GW-CIBER Global Careers Panel & Roundtable

BIO NOTES

Dana Abu-Nasrah Managing Consultant, Global Government - IBM Personal/Family Profile/Location: Single; no children; one sister is a GWSB alumna and another is a current GWSB student; Dubai

Book/Article/Podcast Recommendations: Podcasts - “After Hours” (HBR), “Stern Chats” (NYU), “Pivot”, “Planet Money” (NPR), “Danny in the Valley”(The Sunday Times), “No Stupid Questions” (Freaconomics); Favorite books are usually business-focused memoirs/biographies Alma Mater/Degree: International Business and Journalism, The George Washington University; a candidate for Executive Certificate in Public Policy,

Harvard Kennedy School of Government Biography:

Dana Abu-Nasrah is a Managing Consultant on IBM’s Global Public Sector team. Dana contributes to digital government initiatives around the world with a particular focus on emerging technologies, workforce of the future strategies and new ways of working. Dana is an IBM Design Thinking Coach and Co-Creator and has facilitated innovation sessions with senior leadership within IBM and external organizations such as the United Nations, University Systems and Smart Cities.

Prior to IBM, Dana was a Research Assistant at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, where she worked on the high-impact entrepreneurship book, "The Creator's Code: The Six Essential Skills of Extraordinary Entrepreneurs" by Amy Wilkinson. She also has diverse internship experience at marketing agencies, media publications, and SAP.

Dana is a graduate of the George Washington University, where she studied International Business and Journalism, and is a candidate for an Executive Certificate in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

October 29, 2020 ▪ The George Washington University

GW-CIBER Global Careers Panel & Roundtable

Stacie Berdan International Careers Expert & Award-Winning Author Personal/Family Profile/Location: Married; twin daughters; Connecticut Book/Article/Podcast Recommendations: Xenophobe’s Guide series; Foreign Affairs magazine, National Geographic’s “The Compass” newsletter (since COVID-19 began); Podcast - “Revisionist History” by Malcolm Gladwell Alma Mater/Degree: B.A. in Communications & graduate work in English Literature, Florida Atlantic University; several Wharton School of Business Leadership courses

Biography: I’ve published six books but don’t consider myself a writer. I’ve given more than 500 keynotes, lectures

and workshops, but don’t consider myself a speaker. What I am, however, is an advocate for developing a global mindset, pursuing an international career, learning another language, studying abroad, and just being curious about the fascinating world we live in. And I do so because our individual and collective futures depend on it.

How does one become an advocate? PASSION.

My career has taken me around the world creating successful marketing strategies and communication campaigns for some of the biggest global brands. I’ve served as coach, counselor, strategist and adviser to CEOs, politicians, senior executives and students around the world. I’ve worked in more than 50 countries and traveled to an additional 40. Over the years, I’ve noticed something: The majority of Americans do not do well in cross-cultural situations – particularly in business.

Globalization is here whether we like it or not. We must adapt, understand and be able to work with the many cultures, customs, economics, regulations, governments in the U.S. and around the world.

For the past twelve years, I have been working within organizations, on campuses and with local communities to help professionals, students, and parents develop a global mindset. Sometimes the auditoriums are packed, with people standing in the back and sitting in the aisles, and other times there are just a handful of people in a library in deep discussion. All audiences and venues are important to me: I arrive energized and full of stories, data points, and examples to change hearts and minds.

I’ve authored six books on the intersection of globalization and careers; several have been best sellers and other award-winners with translations into Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Spanish. I also spread the word through media as an expert contributor and have appeared on NPR, NBC, ABC, CNN and FOX, as well as in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, USA Today, Time, Chronicle of Higher Education and Huffington Post (and more).

Although developing a global mindset is not inherently difficult, it does take a conscious effort on the part of the learner. And it pays off, which is why I want to help as many people as possible see the global light. #GoGlobal; Website: www.stacieberdan.com

GW-CIBER Global Careers Panel & Roundtable

Julie Chung Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. Department of State Personal/Family Profile/Location: Married; one son; Washington DC Book/Article/Podcast Recommendations: “Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage” by Alfred Lansing; Podcast – “American Diplomat” Alma Mater/Degree: B.A. in Political Science, University of California San Diego; M.A. in International Affairs, Columbia University

Biography:

Julie Chung assumed the position of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs in November 2018, and is responsible for the management and oversight of the Bureau’s 52 overseas U.S. diplomatic missions, 18,000 overseas and domestic staff, and a $300 million operating budget.

She was previously the Director and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Japan in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, leading alliance initiatives on the Indo Pacific strategy. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, she held positions as the Deputy Chief of Mission in Cambodia and Economic Counselor in Thailand.

