MEET THE TEAM

On behalf of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, The Webster Group has been hired to arrange and manage the logistics and technical program of this event.  The following members of The Webster Group team will be supporting this effort.


Wendy Drake

Wendy Drake is the President and CEO of The Webster Group. She brings to her role more than 20 years’ experience working in fundraising, event management and production with government agencies, corporations, and non-profit organizations.  Ms. Drake oversees more than 30 events each year, which have ranged in size from 10 to 43,000 participants. These events include trade missions, multi-day conferences and conventions, dedication and commissioning ceremonies, galas and concerts. She has worked with the U.S. Departments of State, Transportation, and Homeland Security; the U.S. Agency for International Development; the Overseas Private Investment Corporation; the U.S. Coast Guard, the USTDA, and numerous non-profits and corporations. She has worked with her team to complete USTDA trade missions, workshops, and conferences.



Phil Hargis

Phil Hargis, CMP, CGMP is the Vice President of Global Events with The Webster Group. He has over 25 years of experience in managing multiple programs and contracts of all sizes for a variety of clients. His event and project management portfolio of experience includes: United States Trade and Development Agency, Association of Public Health Laboratories, Department of State, Missile Defense Agency, Washington Headquarters Services, Department of the Navy, and Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Mr. Hargis has led all aspects of the USTDA Reverse Trade Missions (RTM), Workshops and Conferences for the past eight years.  He has managed or been involved planning over 50 USTDA events during this time.



Kenneth Barden

Kenneth Barden is a technical expert with over 35 years of professional experience.  He is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), a Certified Sanctions Specialist (CSS), and a Certified Financial Crimes Specialist.  Currently, Mr. Barden serves as a consultant to several entities on matters of compliance and integrity.  From 2018 until 2021, he served as the head of the Compliance Team at the Green Climate Fund, which is the largest international funder of climate change projects in the developing world.  There, he spearheaded the adoption of the Compliance Policy, as well as drafting several AML/CFT guidance policies.  

Prior to that, he served as the Senior Anticorruption and Good Governance Advisor with the Governance and Rule of Law Team at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Previously, he participated as  many he has served as a consultant for several international development projects, including ones funded by USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), World Bank, United Nations, Asian Development Bank and others. Ken served as Team Leader for the USAID-administered MCC Threshold Indonesia Control of Corruption Project in Indonesia, working on anticorruption and judicial reform. 

Immediately prior to joining USAID, Ken was with the USAID Modernizing Financial Institutions project in the West Bank, where he led implementation of anti-money laundering and anticorruption activities. Ken’s experience includes work in Eastern Europe, Central and Southeastern Asia, Oceania, the Middle East and Africa. He also has over 15 years of experience in municipal government.



Pamela M. Peseux

Pamela Peseux is a Technical Program Support and Marketing Lead with more than 30 years’ experience in marketing, business development, and international project development. She was worked in more than 30 countries.  She has played a leading role in the marketing and technical program development of more than 75 international technical workshops, conferences, trade missions, and business development programs designed to bring U.S. and emerging market stakeholders together for export development and project implementation.  She has organized multiple infrastructure programs in multiple African nations designed to highlight U.S. technology and best practices in key project areas, including banking infrastructure, transportation, energy/renewable energy, mini grids, and smart grid.



Doug Shuster

Doug Shuster is a Technical Program Development Expert with extensive experience with USTDA, in Africa and in financing infrastructure projects. Shuster has worked in over 50 countries, including over 25 African countries, and previously served as USTDA’s Sub-Saharan Regional Office Director in South Africa. He formerly served as Senior Trade and Investment Advisor for the US-Asia Environmental Partnership and has served as project manager for a number of technical assistance programs focusing on mini grids, smart cities, energy efficiency and renewable energy.