Buffett Lecture | Global Trade and Peacebuilding with DJ Nordquist

At a time of rapid technological transformation and growing geopolitical tension, the multilateral trading system stands at a crossroads. The World Trade Organization (WTO) faces increasing pressure to adapt to a changing landscape shaped by digitalization, shifting power dynamics, and demands for more inclusive growth. As digital technologies transform production, services, and cross-border commerce, the need for WTO reform has become more urgent, particularly in ensuring that the rules governing digital trade are fair, transparent, and responsive to the needs of both developed and developing economies.

What role can multilateral frameworks play in ensuring that the gains from AI-driven trade are broadly shared rather than deepening global inequality? How can emerging leaders and young professionals can engage meaningfully in shaping the future of international trade and advancing principles of fairness, inclusion, and sustainable growth?

Join us for a Buffett Lecture by Jennifer "DJ" Nordquist (MSJ '90), Deputy Director-General of the WTO, followed by discussion with Stephen Nelson, Associate Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University, and audience Q&A. Nordquist will examine significant challenges to and new opportunities for the role of international trade in fostering economic stability, cooperation, and peace in a world with increasing geopolitical competition and tension.

The event will also feature opening remarks from Northwestern University undergraduate Karo Harutyunyan, who is currently serving as one of the WTO’s seven Young Trade Leaders. A reception will follow the program, from 5:15–6:15 p.m.

About the Speakers

Jennifer "DJ" Nordquist became Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in October 2025. She brings to the WTO more than 30 years of experience in economics and public policy. Before joining the WTO, Nordquist was Counsellor at the Council of Economic Advisers in the Executive Office of the President of the United States. Prior to that, she was Executive Vice President of the Economic Innovation Group, served on corporate and nonprofit boards, and was a senior fellow or adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Special Competitive Studies Project, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and several other think tanks. Her previous senior leadership positions include serving as Executive Director for the United States at the World Bank Group, for which she was unanimously confirmed by the US Senate; Chief of Staff for the Economic Studies program at the Brookings Institution; Assistant Secretary (delegated authority) at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development; Senior Advisor in the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding; Deputy Chief of Staff at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; and Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education. She also worked in the private sector in France, Sweden, and Thailand, and began her career on Capitol Hill. Nordquist holds a BA from Stanford University and an MS from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

Stephen C. Nelson is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University's Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences. Professor Nelson’s main research and teaching interests lie in the subfields of International and Comparative Political Economy. His recent work explores a variety of topics, including the politics that shape the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) lending policies; the structure and governance of financial markets before and after the near-collapse of the American financial system in 2008; the political dynamics of developing and emerging market countries’ decisions to open their economies to international capital flows; how organizational cultures shape the behavior of international institutions; and the international organization of sovereign debt markets. Professor Nelson's book, (Cornell University Press, 2017), is based on his dissertation, which won the American Political Science Association's Helen Dwight Reid Award in 2010. He has published articles in International Organization, International Studies Quarterly, Review of International Political Economy, and Review of International Organizations.

Karo Harutyunyan is an undergraduate from Armenia studying economics and political science. He is also pursuing a certificate in sustainability and energy. His academic and professional interests focus on the intersection of public policy, sustainable development, and international trade. Currently, Karo is one of the World Trade Organization’s seven Young Trade Leaders.

Please note that 720 University Place is not an ADA-accessible space. Increasing physical access to buildings and facilities is a goal of the University, but not all buildings and venues have been updated at this time.

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