Sean Connell

Sean Connell is a public policy professional with two decades of experience bridging the international, federal, state, and local levels. He is a Senior Fellow at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation and a recognized specialist in U.S. trade and economic relations with Japan and Korea. He most recently directed government relations for an early-stage advanced energy storage technology company, and has served in local government and with the economic development community in Washington State, including leadership roles in international trade. As Director for Japan and Korea, and concurrently as Executive Director of the U.S.-Korea Business Council at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, he spearheaded policy initiatives on Japan and Korea, and managed the business coalition working to secure the successful negotiation and approval by the U.S. Congress of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement. He has been a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow in Japan, and a visiting fellow at the East-West Center. He is an executive circle member of the Institute for International Economic Policy at The George Washington University, and serves on the board of directors of the Washington State China Relations Council, among other board affiliations.