Adriana Arzac

Adriana Arzac is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She has been working with dfa for over 10 years. She brings a vast intercultural perspective and expertise in the areas of global leadership, technology transfer and organizational development with particular focus on performance enhancement and cross-cultural adaptation throughout the American continent and the Caribbean. Adriana Arzac has over 20 years practical experience in executive positions working for international organizations in North and Latin American countries. She was a member of the Trilateral Work Force on Higher Education, Work and Culture for NAFTA and served on the faculty of various universities in the United States and Mexico.

Dr. Arzac holds an M.A. in Social Psychology from the Universidad Iberoamericana (Jesuit University) in Mexico City, a Ph.D. in Behavioral Health from the University of Texas, Health Science Center and was a Research Fellow at the UCLA Hispanic Behavior Research Center. She has published a variety of articles and essays in the areas of intercultural management, executive coaching, team building and behavioral health in the global workplace. Between 1996 and 2000 she served as President of SIETAR International, now the Global SIETAR Network and premier society of interculturalists and has served on several international and global boards. Adriana Arzac who was brought up in Latin America and educated in Mexico and the United States, works professionally in English and Spanish and is currently based in San Antonio, Texas.

Ellen Jane Baker

Ellen Jane Baker is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. Ellen’s expertise in cross-cultural communication, diversity, global teaming and collaboration, business protocol and the evaluation of how cultural differences impact business, stem from 25 years of management experience with international executives and diplomats in corporate America and the international arena. She is a dynamic consultant who excels at creating relevant and impactful programs and delivering experiential learning, which engages clients in all forums to interact. Her business acumen, networking savvy, market knowledge and keen observation and intuitive skills enable her to guide individual clients to self-discovery and prioritization of their needs in a comforting and reassuring manner. She has been an interpreter/officer for the U.S. Department of State, Senior Vice President of the New York Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vice President of an international commercial real estate organization, and Director of the international division of a software training company.

Ms. Baker holds a Masters degree in French Studies and a TESOL certificate from the American University in Washington, DC. She earned a Bachelors degree in French from New York University and a Certificat de Langue Française from the Université de Paris. Ellen speaks flawless French, English and excellent Spanish, has experience in 26 countries and has resided in Europe and in Mexico.
She has served on the faculty of the American University, North Carolina State University and the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara, Mexico.

Stéphanie Guimarães Bibb

Stéphanie Guimarães Bibb is a Senior Associate and Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. Since 1998, Ms. Bibb has conducted hundreds of adult and youth intercultural trainings for numerous destinations including most industrialized nations in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. She has traveled throughout North America to work with corporate clients in the automotive, pharmaceutical, high-tech, financial, consulting, chemical, insurance, entertainment, and aeronautics industries. Ms. Bibb currently lives in Montréal, Canada with her Belgian spouse where she provides consulting services to expatriate executives and their families. Additionally, she teaches two self-designed university courses: one in Intercultural Relations and the other in Intercultural Communication at École Polytechnique de Montréal, Canada and at Bay Path College, USA, respectively.

Born in Boston, USA, Ms. Bibb is also a citizen of Brazil and has lived and worked in France and Canada. She is proficient in English, French, and Portuguese and has a working knowledge of Spanish. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Intercultural Relations, from the SIT Graduate Institute, USA, from the Program in Intercultural Service, Leadership, and Management. Her concentrations were Diversity Leadership and Human Resource Development and Training. Ms. Bibb attended the Summer Institute of Intercultural Communication (SIIC), USA, where she received her Foundations in Intercultural Communication Certificate. She also received her Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) from Cambridge University, UK and her Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate from the SIT Graduate Institute.

RITA BROWN

Rita Brown is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions specializing in cross cultural training and coaching for executives and spouses in personal and professional transition. Originally from Salvador, Brazil, she has lived in North America and Europe and worked in eight countries. She has traveled extensively, experiencing cultures on five continents.

Rita has worked directly with world-class private and academic institutions such as Banco Real / ABN AMRO Bank and Dartmouth College. She has trained executives from many Fortune 500 companies in a variety of industries, including telecommunications, fast-moving consumer goods, international trade, and finance.

Rita has an M.A. degree in Social Justice in Intercultural Relations from the School for International Training Graduate Institute in Brattleboro, USA, and a B.S. degree in Accounting from Fundação Visconde de Cairu in Salvador, Brazil. She graduated from the Integral Coaching Certification Program at Integral Coaching Canada, which is accredited through the International Coach Federation.

Ricardo Carlos

Ricardo is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions from Mexico who has been living in Canada for over 8 years. He is a professional with over 13 years of combined experience in management, business development and training roles across different industries including international recruitment, language training and cultural diversity, equity & inclusion training.

Ricardo currently serves as a Programs Manager at the Centre for Race in Culture, in Edmonton, Alberta, where he is responsible for a variety of programs in regards to cultural and racial diversity, equity & inclusion for workplaces, schools and social services organizations. Ricardo not only manages the programs but also designs and facilitates some workshops himself. He has given keynote and various other presentations to employers in the private sector, unions, education boards, immigrant servicing agencies and people in the community.

He participates regularly in formal and ad hoc committees, including the Community Labour Immigrant Network Committee (CLINC), Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (ECVO) - Welcoming Workplace Program and he is the current chair of the Edmonton chapter for the Canadian Employee Relocation Council (CERC).

Patricia M Coleman

Patricia Coleman is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She is a dual citizen of France and the United States and has a rich European, African and Caribbean cultural heritage. For over 25 years she has resided in South Florida, the gateway to South America and the Caribbean, which has helped form Patricia’s platform for intercultural and global business work.

Patricia offers executive coaching, training and seminar sessions for corporate teams working globally and virtually in international business, as well as expatriate executives relocating overseas with their families. Her strong sales skills and analytical cross cultural experience have gained the trust of international companies.

She is a member of SIETAR USA, NAFSA, Toastmasters International as well as several International Chambers of Commerce. She periodically appears in various private & public educational institutions and convention centers events as speaker endorsing global harmony and diversity in the workforce. Patricia speaks English, French, and Spanish and has basic to intermediate knowledge of Portuguese, German, Russian, and Swedish.

Christian Hoeferle

Christian Hoeferle is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. He is a native of Germany and has been living in the greater Chattanooga, TN area since 2004. His experience involves intercultural consultancy specializing in improving trans-Atlantic business success and employee effectiveness.

Christian serves as the Chattanooga Regional Activity Director for the Tennessee Chapter of the German-American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern United States. He also serves on the Board of Mosaic, an area non-profit which helps integrate newcomers to their new homes in Southeast Tennessee. Christian is an active member of SHRM Chattanooga and the Cleveland Bradley Chamber of Commerce.

During his career, Christian worked for several international companies where he served in several leadership positions. He is a graduate of the Akademie der Bayerischen Presse (Munich, Germany) and is fluent in German and English. Christian has travelled extensively throughout Europe and North America and currently lives in Cleveland, TN with his wife and two daughters.

Andrew Michael Bock

Andrew Michael Bock is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions He is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice, provides clinical consultation, and lectures widely on health and wellness issues. A former American diplomat and Fulbright fellow, he has received several prestigious awards for his translations of Hungarian literature into English.

