Mihir Torsekar
Protecting America’s Copper Industry: Policy, Research and the Industrial Future
Presented by Mihir Torsekar, Senior Economist at the Coalition for a Prosperous America
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 • 9:15 – 10:30 a.m.
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Join Mihir Torsekar of the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) for an insightful session on the policy and economic strategies needed to revitalize and secure America’s industrial base. As the leading national, bipartisan organization representing exclusively domestic producers and workers across a wide range of U.S. industries, CPA conducts rigorous research to inform smart industrial policy. Mihir will share CPA’s mission and explore key findings from their copper-related research initiatives, with a focus on actionable policy recommendations aimed at strengthening and protecting the U.S. copper industry. Gain a deeper understanding of how Washington can support domestic manufacturing, ensure supply chain resilience and advance economic prosperity through smart industrial policy.
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About Mihir Torsekar
Mihir brings 15 years of experience researching at the intersection of international trade, U.S. industrial competitiveness, and national security. His experience includes 12 years at the U.S. International Trade Commission, where he led multiple statutory investigations examining the effects of foreign trade barriers on U.S. manufacturing, among other topics.
His research on supply chains has been cited by the New York Times, Brookings Institute, and the Financial Times.
Mihir received his B.A. in Economics from Case Western Reserve University and dual Master’s Degrees in Applied Economics and Public Policy from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Mark Shore
Red Metals Industry Economic Analysis
Dr. Mark Shore, Director and Economist, CME Group
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 • 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
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About Mark Shore
Dr. Mark Shore, Director and Economist, CME Group, is responsible for generating economic analysis on global financial markets by identifying emerging trends, evaluating economic factors, and forecasting their potential impact on CME Group’s various asset classes. He is a well-known alternative investment expert with over 30 years of experience in capital markets. He is also an adjunct professor at DePaul University.
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Previous positions include full-time finance faculty and executive director of the Arditti Center for Risk Management at DePaul University, director of Coquest Institute at Coquest Advisors, head of risk at Octane Research ($1.1 billion AUM), and chief operating officer of VK Capital ($300 million AUM), a wholly owned Morgan Stanley commodity trading advisor (CTA) business unit. He conducts educational workshops, webinars, and is frequently invited to speak at industry and academic conferences. Mark has contributed research to several global organizations on volatility, macroeconomics, commodities, asset allocation, due diligence, and alternative investments.
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Mark contributed chapters to the following Wiley & Sons books: Hedge Funds: Insights in Performance Measurement, Risk Analysis, and Portfolio Allocation (2005) and The Handbook of Commodity Investing (2008). He also wrote the introduction to the Vault Career Guide to Hedge Funds (2023), now in its fifth edition. He is a member of the Editorial Board for the Commodity Insights Digest (CID) at Bayes Business School—City University of London, UK.
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Mark received his Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) from DePaul University with his dissertation topic related to alternative investments. He received his MBA from the University of Chicago.
Tricia Sticca
Leading with Purpose in Today’s Business Climate
Tricia Sticca, Associate, Emergent
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 • 1:00 – 2:15 p.m
In this engaging and interactive session, leadership coach Tricia Sticca, PCC, will explore how the current “Supervisor Crisis” in America is shaping the future of leadership, particularly in manufacturing. Sticca will unpack critical skills every modern leader will benefit from to protect against this crisis in their organization. Participants will gain practical strategies to help them assess their own leadership readiness and identify one actionable step to strengthen their impact. Expect a thought-provoking, hands-on conversation that blends insight with immediate application.
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About Tricia Sticca
Tricia Sticca is a leadership coach and facilitator who helps leaders and organizations strengthen the skills that drive performance, trust, and engagement. A Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation, Sticca brings more than a decade of experience coaching senior leaders, middle managers and emerging supervisors across industries, including work in the manufacturing sector.
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As an associate coach with Emergent, a leadership development organization, she partners with companies throughout Central New York to design and deliver leadership programs that translate directly to the realities of the plant floor and production line. Her workshops and coaching engagements equip leaders to communicate more effectively, resolve conflict and lead with a coach mindset, skills that improve retention, safety and productivity.
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Whether working with Fortune 500 leaders or local manufacturing teams, Sticca's mission is the same: to help people lead themselves well so they can lead others better.
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