Staff

Monica Hardy Whaley has been with the National Center for APEC (NCAPEC) since the Center’s founding after the first-ever APEC Leaders Meeting that took place in Seattle in 1993. Monica is responsible for management of NCAPEC’s policy and administrative staff, membership, fundraising and fiscal management, and serves as the public spokesperson and representative of the National Center for APEC.

NCAPEC is the home of the APEC 2023 USA Private Sector Host Committee, the U.S. secretariat for the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (US-PECC), the secretariat for the U.S. appointees to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), and Pacific Summit Resources, LLC, which partners with APEC Host economies to produce the annual APEC CEO Summit programs. NCAPEC was also the lead coordinator for the APEC 2011 USA CEO Summit Host Committee.

Prior to assuming her responsibilities at the National Center for APEC, Monica served in various roles at the Washington Council on International Trade (WCIT), the premier trade policy organization in the most trade-dependent U.S. state. WCIT served as the coordinating organization for the U.S. hosting of the 1993 APEC meetings, which were the first APEC gatherings convened at the Leaders level.

Monica holds bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and French from the University of Santa Clara and studied in Paris at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences Pô). She is an Alternate Member of the U.S. APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), Chair of the US-APEC Business Coalition, a member of the U.S. Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (US-PECC) as well as being a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy.

She is married with two adult sons.

Monica Hardy Whaley
President
U.S. ABAC Alternate Member

Alex Parle joined the National Center for APEC as Program Manager in July 2003 and served in several policy and program-focused roles before being named Executive Vice President in 2013. In his current role he oversees NCAPEC’s policy advocacy efforts, communications function and engagement with the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). Alex is also responsible for NCAPEC’s external relations, including with governments and other business organizations in APEC economies. During the U.S. hosting of APEC in 2011, Alex served a one-year term as Executive Director of the APEC Business Advisory Council, an advisory body which comprises three senior executives from each APEC member economy.

Prior to joining NCAPEC, Alex supported the human resources function during the design and construction phases of Universal Studios Japan, a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. He also worked for the Kobe municipal government for three years in support of the city’s international relations efforts.

He holds Bachelor’s degrees in Japanese Studies and Organizational Psychology from Central Washington University and also studied Japanese language at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies.

Alex Parle
Executive Vice President

Barbara joined the National Center for APEC in 2010. Since 2018 she has served as the Vice President of Operations for Pacific Summit Resources, a subsidiary of NCAPEC.

PSR supports the APEC CEO Summit organizers each year by coordinating event sponsorships, advising on program development and marketing the event to international delegates. As VP of PSR, Barbara works with each Summit’s Host Committee to develop and manage international sponsorship and create a dynamic and engaging program.

Barbara also serves as NCAPEC’s Policy Director responsible for the Center’s policy work and program activities on women’s economic empowerment. She works closely with the U.S. business sector, U.S. government, and other relevant stakeholders to identify priorities and initiatives to increase economic opportunities for women as relevant to U.S. businesses and the Asia-Pacific region.

Previously she served for five years at the APEC Business Advisory Council Coordinator (ABAC) for the three US Members to the ABAC. Prior to joining the Center Barbara worked as the Program Director of the Washington Council on International Trade and as the Program Coordinator of the World Affairs Council. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Washington,

Barbara Hazzard
Vice President of PSR Operations

Lauren Corpus joined the National Center for APEC as the Program Assistant in 2019 and is now the Operations and Finance Manager. Prior to joining NCAPEC, Lauren worked on the University of Washington’s College of Education Research Team managing research data that was seeking racial equity in the educational system. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Portland and a master’s degree in Voice Performance from the University of Washington.

Lauren Corpus
Operations and Finance Manager

Nicole Vukonich

Nicole Vukonich joined the National Center for APEC in 2020. As a Senior Policy Director she serves as the lead staffer for the U.S. APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), and covers the Financial Services, Health, Business Mobility, and Women’s Economic Empowerment portfolios. Previously, Nicole worked in Olympia, Wash., for nine legislative sessions in communications and policy for a governor, state senators, and a statewide trade association.

Nicole earned a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Public Policy from The Evergreen State College and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and French from Seattle University. She is a professionally trained mediator.

Nicole Vukonich
Senior Policy Director

Loraine Castillo joined the National Center for APEC in May 2016 as a Program Assistant and is now a a Policy Director covering digital trade, the U.S. Committee for the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (US-PECC), and tourism. Prior to joining NCAPEC, Loraine spent a year living in Nicaragua while working for a sustainable development non-profit. Upon returning to Seattle she interned with a Seattle based consulting firm that specializes in non-profits and social causes. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies with emphases in Latin America and Political Science from the University of California, San Diego.

Loraine Castillo
Policy Director

Olivia Myhre is a Policy Associate for the National Center for APEC. Olivia recently held roles as a Contract Editor at Made For Success Publishing, where she specialized refining manuscripts to meet high standards of clarity, accuracy, and adherence to the Chicago Manual of Style, a Legal Assistant at The Barton Law Firm, focusing on employment law, and as a Research Assistant with the Emma B. Andrews Project, where she contributed to scholarly research on 19th-century Egyptian excavations. She holds a double B.A. in Law, Societies, and Justice and English Literature from the University of Washington, where she earned multiple academic honors and engaged in a range of extracurricular and human rights initiatives, and her work has been published in the UW Arctic and International Relations Journal. She also participated in high-level academic simulations, including the 2023 International Crisis Negotiation Simulation with the U.S. Army War College, where she was recognized for her work in ethics and diplomacy.

Olivia Myhre
Policy Associate

Annika Christensen joined the National Center for APEC in July 2025 as a Policy Associate covering food security, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and supply chain resilience. She holds a Bachelor’s degree with Honors in Politics & Economics with a focus in International Studies from the University of Washington, Tacoma. During her undergraduate studies, Annika interned with Washington State’s Lieutenant Governor, the Office of Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland, and the Department of State, Bureau of East Asian & Pacific Affairs.

Monica Hardy Whaley President U.S. ABAC Alternate Member

Alex Parle Executive Vice President

Barbara Hazzard Vice President of PSR Operations

Lauren Corpus Operations and Finance Manager

Nicole Vukonich

Nicole Vukonich Senior Policy Director

Loraine Castillo Policy Director

Olivia Myhre Policy Associate

Annika Christensen Policy Associate