His expertise is concentrated in over 20 years’ experience working in three sectors of Hungarian society: international diplomacy; health care; and higher education. In 2003, he lectured on Hungarian medical ethics at Yale University School of Medicine. His other geographical area of concentration is South Asia and he holds advanced degrees in both South Asian studies and mental health counseling from the University of Wisconsin. Andrew Bock, who was educated in the United States and India, lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his family.

Barbara Brady

Barbara Brady is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She has been working in the Intercultural field for six years. With more than twenty years of experience that combine sales, training and coaching, Ms. Brady has worked in industries that include air freight, telecommunications, and communication skills training. She has spent over two years in Europe and Asia, studying and working in Switzerland and Japan, respectively. As an Intercultural Trainer, Barbara has facilitated over 80 cross-cultural programs. Her additional work experience includes an adjunct professorship in International Business, Business Management & Leadership, and Training & Development, and coaching Asian business professionals in business communication skills. Since 2001 Barbara has been coaching individuals and groups on transition issues in life and work. Areas of focus include relationships, career transitions, relocation, and international transitions, with expatriation and repatriation.

Ms. Brady has an M.I.M. degree (Master of International Management) from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, AZ, and a B.A. in Humanities from Providence College in Providence, R.I. where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She is a member of Society for Intercultural Education, Training, and Research (SIETAR), is a Certified DISC Behavioral Analyst and Certified Toastmaster with Toastmasters International. She has also served as President of Business Networking International in Asheville, NC. She is the author of Make the Right Move Now: Your Personal Relocation Guide, has been writing a bimonthly coaching e-newsletter Living Big since 2003 and is a Coach on the “Coaches Corner” of her graduate school alumni website where she has articles on communication and career. Barbara has a limited working proficiency in French, and elementary proficiency in Japanese.

Dr. Colleen Braun

Dr. Colleen Braun is a Senior Associates and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She is also a clinical psychologist, educator, and organizational consultant with first hand credentials as an intercultural communications specialist. For more than 10 years, she carries out organizational assessments and developing international business activities for a European based client. A registered psychologist and family therapist, she carries out psychological services in clinical practices in Calgary and Halifax, specializing in chronic pain rehabilitation and disability management. Dr Braun holds adjunct status on the graduate faculties of NOVA Southeastern University, in Fort Lauderdale, and Central Michigan University.

Dr. Braun holds an undergraduate degree in journalism from Bowling Green University, completed Master's and Doctoral programs in behavioural medicine at the University of Cincinnati, and is certified as a family therapist by the Department of Psychiatry at the University Cincinnati College of Medicine. She is holds status as a registered clinical psychologist in Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories. Among her credits, Dr Braun lists more than 60 publications and presentations in North American and international journals and symposia. An honorary Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, she is listed in Who's Who Worldwide, and Who's Who in Professional Speaking. Dr Braun is an active member of The Canadian Psychologists Association; American Psychological Association; American Counseling Association; Canadian Pain Society; Association for Multi-cultural Counseling and Development; American Society for Training and Development; Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SIETAR); International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors; Advisory Board, The Family (IAMFC journal); and National Speaker's Association.

RITA BROWN

Rita Brown is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions specializing in cross cultural training and coaching for executives and spouses in personal and professional transition. Originally from Salvador, Brazil, she has lived in North America and Europe and worked in eight countries. She has traveled extensively, experiencing cultures on five continents.

Rita has worked directly with world-class private and academic institutions such as Banco Real / ABN AMRO Bank and Dartmouth College. She has trained executives from many Fortune 500 companies in a variety of industries, including telecommunications, fast-moving consumer goods, international trade, and finance.

Rita has an M.A. degree in Social Justice in Intercultural Relations from the School for International Training Graduate Institute in Brattleboro, USA, and a B.S. degree in Accounting from Fundação Visconde de Cairu in Salvador, Brazil. She graduated from the Integral Coaching Certification Program at Integral Coaching Canada, which is accredited through the International Coach Federation.

Michael Burns

Michael Burns is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. He has been working with dfa for over ten years. He specializes in culture and creativity for technology companies based in Silicon Valley. Michael teaches/coaches technology company executives in working and managing across India, China and Japan specifically and other Latin, Asian and European cultures.

Mr. Burns holds Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Psychology, Master’s in Sociology and a Diploma in Labor Law from universities in Sydney, Australia. Michael's early professional training and experience was as a teacher and clinical psychologist. His work in the areas of organizational change, global vision, strategic planning and goal alignment have been referred to in “Global Work ' Bridging Distance, Culture and Time” by Institute for the Future and “Corporate Comeback” the story of the turnaround of National Semiconductor. He has recently become a correspondent for the Australian Business Foundation’s column “Tales of Silicon Valley”.

Prabha Chandrasekhar

Prabha Chandrasekhar is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She is a graduate of the International Coach Academy (ICA), where she also trains and mentors professionals in coaching. In addition, she is an ICF-certified Professional Certified Coach (PCC), a certified AD/HD coach, and a Life Coach. She has her Masters in Applied Psychology.

s. Chandrasekhar’s focus is diversity and change. Her experiences of living and working both in India and the USA have enhanced her insights in understanding individuals who work in a world of difference. Her coaching journey is to become aware, participate and celebrate differences. Her mantra is "Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are, for what you could become."

Rhonda Coast

Rhonda Coast is an International Human Resources Development consultant, specializing in cross-cultural awareness training and coaching as well as international human resources management with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. Ms. Coast is a trainer, consultant, and keynote speaker in the areas of: Intercultural communications, how to adjust successfully to overseas assignments, cultural differences and learning styles, how to do business in other countries, cultural differences in negotiating, and skills for the global employee. Rhonda’s international experience includes extensive on-site work in Spanish-speaking countries to help establish startup manufacturing operations for a Fortune 100 global company. Ms. Coast also has written and published guide books for business travel to Spanish-speaking countries as well as articles on cross-cultural issues. She is fluent in Spanish and has a good grasp of French. Rhonda has conducted focus group interviews and quality fitness reviews in Spanish at foreign manufacturing sites and has travelled extensively in Latin America and Europe.

Ms. Coast holds a B.A. degree in Spanish and French from Geneva College, Beaver Falls, Pa., an M.A. in Spanish from the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa., and studied at the Universidad Autónoma de México in Mexico City. She also has studied at the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication in Forest Grove, Oregon. A native of western Pennsylvania, Rhonda currently resides in Pittsburgh, Pa., with her husband. She is a member of the Board of Directors and past president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Western Pennsylvania, Inc. Ms. Coast also is a member of the Pittsburgh Human Resources Association, Society for Human Resource Management, Pittsburgh World Affairs Council, Latin American Cultural Union, National Speakers Association, and the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SIETAR).   In addition, Ms. Coast has been a featured radio talk show guest, discussing intercultural business issues.

Virginia L. Cutchin

Virginia Cutchin has delivered cross-cultural training sessions for dfa Intercultural Global Solutions since 2003. She specializes in international business strategy, national innovation systems and global workforce development. Ms. Cutchin’s expertise comes from over 20 years’ experience in human resources, financial services and banking, and international education. Her geographical areas of concentration are China/Hong Kong and India, Central Europe and the UK, and Brazil.

