Sara Schuman

Sara Schuman is an adjunct senior fellow with the CNAS Energy, Economics, and Security Program and a managing director at Beacon Global Strategies where she leads the firm’s International Trade Practice, helping clients navigate the intersection of global trade and investment policy, economic security, and geopolitical risk. Schuman brings unparalleled experience and insight at the forefront of U.S.-China trade relations, previously serving in senior U.S. government roles for more than a decade in Washington and Beijing.

Prior to joining Beacon, Schuman was the senior trade representative for China at the Office of the United States Trade Representative. In this capacity, she was one of the key U.S. officials responsible for trade negotiations with China and developing and implementing U.S. trade policy toward China. Schuman also served as the minister counselor for trade affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing during the first Trump and Biden administrations. Schuman is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and has spent more than a decade living and working in China. She holds a JD, magna cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School and a BA, cum laude, in international politics and economics from Middlebury College. She also holds a certificate in China studies from the Johns Hopkins University Nanjing Center.