John R. Black, President

John R. Black has been involved in US export and trade control matters since 1984. He advises a wide range of US and foreign companies, ranging in size from Fortune 10 to small companies in nearly every industrial sector. He also serves as an expert export control adviser to several major US law firms and their clients, and has advised several foreign governments on US export control matters. Within the export compliance field, he has earned a reputation as one of the leading experts on US export and trade controls.

From 1984 through 1988 he worked for the Bureau of Export Administration, where he was responsible for writing the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and interpreting the EAR for government and industry. From 1988 to the present, Mr. Black has been an export/trade control compliance consultant.

Mr. Black has developed a comprehensive knowledge of the Export Administration Regulations (including the antiboycott provisions), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, and the trade control regulations administered by the Office of Foreign Accepts Control. He uses his depth of expertise in multiple US trade control regulations to help his clients ensure they comply with the entire scope of US trade controls.

Mr. Black has advised major US exporters on export control internal compliance policies, processes, and procedures. He has also conducted many export control compliance audits for his clients and worked with them to implement remedial measures to address deficiencies found in the audits. Mr. Black has worked with companies involved in export enforcement actions and has helped them to develop comprehensive remedial compliance policies, processes, and procedures which have successfully mitigated the penalties imposed for their violations.

Mr. Black's comprehensive knowledge of US regulations and his understanding of practical business requirements enable him to develop targeted in-house training programs for US and foreign companies. He has been a featured speaker at well over 100 conferences and seminars on US export controls throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. He has also written numerous articles for various legal and export publications regarding US export/trade controls and has written several books on the subject.

Scott M. Gearity, Consultant

Scott M. Gearity is a consultant with John Black & Associates. Scott joins JBA from Microsoft Corporation, where he held a variety of international trade compliance roles. Most recently, Mr. Gearity was based in Dublin, Ireland where he served as Microsoft’s export compliance manager with overall responsibility for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Prior to joining Microsoft, Mr. Gearity was a consultant at two boutique Washington-based export control consulting firms, MK Technology and Export Strategies, LLC.

Mr. Gearity’s clients have ranged in size from small start-ups to some of the world's largest companies, in industries including software, computer hardware, telecommunications, aerospace, and energy. Mr. Gearity is practiced in designing and implementing compliance programs, integrating controls into enterprise resource planning systems, conducting audits, and seeking export authorizations from government agencies. In addition to a broad knowledge of US export controls, Mr. Gearity is also well-versed in the European Union system, as well as the challenges facing multinational companies operating under the complex, overlapping, and sometimes contradictory regulations of various countries.

Mr. Gearity holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in international studies and economics from American University. He is also a licensed US customs broker.