Ms. Cutchin holds a BA in Political Science from Hunter College in New York, and an MBA in International Business from the Zicklin School of Business/Baruch College, also in New York. She also has designations as a global mobility specialist and as a certified behavior analyst. She has taught global marketing and international business courses at the Zicklin School of Business, World Trade Institute (Pace University), American University, University of Maryland and the Fashion Institute of Technology. Ms. Cutchin delivers her services in English and Mandarin Chinese. She, was brought up in the US, Italy and England, and currently lives in Alexandria, VA.

John M. Daly

Dr. John Daly is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions and has had thirty years' experience in international corporate and academic management, recruitment, counseling, training, contract negotiation, and marketing. He has also taught at seven universities in the United States and abroad and lived and worked for thirteen years in Europe and Saudi Arabia. He has worked for major corporate American, Algerian, German and Arabic companies in the US, Germany, and Saudi Arabia. For the past ten years John has worked for Fordham University's Graduate School of Business Administration as associate director of career services and adjunct assistant professor of communication and media management. He has taught MBA students Communication and Leadership as well as Cross-Cultural Communication and Negotiation, including in Fordham's innovative executive-format Transnational MBA Program, which John also helped market. His other university teaching experience includes teaching a graduate course in Intercultural Management for Mercy College.

Dr. Daly's doctorate is from New York University; his dissertation focused on some key elements affecting the development of cultural identity. He also took graduate courses and pursued research for his doctoral dissertation at the University of Heidelberg under a grant from the German government. Johns bachelor's degree is from Queens College of the City University of New York. He has had much corporate training, especially in the administration of human resources, and for three years served as international director in Area 1 (Delaware to Maine) of the Society for Human Resource Management. John was also once chair of the university-relations committee of HR/NY, SHRM's metro New York chapter, and co-chair of its first international committee. He is fluent in German, proficient in Spanish, and has tourist-level conversational ability in five other languages.

Nancy A. Dean

Nancy Dean is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions, the global cross-cultural consulting company. She has conducted many cross-cultural programs and has lived the live of an expatriate for many years. A diplomatic spouse for three decades, she lived and raised her two daughters in five foreign countries on three continents. She also spent a couple of years in three African countries and India. When Nancy would have benefited from it most—during her early years living in alien cultures with the U.S. Foreign Service—cross-cultural indoctrination was all but unknown. She is acutely aware of how helpful this training can be for both individuals and families arriving in a foreign country on a long-term assignment having experience it herself.

A Midwesterner by birth, Ms. Dean earned a B.A. degree in journalism at Indiana University. For many years, she taught English as a Second Language on the college level, both overseas (Iran) and in the U.S. She is a journalist by training and was delighted to meld her two major talents while covering the diplomatic corps for Houston’s only daily paper, The Houston Chronicle, including writing a weekly column, Houston International Scene. More recently, she is the founding president of the Houston and Chennai (formerly Madras), India, Sister City Association, which is affiliated with Sister Cities International. She is based in Houston, Texas.

Yara DeAndrade, DMgt

Dr. Yara DeAndrade is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She is a native of Brazil and has been living in St. Louis, Missouri, since 1996. She works as intercultural trainer, coach, and business presenter with expertise in Latin America. Her international experience includes over twenty years of independent and corporate know-how with highly competitive global corporations across many industries. In the United States, Dr. DeAndrade specializes in teaching, coaching and training, designing and delivering several workshops and training programs for several organizations.

As professor, she teaches International Marketing, Latin American Studies, and Portuguese at Webster University and Washington University. In addition, she leads the Emerging Markets Field Study Central America program that includes two weeks in Panama, for St. Louis University.

Dr. DeAndrade has a Doctoral degree in Management, a Master of Arts degree in Business, with Honors, both from Webster University in St. Louis, and a Bachelor degree in Business from the United Metropolitan College in Brazil. Her dissertation paper researched the relationship of Intentional Learning, Locus of Control, and Self-Efficacy among online and on-ground college students. Dr. DeAndrade speaks fluently Portuguese, English and Spanish, and has studied German and Italian.

Donna Drewes

Donna Drews is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She also teaches English, presentation skills, and U.S culture to global corporate executives. She has worked with executives from legal, fininacial companies, among others. For the last 15 years, she has been teaching oral communication, composition, and English as a Second language at New York University. She has also taught at the China Institute, the Nippon Club, and American University in Paris. She has lived and worked in France and Germany and has traveled extensively in Europe as well as in Africa and Mexico.

Ms Drewes holds a M.A. from the University of Missori ' Kansas City and a B.A. from the Southwest Missouri state University ' Springfield, MO. She was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and raised in the United States in Minnesota and Missouri. As a radio and television journalist, she worked in Dallas, San Francisco, Connecticut, and New York. She also produced and hosted documentaries for the German Information Center, Bavarian television, and PBS in the U.S. She has lived in New York City for nearly 30 years and counts as her close friends people from around the world.

Holly Emert, Ph.D.

Holly Emert, Ph.D. is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She has over 15 years’ experience in the learning and development field with a focus on enhancing individual and group intercultural competence; engaging in strategic planning and evaluation efforts to develop or build culturally relevant and appropriate systemic structures and policies; and working with clients in ways that build sustainability of culture-based initiatives.

Dr. Emert holds a Ph.D. degree in Comparative and International Development Education (International and Intercultural Education focus) as well as a university certificate in Human Resource Development (Organizational Development and Training emphases) from the University of Minnesota. She stays current in her field by maintaining an active research agenda and by taking part in varied professional development opportunities, including attendance at the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication in Oregon, USA; attending and presenting at numerous professional association conferences; and being an active member of the Board of Directors of SIETAR-USA (the Society for Intercultural Education, Training, and Research). She is the Director of the Intercultural Professional Development portfolio for SIETAR-USA. Dr. Emert has extensive personal experience transitioning and adapting to new geographic and cultural environments, having grown up in five states throughout the Southern U.S.A. She has worked in Botswana, China, France, Ghana, and Sénégal. She is based in Washington, DC, USA.

Namita Eveloy

Namita Eveloy is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She is an experienced intercultural educator, speaker, trainer and consultant. She brings over ten years of experience in the areas of intercultural communication, language training, and instructional design. Her business experience includes training professionals from several multinationals on topics around language and cultural competence in the United States and abroad.

Her work has been honored by a fellowship from the French Embassy and through a materials grant from the Consulate of Mexico. With professional experience on three continents, in both public and private sectors, she offers an unmatched international perspective.

Ms. Eveloy holds a Master's degree in Second Languages and Cultures Education with additional coursework in Human Resources Development and Educational Policy and Administration from the University of Minnesota. She has also studied at the Université de Paul Valéry and La Sorbonne in France.

Susan Farwell

Susan Farwell is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions, the global cross-cultural consulting company. She has been working with dfa for over three years. She is also a communication consultant, trainer and coach. She specializes in working with executives on leadership issues such as gaining influence, leading change, motivating audiences, negotiating and managing in a multicultural environment. Her expertise is concentrated in over 25 years of experience in the communications field where she has had the opportunity to work with corporate clients from around the globe. Her clients include multinational firms in pharmaceuticals; financial and insurance services; publishing, consulting and manufacturing. She has worked in Western Europe, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Her coaching clients often include impatriates or recent immigrants from the China, Japan, India, the Middle East, Russia and France.

