Voices of our Coast Series: Global Systems, Ethical Commerce & the Human Story Behind Trade
Dr. Elizabeth A. Bennett is an international affairs scholar whose work brings to light the human stories behind global trade. As the Joseph M. Ha Chair in International Affairs at Lewis & Clark College, she explores how business, policy, and ethics intersect—from coffee farms in Latin America to factories in Asia and the growing movement toward fair and sustainable trade.
With a PhD in Political Science from Brown University and a master’s from The Fletcher School at Tufts, Dr. Bennett bridges rigorous research with lived experience. She has spent years in the field interviewing farmers, entrepreneurs, and activists who are reshaping what ethical commerce can look like in the 21st century.
Her work focuses on voluntary sustainability standards, fair trade certification, labor rights, and the politics of global supply chains—asking how we might align markets with human dignity and environmental responsibility.
At Willow Camp, Dr. Bennett will bring these themes home: exploring how individual choices and community values ripple outward, and how local action connects to global transformation. Her talk will invite us to see the moral dimensions of everyday trade—the invisible threads that link our coast to the wider world.
