivating the membership to actively participate, ensuring any actions taken are in line with the organization's bylaws, goals, and mission, and finally - serves as the primary point of contact for the organization's membership, other board members, and governmental/legal officials. The Chair shall be the Past Chair the year directly following the year of Chair.

Vice-Chair: The Vice‐Chair assists the Chair and assume the duties of the Chair in his/her absence. The Vice‐Chair shall be the chair‐elect for the following year and serve as the past chair the year after that (3-year commitment).

Secretary: The Secretary takes minutes at all official meetings, creates agendas, helps administer elections and any votes of the general membership.

Treasurer: The Treasurer oversees all financial transactions for the Association, manages the bank account, collects and manages dues, and provides reports of the financial status of the Association.

Membership Chair: The Membership Chair chairs the Membership Committee, is responsible for maintaining the membership roster and coordinating the AUECO listserv/group lists, approves or denies applications with assistance from the committee, and maintains the membership related content of the website as directed by the Chair.

Outreach Chair: The Outreach Chair coordinates the development of public resource documents for the AUECO website,  assists in program development and coordination, facilitates webinars and roundtables, performs daily checks of the federal register, initiates surveys and voting, liaisons with government and other officials, manages social media pages, oversees the mentorship program, and facilitates and submits comment letters on behalf of the organization.

Past Chair: The Past Chair continues to serve for one year after they have been Chair in a supporting role for organizational consistency and stabilization.


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