Mrs. Farwell holds a B.S. degree in Communications at the Eastern Illinois University and an MFA at Lindenwold University. She has advanced studies from Harvard and MIT in Negotiations and Psychological Associates. She was raised and educated in the United States. She lives in New York City with her Egyptian-born husband. She frequently travels globally both on business assignments and for pleasure.

Tatyana Fertelmeyster

Ms. Tatyana Fertelmeyster is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions and she has been a professional interculturalist since 1989. She provides Intercultural Communication and Diversity trainings to corporate clients as well as to educators and mental health professionals. She also trains business executives and their families in preparation to their moves overseas for global assignments. As a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, her professional experience includes providing resettlement services to the refugees and counseling to individuals and families going through the process of cultural adjustment. Tatyana is certified to administer and interpret Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). As a licensed counselor she is highly qualified to interpret the results of the IDI to both groups and individuals. She served as a consultant in the process of translating IDI into Russian.

Ms. Fertelmeyster received an MA in Journalism from Moscow State University (Moscow, Russia) and an MA in Guidance and Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago, IL). She continues her learning in the areas of cultural diversity and intercultural communication through the annual (since 1999) internship with the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communications in Portland, OR. Tatyana is a co-author of the Russian version of a training tool Cultural Detective™, which popularity is growing among professionals providing intercultural training and companies that use it for intercultural competency training, teambuilding and coaching. She is a Master Trainer of Facilitators in Cultural Detective™ model. Tatyana is an immediate past president of the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SIETAR-USA) and a former board member of Turning Point, a non-profit agency that is a primary community mental health provider for residents of Niles Township, IL. Tatyana regularly presents at the state- and nationwide conferences, including being a keynote presenter at a number of conferences.

Jeannette V. (Cookie) Fischer

Jeannette V. Fischer is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She has an international career which has spanned over five continents (including Antarctica). She has over 30 years experience in multilingual, multicultural training, coaching and consulting, working on location on site in the Middle East, Asia, Australia, Europe, South America and the United States. Her multilingual and multicultural skills have been the backbone of her career in the field of Intercultural Competence. She has taught International Communication at Hanze University in the Netherlands, and presently, she is participating adjunct faculty at Woodbury University (Burbank, California) teaching under the Institute of Transdiciplinary Studies and the School of Media, Culture and Design. In parallel, for the past 10 years, her professional focus has been coaching, facilitation and training customized programs for globalized organizations, multicultural project teams (technical and business) and mobility training.

Ms. Fischer has a B.A. degree in Linguistics from Pomona College, Claremont California. Her educational background also includes study in Intercultural Communication and certification in International Negotiation. Multilingual, Jeannette speaks nine languages, including English, French, Spanish, Hebrew, Italian, Portuguese, Mandarin, Japanese and Dutch.

Tawnya Ganfield

Tawnya Ganfield is a Cross-Cultural trainer for dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. For more than 15 years, Ms. Ganfield has worked with international transferees through program development and management, destination services, and training. Ms. Ganfield’s deep understanding of culture, coupled with her managerial business experience, allows her to deliver insights specifically focused on business. She has lived and worked in Venezuela, Spain and Belgium and traveled to dozens of other locations. As a result, she speaks fluent French and Spanish.

Previously, Ms. Ganfield worked for a major global consulting firm as a manager, consultant and business developer in International Human Capital. Her specialties include international assignment management, expatriate policy development, cross-cultural training, strategy design, and international processes for multinational corporations. Her experience includes industries such as automotive, manufacturing, consumer products, medical technology, communications and financial services. Today, Ms. Ganfield speaks at international organization conferences and corporate meetings on the topic of human resources and its global implications. She also consults with international business executives exploring business strategies that may work more effectively with employees of a different culture. Ms. Ganfield received her degree in Communications from Marquette University, specializing in intercultural communication. Ms. Ganfield is a member of SIETAR, the Society for Intercultural Education Training and Research; IIHR, the International Institute of Human Resources; and AIESEC Alumni.

Elizabeth Hermann

Elizabeth is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She has more than thirty years’ experience as a corporate speaker and educator and is an accomplished consultant and coach on global cross-cultural interactions. After many years of teaching Teacher Education at South African Universities, she has gained extensive international experience by living and working in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Britain, Holland, Germany, Taiwan, Indonesia and the USA. She has also made frequent longer visits to Australia and has traveled extensively in other parts of the world. In Jakarta, Indonesia she headed her own cross-cultural consultancy.

Mrs. Hermann academic qualifications include two bachelor’s degrees (in Speech and Drama and in Education), from University of Natal, South Africa, and a master’s degree from Michigan State University which focused on cross-cultural education and the development of cooperative learning environments. Elizabeth also has advanced qualifications in Psycho- and Socio-Cultural Linguistics, and the Psychology of Learning. A native speaker of English, Elizabeth speaks fluent German, passable Indonesian, and has a good understanding of Dutch and Afrikaans. Elizabeth is now living permanently in the USA and works out of Hillsdale, Michigan.

Marshall C. Hewitt

Marshall C. Hewitt is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions and has been in the cross-cultural consulting field for more than 20 years. Specializing in global project team management, he has assisted clients in numerous international technology trans¬fers, joint ventures, and executive relocation programs, and advises global teams across a wide range of functions and industries.

Mr. Hewitt comes from a technical background. He started in corporate science as a petroleum geologist for Texaco before moving to Kobe, Japan, where he was a research engineer at Kobe Steel. His work, for which several of his designs were patented in Japan, was part of a biotechnology consortium sponsored by the Japanese government. He holds degrees in science and business from Vassar College, the University of New Hampshire, Pennsylvania State University and Harvard University. He has worked extensively with the pharmaceutical, chemical, IT, financial services and many other industries, as well as government officials. His geographic areas of concentration are East Asia, India, the European Union and North America. He teaches about Intercultural Business at Babson College in Boston, speaks Japanese and delivers his services to companies globally. Marshall is an avid pilot who lives in New Hampshire.

Vicki Flier Hudson

Vicki Flier Hudson is an Associate and Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She helps global organizations turn cultural differences into productive teamwork. She specializes in the continent of Asia with a focus on India and China, and her programs include intercultural communication, multicultural team building and international business skills. She is a recent recipient of Kennesaw State University’s Instructor of the Year award for International Programs. Previously, in her home of Atlanta, Georgia, Vicki supervised and conducted training for international and domestic Distribution and Manufacturing for Immucor, Inc., a worldwide blood bank automation company with affiliates throughout the globe. She led several German-U.S. teams through successful transitions to centralized software systems.

Ms. Hudson holds a B.A. in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She also has an Airman Certificate. In the past, she has lived in Nepal and worked in China, Germany, India and Thailand. She has survived a fifty-five hour train ride across India and ridden a rickshaw, a camel, a cement truck and broken down buses all over the globe. She has traveled in several countries including Austria, Belgium, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, England, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Mexico and Panama.

