Trade is a team sport.
We built the bench.

Women in Comex is a Southern California nonprofit-spirited community connecting women across every corner of American international commerce.

Our origin

Started in a garage in Valley Center. Grew into a national community.

In 2019, David Gregory — a former commercial trade consultant based in Valley Center, California — noticed the same pattern in workshop after workshop: capable women arriving with excellent products, leaving without the confidence to move a single container.

He convened an informal advisory board of eight women exporters. They met in a garage off Mendoza Road with folding chairs, whiteboards, and a shared conviction that global trade would be stronger if the room looked like the country.

Six years later, Women in Comex serves more than 4,200 members across 36 U.S. states, with programming rooted in the same conviction and the same address.

What we believe

Four values that shape every decision.

🔓

Access over exclusivity

Core membership is free. Every workshop is recorded. No pay-to-play tiers.

🎯

Practical over theoretical

Our teachers have shipped freight. Our mentors have negotiated LCs. Nothing is abstract.

🤲

Generosity is the multiplier

Members give freely — introductions, contract templates, hard-won lessons.

🌐

Local roots, global reach

We build regionally, connect nationally, and trade globally.

Leadership

Founded and stewarded by working practitioners.

Advisory Board Chair

Karen Whitfield

Founder of Cascade Botanicals; twenty-two years in agricultural export. Karen chairs our program committee.

Programs Lead

Adriana Molina

Ops director specializing in Latin American food trade. Adriana designs our monthly briefings and mentorship match.

Community Steward

Mei-Lin Tanaka

CEO of Harbor & Hem apparel; long-time voice in Pacific Rim sourcing ethics and factory partnerships.

David Gregory serves as founder and executive director. Board and staff members serve on a volunteer or modest-stipend basis.

By the numbers

Six years, one focus, measurable outcomes.

4,200+ members across 36 U.S. states
1,180 mentor–mentee matches completed
320 live workshops delivered since 2019
Members trade with partners in 18 countries
68% of members report new export revenue within 12 months
Programming recognized by three regional SBDCs

Trade is a team sport. We built the bench.