Director of Compliance

Cynthia D. (Jerome) Allen

Cindy began her career as an import entry analyst at a large Customs House Broker in early1987, keying in truck shipments that crossed the Canada-U.S. border in the newly rolled out U.S. Customs Automated Broker Interface (ABI) system.

After only two years in the business Cindy successfully passed the Customs Brokerage Licensing Exam in October of 1989, and received her license in 1990. She is currently a Certified Customs Specialist through the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NBCFAA).

Through the years Cindy has worked at several major Canada – U.S. border points, and in the Air and Ocean forwarder environment giving her well-rounded expertise in all modes and methods of customs clearance and compliance.

Of particular interest in her career, the following experiences helped to shape Cindy’s unique focus on customer needs and commodity specific nuances:

• While at a Detroit area forwarder, Cindy served as the main company representative to one of the largest retailers in the U.S. gaining critical insight into the logistics arrangements necessary for successful just in time delivery in the retail environment.

• Cindy was the main compliance contact for a customs brokers’ large Canadian steel manufacturing client base, improving not only the customs brokers’ compliance rating, but the importers’ compliance ratings as well.

• Cindy was instrumental in the design, development, and deployment of one of the most successful privately developed and owned customs brokers operating systems. This gave her significant experience in the technology driven customs and brokerage operational processes.

• Cindy’s understanding of the Food and Drug Administration’s Bio-Terrorism Act enabled the customs broker who employed her to capitalize on the affected segment by increasing market penetration by over 300%, through an offering of automated and streamlined operations solutions minimizing the Act’s impact on both the broker and their client base.

Cindy is actively involved in the brokerage and trade industry. She is the President of the Detroit Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association, an active member of the NCBFAA, where she is a participant of the Affiliated President’s Network, and a frequent invited speaker for customs clearance and compliance seminars, roundtables, and conferences.

For the past five years, she has attended the NCBFAA Government Affairs Conference, an initiative to speak with Congressional members and oversight committees regarding important industry and trade issues.

Cindy is also very active in the Trade Support Network (TSN), an affiliation of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials, Import Industry Representatives, Customs Brokers, Freight Forwarders, and Carriers that were brought together to design the Automated Customs Environment (ACE), CBP’s new operating system. This government sponsored group recently selected Cindy to be the Trade Chair of the Release Sub-Committee. This Sub-Committee is currently working on the development of the customs automated release process for all goods imported into the U.S. Her unique background and experience made her perfect to address the myriad concerns and needs from all segments of the international trade supply chain.

Cindy is an active participant in a series of high level conference calls with several trade group representatives including the Ontario Trucking Association, the American Trucking Association, Importers-Exporters of Canada, the Northern Border Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association, and the Detroit Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association. The calls center on identifying and facilitating the trade practices of the associations represented to ensure that the impending major changes within the industry do not impede the flow of trade and commerce.