Appointed Trade Commissioner for the Chicago Consulate General of Canada (www.chicago.gc.ca) in 2007, Sidney Salvadori is responsible for trade promotion and development between Canada and the U.S. Midwestern region (IL, MO, NW IN, WI) with a special focus on aerospace and defense, advanced manufacturing, IT, telecom, advanced materials/nanotechnology, and wind energy.

After holding various positions in publishing and financial services, Ms. Salvadori joined Cook County government in 1987 as chief of staff and press secretary to a member of the legislative body. She was appointed by the Cook County President to the executive branch in 1991 to develop a regional business assistance and marketing organization (the Chicago-Cook Business Center). She was re-appointed several more times by subsequent administrations and, until March 2007, was responsible for business development, marketing, and international affairs.

Ms. Salvadori developed a number of innovative programs for business, including a targeted trade show program and sector-focused business development services. She created a technologically sophisticated business development and marketing program for Cook County, providing project and technology-based management solutions. At the time of her departure, the Chicago-Cook Business Center served more than 2,500 domestic and foreign companies and start-ups annually through its market research, market development, tax incentives, financing, procurement and technical assistance programs. She developed and implemented new economic development programs, including business expansion and rapid-response business assistance strategies, integrated marketing campaigns, and international networks to promote multilateral trade.

In 1997, Ms. Salvadori established the Cook County International Trade Partnership Program (ITPP), formal trade agreements and trade development services between Chicago-Cook County and strategically selected regions around the world, including Emilia-Romagna, Italy and Cork County, Ireland. Additional collaborative projects were executed with Qingdao, PR China and Azuay, Ecuador. The ITPP targeted small and medium size companies and encouraged bilateral trade through strategic alliances and joint ventures. Ms. Salvadori organized and led several trade missions to Europe, Asia and South America, including an automotive industry mission to Shanghai, Ningbo, Qingdao and Beijing, China in May 2006.

Ms. Salvadori has produced numerous electronic and print publications, including award-winning CD-ROMs and marketing materials. In 2002, she launched a comprehensive economic and marketing website (www.chicago-cook.org) for the region, managing its content, writing and continuous improvement.

Ms. Salvadori has been the president of the International Trade Club of Chicago (www.itcc.org) since 2000 and an ITCC board director since 1997. As ITCC president, she has revitalized the oldest trade association in the U.S. by rebuilding its membership base and targeting the manufacturing sector; creating a content-rich interactive website; publishing monthly trade newsletters; launching the ITCC Global Manufacturing Series (www.itcc-gms.org); supporting the well-regarded ITCC Import Workshop Series; and holding quarterly business networking events.

Ms. Salvadori was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to a four-year term with the District Export Council(www.usatrade.gov/dec) in 2000 and again in 2004 and 2008. She is a member of the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign (www.usgloballeadership.org), a Washington, DC based coalition of businesses and organizations focused on the federal international affairs budget - in this capacity, she has led several successful lobbying delegations to the U.S. Senate and House in 2005 and 2006. She has been a member of the board of directors of the Italian American Chamber of Commerce - Midwest (www.italianchamber.us) since 2004. She was appointed to the Board of Advisors of the IIT University Technology Park (www.universitytechnologypark.com) in 2005 and to the Executive Committee of the Board of the Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council (www.chicagomanufacturing.net) in 2006. She has been a member of the Illinois International Career Academy Advisory Council since 2001 (www.imsa.edu).

Ms. Salvadori holds a B.A. cum laude in English and Philosophy and a M.A. with highest honors in English. She has contributed to numerous national and international publications and frequently addresses regional businesses and international audiences on economic, manufacturing, and trade issues. She is native Italian, resided in Europe for 22 years, and is fluent in four languages.