Cost:

FWA Members: $10  |  Non-Members: $15

 

Registration closes at 11:59 pm EST on May 20, 2025.

 

Description: 

 

Tracking shifting announcements, paused implementations, and economic forecasts can be overwhelming.

 

In partnership with the FWA of San Francisco, we’ve assembled a panel of leading experts to cut through the noise. Together, they will unpack the latest developments in tariff policies, explore the broader economic implications, and discuss the potential effects on markets, businesses, and personal finances. This session is designed for finance professionals who need to stay informed — without needing to follow every headline.

 

Following the panel discussion, we'll open the floor to your questions during an interactive Q&A session.

 

Our panelists include:

 

Dana Peterson, Chief Economist at The Conference Board

Jeff O'Connor, U.S. Head of Market Structure and Sell Side ATS Strategy at Liquidnet

Jessica Libby, Principal at KPMG

Monika Garg, NicTech Portfolio Manager at Nicholas Investment Partners

Moderator: Anagha Vaidhyanathan, Executive Director in Sales at Morgan Stanley

(Scroll down for bios!)

 

Key Takeaways:

 

• Insights into the direct and indirect effects of tariffs on trading, supply chains, and investment strategies.
• The role of regulatory changes and compliance challenges for businesses navigating international trade.
• How shifts in tariff policy could influence sectors like technology, manufacturing, and finance — and what it could mean for your portfolio or business planning.
• Practical strategies for anticipating risks and opportunities in an evolving trade environment.

 

Whether you’re deeply immersed in finance, navigating global trade issues, or just seeking a clearer understanding of tariff impacts, this session will deliver actionable insights you can use immediately.

 

 

Co-Sponsor: 

 

 

 

Bios: 

      

Anagha Vaidhyanathan, Executive Director in Sales at Morgan Stanley

 

Anagha Vaidhyanathan leads Morgan Stanley’s International Equity Sales team on the West Coast. She graduated Cum Laude with a BS in Economics from Wellesley College and completed a General Course at the London School of Economics. Anagha is on the Board of the Wellesley College Alumnae Club of Northern California, is a volunteer with the Posse Foundation, and is an advocate of financial literacy education. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two sons.

 

 

Dana Peterson, Chief Economist and Leader of the Economy, Strategy & Finance Center, The Conference Board

 

Dana M. Peterson is the Chief Economist and Leader of the Economy, Strategy & Finance Center at The Conference Board.

 

Prior to this, she served as a North America Economist and later as a Global Economist at Citi, the world’s largest investment bank. Her wealth of experience extends to the public sector, having also worked at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C.

 

Dana’s wide-ranging economics portfolio includes analyzing global themes having direct financial market implications, including monetary policy; inflation; labor markets; fiscal and trade policy; debt; taxation; consumption; and demographics. Her work also examines myriad U.S. themes leveraging granular data.

 

Peterson's research has been featured by U.S. and international news outlets, both in print and broadcast. Publications and networks include CNBC, FOX Business, Bloomberg, BBC, Thomson-Reuters, CNN Finance, Yahoo Finance, TD Ameritrade, Harvard Business Review, Barron’s, the Financial Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

 

Dana is a member of the Board of Directors of NBER and the Global Interdependence Center, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the New York Association for Business Economics (NYABE), NBEIC, and the Forecasters Club.

 

She received an undergraduate degree in Economics from Wesleyan University and a Master of Science degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

 

             

Jeff O'Conner, U.S. Head of Market Structure and Sell Side ATS Strategy, Liquidnet 

 

Jeff O’Connor is Liquidnet’s U.S. Head of Market Structure and Sell Side ATS Strategy.  Jeff has over 25 years of experience in financial services, starting his career in U.S. equity research and transferring over to trading in high touch, program, and low touch capacities. Jeff’s experience on institutional trading desks runs the full spectrum from the largest of the investment banks (Goldman Sachs, Citigroup) to the smaller, agency only providers (Sanford Bernstein, Liquidnet). As a market structure expert, Jeff spends much time in front of Liquidnet’s member base discussing market conditions, liquidity shifts, regulatory impacts, and in general advising on how sentiment shifts effect trading, cost expectations, and strategy selection. Jeff participates frequently on industry conference panels, financial media interviews, and large buy-side attended webex events. And as Head of Sell Side ATS strategy, Jeff is tasked with ensuring the Liquidnet ATS evolves in a modern way, and continues to represent a valuable source of liquidity for the member base.  

 

 

Jessica Libby, Principal, KPMG

 

Jessica held various senior level global trade compliance and supply chain roles in private industry for a Fortune 500 retailer. In addition, she worked as an international trade consultant for a customs and trade law firm, and was an attorney with the International Trade Administration in Washington, D.C. 

 

Jessica also provides pro bono legal support to asylum candidates and serves on the Board for Global Minnesota, a non-profit organization focused on connecting the global community.  

 

Jessica’s diverse customs, supply chain and legal background gives her valuable insight into the strategic and operational complexities of multinational companies, and the opportunities available to them. She possesses extensive experience with import and export compliance, trade remedies (antidumping and countervailing duty), duty recoveries, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations.  

 

Jessica lead’s KPMG’s anti-forced labor service offering, providing valuable insights from her time in industry as well as interpretation of the technical program requirements associated with US Customs expectations.  She also supports clients in enhancing their compliance program, and implementing duty savings strategies. 

             

 

Monika Garg, NicTech Portfolio Manager, Nicholas Investment Partners

 

Monika joined Nicholas Investment Partners in March 2019. She is the lead portfolio manager for NicTech and she contributes to the investment team’s fundamental research process as a technology specialist given her extensive industry experience and contacts across the technology sector. Previously, Monika spent nine years at Pacific Crest Securities as the lead analyst for vertical software companies in addition to providing coverage of semiconductor and solar industries. She also worked for over 10 years in the semiconductor industry as a senior design engineer and team leader at Cypress Semiconductor and as a software engineer at Motorola. She earned her Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunications from Punjab Engineering College, a Graduate Certificate in VLSI Design and Computer Hardware from Stanford University, and an MBA with an emphasis in finance from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Monika has 21 years of technology experience including 14 years as a technology research analyst.