Monica Isbell – President, Starboard Alliance Company LLC

Professional Experience

Ms. Isbell’s career as an international logistician and supply chain expert since 1980 incorporates a combination of operations, sales and marketing management and consulting experience in the international trade arena. She has focused on streamlining intricate end-to-end supply chains to optimize processes to achieve delivery of the “perfect order” and enhance customer satisfaction, supported by robust shipment visibility and event management tools. She has assisted clients in developing supply chain metrics to monitor delivery precision against purchase order requirements and provide accountability in managing logistics service providers. Ms. Isbell had guided companies through the process of establishing or improving policies, procedures and controls to comply with U.S. Government regulations including creating trade compliance manuals.

Ms. Isbell has helped government entities better understand how businesses use multimodal transportation networks and what they need to achieve supply chain efficiencies. This has enabled the government entities to implement strategies to effectively redesign and/or increase the capacity of these transportation systems to enhance freight mobility. Furthermore, Ms. Isbell has performed a variety of consulting projects for ports and logistics service providers focused on improving the service delivered to their customers and increasing business.

Prior to founding her woman-owned supply chain consulting practice, Starboard Alliance Company LLC, in 2002, Ms. Isbell held executive positions with Columbia Sportswear Company; Asics Tiger Corp.; Direct Line Cargo Management Services/DHL Global Forwarding; Sea-Land Service and its origin consolidation subsidiary, Buyers Consolidators. In her consulting practice, Ms. Isbell concentrates on serving importers and exporters, port authorities, logistics service providers, and government entities.

Education
Princeton University – A.B. in Politics and Degree of Proficiency in Russian Studies 

Professional Information

Ms. Isbell:

• Was a member of the Columbia River Crossing Task Force studying Interstate 5 bridge construction options between Washington and Oregon, selecting the Locally Preferred Option, and preparing the federal Environmental Impact Statement  (2005 to 2008)
• Serves on the Portland Metro Regional Freight and Goods Movement Task Force, which is developing strategies for regional transportation and infrastructure planning and its updated Regional Transportation Plan (2006 to present)
• Served as VP and Board of Directors member of the Portland Business Alliance (Portland’s Chamber of Commerce) and Pacific Northwest International Trade Association (PNITA) (2002 to 2007); member (2002 to present)
• Holds membership in the Columbia River Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association (2002 to present) 
• Testified before Pacific Northwest U.S. Senators and Congressmen under the auspices of  PNITA to successfully influence federal homeland security legislation that was more favorable to importers, specifically the Trade Act of 2002 (2002) 
• Was a member of the International Trade and Transportation Work Group commissioned by the Oregon International Trade Commission that developed the Report on a New Strategy for International Commerce for Governor John Kitzhaber (2002) 
• Was Co-chair of Portland Development Commission’s Distribution and Logistics Subcommittee that developed the City of Portland’s Strategy for Economic Vitality presented to Mayor Vera Katz (2002)
• Created the course materials and was the professor for the International Trade Practices course in the Portland State University Masters in International Management Program (2007)
• Is a guest lecturer for the Marketing to Asia course at Portland State University Masters in International Management Program (2002 to present)
• Is a mentor for Portland State University’s Masters in Business Administration students (2003 to present)
• Has spoken on supply chain management, logistics, transportation infrastructure and supply chain security topics at industry conferences, including the Journal of Commerce Transpacific Maritime Conference, and before Oregon government agencies
• Has written articles for various industry publications including Supply Chain Management Review, Journal of Commerce, Council of Supply Chain Management Professional’s Explores Magazine, Supply and Demand Chain Executive, Logistics Quarterly, and Marine Digest and Cargo Business News