Sarah Hurst

Sarah Hurst is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She delivers trainings for expatriates and their families who are relocating to other countries. Sarah specializes in the U.S., U.K. and former Soviet countries. She was born and raised in the U.K., and her work has brought her to several countries, including China, Russia and Azerbaijan. In addition to being a reporter and journalist, Sarah’s experiences include coordinating international programs for Russian students at the University of Alaska Anchorage, American Russian Center.

She is married to a lifelong Alaskan and has a two-year-old daughter, Cecilia.

Lobna Ismail

Ismail is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She is a training specialist with over fifteen years of experience in the areas of intercultural communication, Islamic and Arab awareness, and cultural and religious diversity. She is the author of “Doing Business in the Middle East and North Africa” and “Finding Diversity” and is frequently used as an expert by national media and major international news programs.

Ms. Ismail was selected as a Peace Fellow for Seeds of Peace and a Malone Fellow in Middle East and Islamic Studies by the National Council for U.S. and Arab Relations. She also has been selected to present at several conferences as a professional on the cutting edge of emerging cultural and religious diversity issues. Ms. Ismail develops intercultural and cross-cultural communication training for corporate personnel, nonprofit managers, law enforcement, educators, and students. She holds a Master’s degree in Intercultural Relations from Lesley College and a B.A. in International Service from The American University in Washington, DC. She has traveled extensively in a professional and educational capacity.

Heidi Karlsson

Heidi Karlsson is an Intercultural Consultant and Trainer with dfa who provides personalized training in cross-cultural communication and diversity, negotiation, facilitation and coaching to individuals, groups and families. Having relocated seven times internationally herself, she has practical experience in the planning of Commercial and Cultural orientation sessions for professionals and their families in transition. With nearly 10 years of experience in both domestic and international multicultural marketing and strategic communications for both the public and private sectors, Ms. Karlsson began her career in Paris, France as a Communications Liaison in Cultural Resources Management working for UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Having traveled extensively to more than 25 countries, she has lived in Japan, England, Sweden, France, Mexico, USA and the Caribbean. She has had a major influence on clients in the Tourism/Hospitality, Pharmaceutical, Financial, Food and Beverage, Oil/Gas and Technology sectors. Her projects have included travel to Asia, North and Central Americas, Europe, and North Africa among other places. Ms. Karlsson holds a M.A. degree in Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management with emphasis in Cross-Cultural Communication and Environmental Policy from Southern Methodist University. She received her B.A. in Political Science from Michigan State University and is certified in Advanced Negotiation and Dispute Resolution by the Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation.

Heather R. Keller

Dr. Heather R. Keller is an Associates and Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. Since 1995 Dr. Heather R. Keller has dedicated her career to the field of training and development. As an consultant, trainer, author, and regular conference speaker, she has both practical and theoretical experience in the intercultural field. Dr. Keller has trained expatriates for living and working in Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K., and the U.S. She has studied intensive French in Cannes, France; lived with families in Paris, France and Stockholm, Sweden; and served as a project consultant for a German-owned company operating in Pécs, Hungary.

In 2001, Dr. Keller obtained a Ph.D. from Ohio University in interpersonal communication with emphases in cross-cultural and organizational communication. After conducting extensive research with expatriates, the culmination of her doctoral degree was a dissertation in which she developed a cross-cultural training model for expatriates and their families. Dr. Keller also holds a master’s degree in higher education administration, a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and a bachelor’s degree in interpersonal communication. For ten years, Dr. Keller also taught a variety of management and communication courses at both the MBA and undergraduate levels. Global Leadership, International Organizational Behavior, and Cross-Cultural Communication were among some of the courses she taught. Heather has served as a faculty member for Ohio University, Capital University, Hocking College, Columbus State Community College, Ohio Dominican University, and Franklin University. Dr. Keller also conducts training in the areas of leadership development, team-building, interpersonal communication, public speaking, and business writing.

Soumaya Khalifa

Soumaya Khalifa is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She is a seasoned interculturalist specializing in the Arab world. She was born in Egypt and grew up in Texas. Throughout her life she has been “literate” in both the American and Arab/Muslim cultures. She has over 15 years of experience with Fortune 100 companies in the areas of Training, Diversity, and Human Resources. The training and coaching Ms. Khalifa provides can be region specific or country specific. She is both fluent in the cultures and the language as well as the nuances between the cultures of the different countries of the Arab world. She is fluent in Arabic and English and has studied Spanish, French and German.

Ms. Khalifa is also an Adjunct Faculty at Emory University where she teaches a class on Arab Culture. She provides consulting and coaches for Corporations, Diplomats, Military, Law Enforcement, Health Care Providers, Educators, and Media on increasing the understanding of the culture of the Arab and Muslim World for over 8 years. Driving results through improving communications and cultural understanding and appreciation is a passion for Ms. Khalifa. She holds a BS in Chemistry and an MBA in Human Resources.

Nessa M Kiely

Nessa Kiely is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She works with US and international organizations - private, public and non-profits - helping her clients produce results through executive coaching, sales, leadership, customer loyalty and teamwork. Tooling and guiding those who are in pursuit of extraordinary results – teams, individuals or high level seasoned leaders - is Nessa’s particular strength.

For over thirteen years on four continents Nessa fulfilled assignments for a major international training company. She is master certified in multiple sales, leadership and customer service training programs. She uses that breath of skill-building knowledge as well as her sales and management background to coach and train high potential leaders.

Nessa earned a Bachelor of Education from University College Cork, Ireland and attended New York University and Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, New York earning her Master of Science in Organizational Management. She is a certified Professional Coach.

Denise Kleiman

Denise Kleiman is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She has focused much of her recent career on Cross-Cultural Development. These cross-cultural programs have included Orientation sessions for relocating employees, Managing assignments of foreign national employees and visitors to include English Immersion and Executive Development Programs, Foreign Language Instruction, Negotiation Strategies, as well as a variety of Country-Specific programs. Her experience involves work for clients with offices in Asia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East, South America, and Africa including -- Indonesia, China, Singapore, Myanmar, Japan, Algeria, Russia, Azerbaijan, UK, France, Germany, Dubai, Qatar, Israel, Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Australia, the U.S. and others. Denise has lived in both Mexico and Spain.

Ms. Kleiman is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and has been an active participant in HR related professional organizations including the Alliance For Higher Education, Techforce 2000, SIETAR, ASTD, SHRM, IIHR, NAFE and NAWBO, and has participated in qualification efforts for the Baldrige Quality Award. She is certified to train more than a dozen management development and feedback instruments. She has over 25 years experience in all areas of Human Resources. She has managed core HR functions such as Recruiting, Training & Development & Development, Compensation & Benefits, Legal Compliance/EEO and Generalist activities. She is currently based in Dallas, Texas.

Betty R. Kuhnert, Ph.D., MBA

Betty R. Kuhnert, Ph.D., MBA is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She comes to DFA with over 12 years of experience teaching cross cultural awareness in various pharmaceutical company settings and as an advocate for cross cultural awareness in a key professional organization for the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr. Kuhnert holds a Ph.D. degree in biological sciences from Kent State University, and a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in organizational behavior from Case Western Reserve University. As an academic scientist she authored over 150 publications, abstracts and book chapters related to pharmacology. More recently, she has been the head of training for a large pharmaceutical company as well as for a contract research organization. In these roles she has published articles related to leadership development and cross cultural awareness. She grew up in Japan. As a pharmaceutical professional she has spent a lot of time working with global teams in Japan, France and various other countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia. She currently is based in Philadelphia, but divides her time between Philadelphia and the mountains of western South Carolina.

