Meet the Members

Meet the Members Event - February 3, 2025

Paula Connelly

Esq. Senior Member of Sandler, Travis, & Rosenberg, P.A.

Paula has over 25 years of experience in customs and international trade matters. She works with importers and exporters to address and resolve import and export compliance issues.
Prior to joining ST&R, Paula ran her own law firm specializing in customs and international trade matters. Earlier in her career she worked as a licensed customs broker for several brokerage companies in the Boston area.
Paula serves as legal counsel for the Boston Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association and President of the Coalition of New England Companies for Trade. She is a member of the AD/CV working group for U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee, the International Business Advisory Board at Massachusetts Maritime, and Women in World Trade New England.

Anne Riitho

Director, Data Science, BITE

Anne Riitho is a data-driven leader currently specializing in supply chain screening and risk management solutions. With a background in Learning Engineering, she combines her expertise in learning sciences, data analysis, and technology to create impactful tools and solutions for nonprofits, businesses, and governments. At BITE, Anne develops innovative screening tools that help organizations navigate complex regulatory landscapes. She is passionate about organizing chaos, bringing clarity to complex challenges, and leveraging technology to streamline global trade compliance processes.

Parna Sarkar-Basu

CEO & Founder Brand and Buzz Consulting

An architect of What’s Next, Parna Sarkar-Basu offers bold perspectives to challenge the status quo, shaping the future of businesses in highly competitive markets. She serves as a strategic advisor to transformational leaders and tech pioneers, helping them launch, expand and reinvent companies to drive sustainable growth. Parna also leverages her partner eco-system to ensure the smooth launch of businesses in the U.S. and support international expansion of U.S. companies.
Parna has the unique ability to spot untapped market opportunities and specializes in positioning companies for successful fundraising and acquisition as well as orchestrating seamless pivots that fuel exponential growth. A recipient of multiple awards, Parna has helped propel dozens of tech and non-tech companies into innovation leaders in highly competitive markets — from robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) to software-as-a-service (SaaS) and professional services.

Jody Robie

Shareholder/SVP N. America Talent Works

Jody has worked for more than 20 years designing and developing world class recruitment and talent attraction strategies for companies worldwide. Jody started her career in the broadcast industry as a Reporter, Producer,
Account Executive and Sales Manager for multiple TV Stations in Boston including WCVB-TV Channel 5 and FOX 25. Jody is a shareholder and manages North America for Talent Works Int’l (TWI) a global Talent Attraction firm headquartered in the UK. She has been at TW for 11 years helping clients leverage Talent Work’s team of global outsourced recruiters, brand and insight specialists, and digital and creative marketers.
Prior to joining TW, Jody worked as the US Head of Employer Branding for Alexander Mann Solutions and a VP of Business Development and Strategy for Buyer Advertising in Boston. In June 2022, she was awarded a Bronze Stevie award by the American Business Awards for “Maverick of the Year.” She is a long time Bostonian who attended Harvard University’s Extension School and Boston University’s College of Communication. She is a member Vice Chair, Board of Directors for The Commonwealth Institute and involved with various HR and non-profit associations. She lives in Natick, MA with her husband Michael and two daughters.

Meet the Members Event - January 28, 2025

Nicola Moss

Deputy Consul General, British Consulate General

Nicola spent the last five years working for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the Middle East.
She is an Arabic speaker and was most recently posted to the British Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon where she led the Syria political team, with a particular focus on political and military developments in the northeast. Prior to that she was Head of Press and Public Affairs at the British Embassy in Baghdad.
Nicola graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in English Literature. She loves both watching and playing sports. She has moved to Boston with her partner, Jacqueline, an academic research advisor at Georgetown University. They will be with us until 2028.

