About Us

Mortada Mohamed is the President of the World Affairs Council of Austin, and Executive Director for the Texas International Business Council. Prior to his present positions he was the Regional Trade Director for Europe, Africa, Middle East, for the State of Texas, Office of the Governor, Economic Development & Tourism Division. Mr. Mohamed has served as a speaker for the US Department of State International Speaker’s Program throughout North Africa and the Arabian Gulf region. He lectured on doing business with the US private sector and promoted US business in those countries.

Mr. Mohamed also serves as a volunteer consultant on behalf of ACDI/VOCA, funded by USAID, to assist in economic development programs for developing countries. This program, which selects experts in various business areas, has taken him deep into Africa, Siberia and Eastern Europe. Mr. Mohamed is an adjunct professor of international business at several Central Texas universities and colleges. and Chair of the World Affairs Council of Austin. He has presented in conferences both domestically and internationally, most recently the International Academy of Management and Business symposium, Istanbul, Turkey and the World Investment Conference, La Baule, France. Mr. Mohamed is on the University of Texas at Austin Center for European Studies Advisory Board, the Board of Governors of North America Small Business International Trade Educators (NASBITE), member of the Texas Economic Development Council, and is appointed to the Texas Camino Real District Export Council by U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Mr. Mohamed has an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona.

Ben has over 25 years of experience assisting the transformation of local companies into global competitors. Ben previously served as the International Economic Development Manager for the City of Austin. His responsibilities in this position included governmental initiatives related to international economic development, foreign direct investment, culture, and education. Ben was also appointed to the U.S. Department of State’s Speaker and Specialist Program where he provided presentations overseas on the economic impact resulting from developing and growing technology industry clusters.

Ben manages Foreign Trade Zone #183 of Central Texas with member companies’ annual exports totaling $250-$500 million.  He was appointed to the Texas Camino Real District Export Council by U.S. Secretary of Commerce and now serves as Vice Chair.  Ben is an entrepreneur advisor with Tech Ranch.   He is a former board member of CleanTX, the economic development and business association for clean technology.  He also serves on the board of Austin Sister Cities International and as the President of the Austin Saltillo Sister Cities Association.  Ben obtained a BA in Philosophy and Political Science from the University of Michigan, and a JD from the University of Toledo.

Ana-Barbara Llorente serves as the Treasurer for WAC Austin. She supervises the bookkeeping and taxes needs for the organization. She implements the accounting procedures needed to assure the transparency and financial operation of WAC Austin. Ana-Barbara is a global auditing executive with finance, management, and public accounting experience in diverse industries in US and EU markets.

She is a CPA in the US and its equivalent in Spain. She is the partner of Pendas Consulting, LLC an international accounting and finance firm helping international companies with accounting, taxes and finance services. Ana-Barbara is the Treasurer of the Board of Directors at Austin International School and the president of Bilingual Toastmaster in Austin. She volunteers with Foundation Communities and she is member of different professional organizations. Ms. Llorente has a BA in Business and a Master in Accounting and Auditing from the University of Oviedo in Spain. She wrote a project about Materiality in Auditing as part of her PhD studies.

Dr. Enes Bilgin serves in the Business Outreach Committee of WAC Austin. Although trained as an engineer, Dr. Bilgin’s interest in global affairs and political issues started in his early ages since his family members were active in various political organizations in Turkey. Since then, he has maintained his interest in those areas through his readings and the classes he took on foreign policy and political science. Dr. Bilgin firmly believes in the importance of engaging public and the youth in global affairs, therefore he very much enjoys being part of WAC Austin.

In addition to his work at WACA, he voluntarily mentors high school students in national and international science project competitions. Dr. Bilgin received his B.S. in Industrial Engineering in 2010 from Bilkent University in Turkey and his Ph.D. in Systems Engineering in 2014 from Boston University. He is currently working as ML at Latitude AI.

Marguerite has been a practicing attorney for the past twelve years developing and successfully managing international compliance and contract negotiation projects. She currently works as an in-house attorney at an international company. Named Top 40 Young Lawyer by the American Bar Association in 2021 for ESG work, Marguerite also has experience aligning corporate data with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Ms. Gabriele has served as an NGO international conference delegate to the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Marguerite also serves on the UNA-USA Houston Board to assist on the Dialogue with Diplomats Committee. Her long-term goal is to serve as a U.S. Ambassador. Marguerite obtained a B.A. in Goevernment at The University of Texas at Austin, and a J.D. from Texas Tech University School of Law.

A native of Louisiana, Ellen Murry received her BA in history from Louisiana State University, in Baton Rouge. She went on to receive her MA degree in Sino-American relations and 20th-century Chinese Foreign Policy from Texas A&M University in College Station, TX. She has received national awards for her book, Notes on the Republic, and an orientation audio-visual narrated by Mr. Bill Moyers. She has traveled/worked in Africa, Central America, the Middle East, and Asia. She spent over a decade abroad teaching English in both Saudi Arabia and Japan. She most recently also taught ESL at Austin Community College. She is currently the Co-chair of World Affairs Council Globalist Coffeehouse in addition to the Board of the Oita Japan/Austin Sister City Committee and the University Rotary.

“I am a student at Austin Community College studying business administration, planning to transfer to Baylor University, where I intend to continue my marketing education and pursue a business analytics certificate. Outside of my academic pursuits, I actively volunteer at a non-profit organization called “Academy 4,” where I am a bilingual mentor to a fourth grader. I have the privilege to be a part of their fourth-grade experience and listen to the captivating wisdom they offer! Austin is such a beautiful place, but I have yet to experience what is beyond it. However, here at the World Affairs Council of Austin, I appreciate being transported to various parts of the world through the eyes of many of our guests. The details and insight into diverse topics are fascinating to listen to firsthand; I am eager to learn more!”

Jessica is a McNair Scholar and student at St. Edward’s University, triple majoring in International Business, Marketing, and Global Languages and Cultural Studies with a concentration in German and Spanish. She is a former exchange student and has spent extensive time in Germany through various exchange programs such as the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program, the German American Partnership Program, and the Goethe Institute. Jessica aspires to work as an international marketer through a multinational corporation or as a foreign service officer in the economic cone, where she can leverage her interdisciplinary background in research skills, marketing knowledge, language competencies, and strong interest in international current events. As of now, Jessica is on track to graduate in May 2025.

Brian is a final year Global Commerce student at the University of Galway, Ireland specializing in Digital Business and Analytics. He has recently completed a full year of Study Abroad at St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX as part of the International Business Program at the University of Galway. Throughout his time studying abroad, he completed an internship with Tech Ranch as part of the St. Edward’s Kozmetsky Center of Excellence Internship program. He is planning to relocate to Austin in the fall. He hopes to make the world a better place by encouraging cooperation between people from all backgrounds from all corners of the world.