Eric J. Kruger

Eric J. Kruger is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions, the global cross-cultural consulting company. He has been working with dfa for over ten years since receiving his advanced training in cross-cultural methodology and practice. He is also a professional executive strategist specializing in leadership development and performance enhancement. His expertise is concentrated in over 25 years’ international experience in four global industries: the telecommunications, computer and information industries; the chemicals, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology sector; financial and insurance services; and high-technology transportation equipment. His geographical areas of concentration are the European Union and Central/Eastern Europe, North America, Latin America—Argentina, Brazil and Mexico; and East Asia, specifically Japan and China.

Mr. Kruger holds degrees in international economics from the London School of Economics, University College, London and the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research in New York. He has been a professor at Cornell, Columbia and Pace Universities. He is the author of several articles on cross-cultural communication and books on international business. He works professionally in five of the major languages of Europe and Latin America. Mr. Kruger, who was brought up and educated in Britain, France, Switzerland, Spain and Germany, lives in Manhattan with his family, but delivers his services to companies globally.

Diane-Marie Landsinger, SPHR

Diane-Marie Landsinger is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She has been working in the intercultural field for over fifteen years. Her global relocation consulting experience has included work with a wide variety of multinational companies. Ms. Landsinger held management positions with The Boeing Company where she participated in an extensive cultural audit for mergers and acquisitions and supported multi-cultural teams and international joint ventures in Asia and Europe. Ms. Landsinger has also participated in the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication, SIETAR Northwest, and Sister Cities International.

Ms. Landsinger holds Bachelor degrees from Southern Illinois University in both Social Work and Administration of Criminal Justice with extensive graduate work in organizational development and law. She is also an ESL Coach working with business professionals on English pronunciation, accent reduction, and effective corporate presentations and navigating corporate US culture. With extensive experience and interest in working with multi-cultural teams, as well as families and children, she has received the highest human resource designation of SPHR, Senior Professional Human Resource Management with an expertise in Strategic Planning for Total Rewards, Diversity and Human Resource Compliance Training. She is currently based in Tucson, Arizona.

Brandon Lindsey

Brandon Lindsey is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. He has over 10 years experience working interculturally in the fields of English as a Second Language instruction and workforce development. Mr. Lindsey has designed and developed multiple job training and education programs. As part of this work, he has collaborated with businesses and community organizations to ensure program quality and relevance. He has delivered training to newly arrived immigrants and refugees to improve cultural transition and work readiness. Having lived and worked abroad in Asia and Latin America, Brandon has developed a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced when relocating to another culture.

Mr. Lindsey holds an M.A. in Intercultural Service, Leadership, and Management from the School for International Training with a focus in adult learning and intercultural communication. He earned a BA in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia with a concentration in Latin American Politics. He currently resides with his wife in Seattle, WA.

Barbara D. Lewington

Barbara D. Lewington is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions and has worked primarily with children and teens since 1998. She has completed over one hundred expatriate and repatriate consulting assignments for a vast number of companies. Ms. Lewington relocated with her bi-cultural family to St. Louis, Missouri from the London area in 1986. She has taught children of all ages in both the US and UK. She also has experience teaching English as a second language.

Ms. Lewington received her B.A. degree in Sociology from Pitzer College, and went on to receive her Master of Arts degree in Education, as well as her State of California Standard Teaching Credential from Claremont Graduate University. Ms. Lewington is a member of the World Affairs Council of St. Louis, vice-president of St. Louis Branch of the English- Speaking Union, and a Fellow of the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library in the United States. She has traveled extensively in the USA, Europe, Mexico, Japan, China, Singapore, Thailand, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Caribbean.

Edwin M. Martinez

Edwin Martinez is a Cross Cultural trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions and facilitator in negotiation, cross-cultural and multi-cultural concerns and third party processes such as mediation, arbitration and conflict resolution of interpersonal and multi-party disputes. He has conducted international training programs and administered relocation programs for multinational corporate executives in the USA and abroad for a number of companies. As a training facilitator with the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Teacher’s College, Columbia University, he trained New York City High School principals and master teachers in negotiation and conflict resolution. He has worked with university student government organizations, human rights organizations, local and national law enforcement specialists and various other clients.

Mr. Martinez has traveled extensively throughout the US, Latin America and overseas and has lead several international professional and cultural exchanges to the People’s Republic of China (1988) and the former Soviet Union (1990) for the Citizen Ambassador Program. A native New Yorker he attended the University of Puerto Rico and the City University of New York and resides in the Bronx with his wife and four children.

Samantha Masucci

Samantha Masucci is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She assists families who relocate to the Houston area from overseas. Her career in the international field began in 1996 in Mexico City while working with the Institute of International Education. After relocating back to Houston, she worked coordinating cross-cultural training programs for relocating executives. Additionally, she worked with The Methodist Hospital coordinating premier executive physicals for international patients. She has traveled extensively throughout Mexico and Spain. She has taken cultural courses in Mar del Plata, Argentina; London; and Oaxaca, Mexico. Samantha enjoys reading, walking, photography and traveling. She resides in Houston, Texas with her husband and two children.

Joseph McClure

Since 2002, Joe has been working with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions in the field of cross-cultural training, as Director, New Business Development, Midwest Region. He is also the trainer for dfa programs in the Detroit area. Joseph McClure joined General Motors Corporation in 1964 as a student at General Motors Institute. He received his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering and began his career in Human Resources at GM’s Harrison Radiator Division in Lockport, NY. Joe moved to Detroit in 1977 and was involved in bringing the personnel function into the computer age with the launch of GM’s first Human Resources system. In 1981, Joe and his family moved to Zaragoza, Spain where he served as the Manager of Human Resources and Expatriate services for over three years. Joe repatriated to the International Assignment Services staff of GM in 1984 and has worked in various capacities within that staff. Prior to his retirement from GM in 2002, he was Manager of International Policy Development. In this role, Joe was responsible for the development and implementation of a website for the GM expatriate community. Additionally, Joe has been managed the review and revision of GM’s expatriate policies that impact an expatriate population of nearly 1250.

Saskia Meckman

Saskia Meckman is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. and has been working in the intercultural field for twelve years. Ms. Meckman’s global relocation consulting experience has included work with a wide variety of multinational companies. She has facilitated programs all over the US, Canada, as well as the Caribbean and Latin America. With extensive experience and interest in working with women expatriate managers as well as families and children, she has written numerous articles on these subjects and continues to write on expatriate issues. Currently, she is focusing her research on intercultural marriages and learning more about the field of executive coaching. As an active member and volunteer with SIETAR USA, she has been attending their conferences since 2000.