Gabriela Corbera

Gabriela is the Principal Designer/Strategist of G.Corbera Design. She is an ecosystem developer and an entrepreneur from Caracas, Venezuela. She is also the CEO of Luna Maps, a spin off committed to start up dynamism through ecosystem mapping.
She has worked for start up ecosystems in Boston, SE Asia, and Latin America at DAI Global/USAID, Boston Network for International Development, City of Haverhill (MBA Consultancy), and mission driven organizations in Peru and Cambodia. She holds an MBA, from Brandeis University.
Gabriela’s passion for creative societies, trade, and commerce are at the center of her work. This has allowed her teams to have incredible purpose. She’s excited to explore trade opportunities and build new friendships/colleagues at Women in World Trade, New England. Her regions of focus are Latin America/Caribbean and EU NationsAnne Riitho is a data-driven leader currently specializing in supply chain screening and risk management solutions. With a background in Learning Engineering, she combines her expertise in learning sciences, data analysis, and technology to create impactful tools and solutions for nonprofits, businesses, and governments. At BITE, Anne develops innovative screening tools that help organizations navigate complex regulatory landscapes. She is passionate about organizing chaos, bringing clarity to complex challenges, and leveraging technology to streamline global trade compliance processes.

Gia Galligani

Partner, Creative Executive/ Executive Producer @ Long Walk Studios

Gia is an Emerson graduate and an award-winning film and TV Executive Producer with past projects at ABC, Netflix, CBS, MTV, Amazon, and more. She is fluent in three languages and has filmed in 48 states in the US and over 25 countries worldwide.
Gia is a partner at Long Walk Studios, a film and TV production company. Some of her past projects include The Bachelor (ABC) and The Million Dollar Beach House(Netflix). Her latest project is a feature film with Viggo Mortensen titled The Dead Don’t Hurt. Gia has two projects about to go into production, one with Ewan McGregor and another with Isla Fisher. In 2023, Gia moved back to Massachusetts from Los Angeles; she is determined to bring more film and TV projects to Massachusetts.

Hannah Kurth

Shareholder/SVP N. America Talent Works

Hannah Kurth is a market access consultant with over two decades of experience in leadership positions within global and European pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations. Her career encompasses products from early clinical stage through launch and lifecycle management, providing the critical perspectives essential for thought-partnership at any stage of a product’s commercialization journey.
She recently founded her consultancy, Pulse Edge, which partners with biopharma organizations navigating the road to revenues. Pulse Network serves as a catalyst for ambitious thought leaders from across the life sciences ecosystems to engage on emerging themes in life sciences through in-person events, online forums, and other avenues designed for thought partnership and exchange.
Known for her ambitious, strategic, and committed approach, Hannah drives impact with an open and collaborative mindset, making her a valued partner in the industry.
Hannah is a dual national (American/French), originally from Boston, and currently resides in Paris, France.

Meet the Members Event - June 2, 2025

Nicolette Reed

Vice President, Evolutions in Business & Host of EIB Export News Podcast

Nicolette has gained the respect of both customers and colleagues alike for her public speaking skills as well as her acumen of ITAR and EAR regulations. Nicolette has given presentations on Export Regulations throughout New England at places like Manchester Community College, the Chafee Center at Bryant University in Rhode Island, the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, and through the New Hampshire Office of International Trade.
Nicolette has been working in Export Compliance alongside her mentor, Jeanette Reed at Evolutions In Business which has been family owned and operated for 35 years. She worked her way up from Customer Service to the role of Vice President.
Nicolette also moonlighted as an event DJ throughout New England for many years and managed her own small Entertainment company. She now utilizes those skills to produce a podcast called EIB Export News which can be found on multiple Podcast platforms and of course, you can also find her on Linked-In.

Lucinda Sears

Co-founder, the Bees Knees British Imports

Lucinda Sears & Trish Zarola are co-owners of The Bee’s Knees British Imports. The Bee’s Knees began 14 years ago to bring a taste of Britain across the pond. We now have a brick & mortar in West Acton, MA and ship our curated collection of British gifts and homewares all over the US and beyond.
We work closely with our vendors in the UK, many of which are women-owned business. We work with large and small companies alike.
The majority of products we sell are imported directly from our UK suppliers (some come from distributors in the US) so we are very familiar with the trials and tribulations associated with bringing products into the country, both by sea and air freight.