Ms. Meckman holds a Bachelor degree from Tufts University in Child Psychology and Education and a Master degree in International and Intercultural Management from the School for International Training. Ms. Meckman is bilingual in English and French, fluent in Dutch and Spanish, and conversant in German. She is currently learning Arabic and Sanskrit. US-born Ms. Meckman spent 14 years growing up as an expatriate, living in Europe - France, Germany, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands. With an Ecuadorian mother and a Dutch-Austrian-Danish father, she has always felt most at home in international and intercultural settings. Ms. Meckman moved back to the U.S as a young adult to attend college, experiencing repatriation first hand. Currently residing in Boca Raton, FL, she lives with her Palestinian-Jordanian husband, who grew up in Lebanon, Kuwait, and Greece.

Rossana Miranda-Johnston

Rossana Miranda-Johnston is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She is an experienced trainer and coach who delivers client-tailored cross-cultural and leadership training programs to improve business interactions, international relocation, teambuilding, leadership development, customer service & sales, doctor-patient cross-cultural communication, diversity and inclusion, and intercultural marriage. She has delivered training programs in the United States, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain, Uruguay, England, and Italy.

Born and raised in Mexico, Ms. Miranda-Johnston received a master’s degree in Intercultural Management from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont (USA), and has completed many training courses to continue her professional development. After completing a coach training program at Newfield Network, she is currently working towards her International Coaching Federation (ICF) certification. She has lived and worked in Mexico, the United States, Portugal, Israel, England, and Italy and has contributed to several publications within the field.

Nancy Mueller

Nancy Mueller is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She helps clients build and nurture long-term professional relationships at home and abroad through business manners and cultural savvy, solid communication skills, and quality customer relations. Her clients are among the top performing companies in their respective fields.

An avid world traveler, Nancy’s international experience includes directing an educational cultural exchange organization in the Pacific Northwest, teaching in Egypt, presenting communication workshops in Canada and throughout the United States, consulting in Europe and traveling in Brazil, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, Europe, Hong Kong and Mainland China. Australia and Antarctica are still on her bucket list.

Nancy is the author of Work Worldwide: International Career Strategies for the Adventurous Job Seeker (Avalon Travel Publications), described as a “nuts-and-bolts excellent” guide for finding your dream assignment abroad. She earned her master’s degree from the University of Washington where she studied English, French and Russian languages and literature.

Ursula Muenzel, Ph.D.

Ursula Muenzel is a cross-cultural trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. who currently splits her life between the United States and Europe. Her expertise in international protocol, business etiquette, and negotiating stems from more than 20 years in both the diplomatic and corporate worlds. She focuses on Europe, the USA, the Middle East, and Africa. Having brokered and facilitated business contacts between companies in various countries, she acquired the competence to train executives and managers to successfully negotiate with their foreign counterparts and to motivate personnel from diverse cultural backgrounds. Her intercultural sensitivity enables her to counsel families in transition how to adjust to their new environment and to appreciate cultural diversity.

Ursula holds a Ph.D. in Modern History from the University of Würzburg, Germany, and participated in seminars on Cross-Cultural Training for International Corporations at the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication in Portland, Oregon. She has lived in various countries on three continents for most of her adult life, has worked for the German Foreign Ministry as well as for the German Cultural Institute (Goethe Institut), where she provided intercultural training for lecturers in Africa. Currently, she is an adjunct professor at the Center for International Studies at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. Dr. Muenzel is bilingual in German and English, speaks conversational French, and has a basic knowledge of Spanish, Greek, and modern Hebrew.

Valli Murphy

Valli Murphy is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She has spent most of her life involved in the international arena, bringing a unique combination of professional and personal experiences to her work as an intercultural trainer. Raised and educated in Greece and Italy by her Greek parents, Ms. Murphy traveled with her family throughout Europe, becoming fluent in three languages. Her early years living as a “Third Culture Kid” led her to pursue degrees in International Relations and Latin American Studies. As a former executive working for several global financial institutions including Mellon Bank, Daiwa Bank, Svenska Handlesbanken, and The Bank of Scotland, she managed various international lending departments, and worked closely with expatriates and culturally diverse staff. For over 15 years, she has consulted with global youth exchange programs, including World Learning’s Au Pair Homestay and InterExchange, developing marketing and training programs for foreign youth, host families, field staff and international partner offices.

Ms. Murphy's enthusiasm and commitment to the advancement of intercultural awareness propelled her to create her own intercultural training and consulting company providing comprehensive programs in global leadership and cultural competencies to multicultural teams, corporate executives, foreign exchange organizations and educational institutions.

Valli is a candidate for M.A. in Intercultural Relations from the University of the Pacific.

Jan O’Brien

Jan O’Brien is an associate with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions, the global cross-cultural consulting company. She facilitates intercultural communication workshops, intercultural business briefings, global and domestic team building workshops and leadership seminars. She also provides customized intercultural and leadership coaching services for clients. Jan has lived, studied and worked extensively overseas, in particular in the UK, France, Singapore, Thailand and the S.E. Asia region and has worked with clients from many language and cultural backgrounds. She enjoys coaching and motivating others during both the expatriation and repatriation processes and has experienced first hand the benefits and challenges of relocating internationally.

Ms. O’Brien was born in Nottingham, England ' the land of Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest. She previously worked for the BBC World Service and Foreign Language Services before immigrating to the USA. She was educated in the UK where she majored in Education and French. She has also gained the Certificate in Intercultural Studies through the Centre for Intercultural Communication at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Jan has worked as a core instructor with the University of Houston, Executive Coaching Institute where she has conducted workshops on the topic of coaching in a multicultural workplace for participants in leadership positions seeking to acquire effective coaching skills in order to produce improved interactions and results in others. She is a Board Member of SIETAR Houston (Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research), a board member of SIETAR USA, and she Chaired the SIETAR USA 2006 conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is also a member of ASTD (American Society for Training & Development), the International Association of Coaches, the American Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and the Asia Society. Jan has made her home in Houston, Texas where she is inspired by the rich and diverse cultural environment that the Houston area has to offer.

Jacqueline Oliveira

Jacqueline Oliveira is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She has 15 years of national and international experience in the intercultural and diversity fields. As an interculturalist, she has coached, trained and facilitated countless intercultural negotiations, meetings, project management teams, mediations, and one-on-one trainings. In the field of diversity, she has worked with Fortune 500 companies, nonprofit corporations, and sole practitioners, coaching and facilitating diversity seminars and workshops. Prior to her work in the intercultural and diversity fields, Jacqueline was a legal researcher. She uses the skills developed in her legal work as a researcher and developer of intercultural and diversity training programs for various companies.

Ms. Oliveira is Adjunct Faculty at Antioch University, teaching courses in intercultural management, diversity, and the integration of management theory in the workplace. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and her Masters of Arts degree from The School for International Training. She has been a presenter and guest speaker at numerous national and international conventions. She is the author of numerous online publications about specific business cultures, and the author of Brazil ' a Guide for Businesspeople.

Tom Peterson

Tom Peterson is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. He has enjoyed working with dfa for several years in various capacities. Most recently, his collaboration has primarily taken the form of an intercultural trainer for Living and Working programs in the New England/New York City corridor. Mr. Peterson, a professor at Southern Connecticut University, brings his Communications education and twenty-six years of experience as a trainer, consultant, and business owner to DFA. He has trained individuals and groups from major corporations, television networks, the cable industry, athletics (including the Olympics), the arts, academia, and politics. Widely traveled, Mr. Peterson also greatly enjoys learning about and delving into cross-cultural endeavors, from house swapping in France to climbing the pyramid at Chichen Itza in Mexico. Tom lives in Connecticut with his wife, and has two adult children who share his love for travel, adventure, and the exchange of ideas.

Ralph Salier-Hellendag

Ralph Salier-Hellendag is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. He is a long time student of modern business culture. He has worked for large multi-national corporations in their supply chain organizations and has traveled the world on their behalf. He has worked with many cultures in Europe, South America and Asia. Forging effective business relationships by successfully negotiating international joint ventures and supply contracts, Ralph has developed an understanding of the nuances of modern business culture. While working with Siemens Automotive he hosted a delegation from Israel. In addition, Ralph worked with the Israeli Department of Defense while working at International Truck (Navistar) in a CKD (Complete Knock Down) kitting service provided to the government. This included local value content (Israeli suppliers) and logistics. He has also worked with several Israelis who have come to the US for work assignments.

Mr. Salier-Hellendag has a background in anthropology and archaeology that give him a unique understanding of culture and technology. He earned a degree in Anthropology from Northwestern University and a Masters degree in Business Anthropology from Wayne State University. As a first generation American Ralph grew up speaking German as a first language and hearing Dutch. He also studied Spanish and Chinese along the way. He is based in Houston, Texas.

Tom Morgan

Tom Morgan is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. He has lived and worked in 12 countries in Europe, Scandinavia, Central America, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia. Tom has also worked with government ministers, legislators, military generals, university presidents, and top-level industrialists and business leaders around the world.

Tom’s current work includes conducting intercultural communications training and consulting, international business briefings, virtual team building and executive relocation programs for Fortune 500 companies and other leading companies in defense, automotive, oil, agriculture, food, insurance, financial services, media and entertainment, information technology, telecommunications and other industries.

Tom received his training in the field of intercultural communication from some of the most highly respected leaders in the field and received the Great Trainer of the Year Award in 2008. He specializes in training design and training methods for international programs and holds a master’s degree in higher education administration. Tom’s primary area of expertise is the subcontinent of India, where he has lived, studied and worked for a total of three years.

Tamara Thorpe

Tamara Thorpe is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She has more than fifteen years experience in international education and training. She provides intercultural and leadership training and consulting services to educational institutions and non-profit organizations. Her work includes preparing professionals and students to live abroad, assisting newcomers and refugees with cultural adjustment, and working with educational institutions to create and implement a global vision. Her most rewarding work is with youth and young adults, preparing them to be active global citizens. She is passionate about international service learning, using it as a strategy for both intercultural and leadership skill development. Since 2003, she has been an active volunteer with one of the largest global youth education organizations, CISV International, promoting peace through cross-cultural understanding.

Tamara spent 6 years living in beautiful western Canada, and is now enjoys living in America’s southwest. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from the University of California, San Diego and a Master of Arts in Leadership and Training from Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia. As an undergraduate student she studied in both France and Spain, and is conversant in both languages. She is the author of “Youth Learning from the World, Leading in their Communities”, and is currently an instructor at Brown Mackie College. She is active member of the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SIETAR USA) and a Lead Trainer for NAFSA, a professional association for international educators. She is currently based in Albuquerque, New Mexico and excited by its wealth of cultural diversity.

Dr. Mark L. Usry

Dr. Mark L. Usry is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. Mark has worked with dfa for over a decade. Mark has worked as a consultant and executive strategist for over 20 years. A featured lecturer on things international Mark has traveled extensively internationally. Mark has worked with over 75 companies and 100 school systems on issues including team building, cross-cultural communication and strategic planning. Further Mark has worked with over 25 companies on developing market entry strategies when the companies have chosen to 'go international’.

Mr. Usry earned a bachelor's degree in Marketing from Oklahoma State University, a law degree from the University of Oklahoma and Masters in International Management from Thunderbird, The Garvin School for International Management. A faculty member at James Madison University in Virginia for almost twenty years, Mark recently began teaching at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Mark’s teaching has included: international and domestic business law; leadership; business environment of Europe and the Americas and international marketing. With his family, Mark resides in Charlottesville, Virginia and Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.

Karla C. Van Meter

Karla Van Meter brings a wide business background to her role as cross-cultural trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. He has been working with dfa Since 1996, Ms. Van Meter has worked with Dean Foster. She has led hundreds of inter-cultural trainings for a wide variety of participants. From her own business experience, Ms. Van Meter is familiar with the many different functional definitions of such concepts as “on time, deadline, quality and complete”. She often uses a systems approach to inter-cultural learning. Starting with the participant’s own value system, she uses training techniques to which the participants will be most receptive. Starting with a career in sales, Ms. Van Meter was a Financial Consultant for Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc., followed by industrial sales and marketing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Transferring to the information technology field, she developed products in teamwork with recent immigrants from every inhabited continent. In that capacity, she led cross-cultural team building initiatives in corporate environments. As a senior systems analyst at BZW Barclays Global Investors, Ms. Van Meter was an interface between the American marketing and planning staff and the international software development staff.

Ms. Van Meter holds a MS in Applied Statistics from Virginia Tech and a BA in Mathematics and Sociology from the University of California at Berkeley. For her master’s thesis, she analyzed the impact of an American public health intervention in a Haitian farming village. Born into a Franco-American military family, Ms. Van Meter first relocated at the age of six weeks and frequently thereafter. Married to an Englishman, she lives in the United Kingdom for extended periods of time and now currently lives in California.

Elizabeth Ward

Elizabeth Ward is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions providing trainings for expatriates relocating abroad. Currently residing in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ward has taught in the United States and Costa Rica and is bilingual in English and Spanish. Her expertise in forming relationships and creating a non-threatening learning environment stems from her real-world life and work experiences in 38 countries. These experiences have required her to discover how to create mutually beneficial relationships in a range of cultural and language environs.

Ward earned her M.L.S. in Intercultural Leadership from the University of Minnesota and B.A. degrees in Communication and Psychology from Ohio University. Her work experience includes 14 years of training, program design, management and strategic planning experience. Ward’s work in international programs has also led her to spend several years in Costa Rica, to conduct research in countries throughout Latin America, and to ongoing visits to countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa. She has a passion for education and training, for developing inclusive curricula, and for implementing results-focused plans and activities.

Claudia Zysk

Claudia Zysk is an associate and Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She provides intercultural training and coaching for global managers, executives, and their families to assist them during international assignments, global virtual work and life, and everyday cultural and communication challenges. Her specialties are intercultural competence development, mindful leadership and becoming globally savvy. Her international clients come from diverse private industries, such as IT, energy, aerospace, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, biotech, as well as from non-profit and educational sectors. She has also served as teacher, tutor, instructional designer and teaching assistant of higher education institutions both in Italy and the U.S.

Having lived and worked internationally for 18+ years, Ms. Zysk’s geographic areas of concentration are the US, India, Germany (her native country), Italy and Japan. Claudia holds a M.A. in Intercultural Relations from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, specializing in intercultural management, training and consulting. She speaks German, English and Italian. Ms. Zysk is an active member of SIETAR and periodically presents at international professional conferences on intercultural competence development.