Ms. Chung served as the Deputy Political Counselor in Bogota, where she managed the U.S. Government’s largest extradition program, including paramilitary and narco-trafficking cases. As the United States representative to the G24 in Bogota, Ms. Chung led initiatives focused on demining, labor, and human rights. In Baghdad, she served as Chief of Staff coordinating civilian-military foreign assistance with thirteen agencies and sections and managed the interagency Emergency Assistance Coordination Team in response to suicide bombings. While working in the Office of Korean Affairs in Washington, she frequently traveled to North Korea to implement the U.S.-North Korea Agreed Framework. She also served in Guangzhou, Tokyo, and Hanoi as a public diplomacy officer and APEC coordinator.

Ms. Chung is from Huntington Beach, California and joined the Foreign Service in 1996 as the first cohort of the Thomas R. Pickering Fellowship program. She received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California San Diego and an M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University. Her foreign languages include Korean, Japanese, Spanish, and Khmer.

GW-CIBER Global Careers Panel & Roundtable

Tracey Gibbons Senior Vice President - Third Point Reinsurance Company Ltd. Personal/Family Profile/Location: Married; two children; Bermuda Book/Article/Podcast Recommendations: “The Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett; “Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath” by Ted Koppel; “Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It” by Gina Kolata

Alma Mater/Degree: B.A. joint honors in Economics and Economic & Social History, University of Hull, UK; post graduate studies: Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute, FCII; Associate in Risk Management, ARM; Certified

Company Director, IOD (Cert.) Biography:

Tracey Gibbons has more than 35 years of experience with a broad-based underwriting background, having worked in insurance, reinsurance, and captive management in both the UK and Bermuda.

In April 2019 she joined Third Point Re in Bermuda as Senior Vice President Underwriting, after spending 16 years as SVP Specialty Treaty at Allied World Re. Her role involves managing a team writing reinsurance on a specific country and a worldwide basis. Exposures range from war, terror, and political violence to event cancellation and pandemic.

Tracey is a firm advocate of giving back to the industry and continues to be a mentor, coach, and champion to numerous individuals. Most recently she was the driving force behind the establishment of a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative at Third Point Re. Tracey serves on the board of Women in Reinsurance, a networking and educational organization for women working in the reinsurance industry. She is a regular expert panelist/moderator and industry advocate.

In 2015 and 2016 she was named one of 100 influential women in the insurance industry by Intelligent Insurer Magazine and one of 38 influential female executives in Bermuda by Bermuda Re+ILS magazine. In 2019 she was given the prestigious “Women to Watch” award by Business Insurance magazine.

She is a graduate of the University of Hull, a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute, an Associate in Risk Management, and a Certified Company Director (Institute of Directors).

GW-CIBER Global Careers Panel & Roundtable

Michael McKenna Independent Consultant, Working with Biotechnology and Tech Companies Personal/Family Profile/Location: Married; two children; NYC metro area

Book/Article/Podcast Recommendations: Professional - The blog of Ed Batista, Stanford GSB (edbatista.com); Personal - Anything by Haruki Marukami; The Strength of Weak Ties by Mark Granovetter; Podcast – “Econtalk” by Russ Roberts of the Hoover Institution Alma Mater/Degree: A.B. in Philosophy, Duke University; M.A. in Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; MBA, Columbia University

Biography:

Michael Mckenna has had a career of more than twenty-five years spanning academia, international development, pharmaceuticals, and banking. Most recently, Michael was Managing Director and Head of Category Management for Barclays, where he led the global procurement strategy for over £6.5 billion in purchased goods and services.

Prior to that, Michael spent nearly twenty years in the pharmaceutical industry, beginning in Pfizer's R&D and Regulatory Affairs group before transitioning to Procurement to lead Pfizer's offshore outsourcing portfolio in India. Michael's journey in corporate procurement continued at Novartis, where he led efforts to optimize its global supply chains for IT and professional services, and ultimately served as the Head of Corporate Spend Procurement.

Prior to entering industry, Michael was a Research Fellow at Princeton's Office of Population Research and spent two years in Bangladesh with the Ford Foundation, where he led program monitoring and evaluation efforts for a local NGO.

Michael is currently an independent consultant, working with biotechnology and information technology companies to develop their commercialization strategies. At each stage of his career, Michael has actively sought out and enjoyed the enriching global dimensions these experiences have afforded. Michael has an MBA from Columbia University, an MA from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an AB from Duke University.

GW-CIBER Global Careers Panel & Roundtable

Steve Miranda Senior Advisor - Federal Reserve Board of Governors Personal/Family Profile/Location: Married; three daughters; Northern VA

Book/Article/Podcast Recommendations: “Change Your Questions, Change Your Life” by Marilee Adams, “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” by Daniel Pink, “Riding the Waves of Culture” by Fons Trompenaars; Podcasts – Marketplace, Planet Money Alma Mater/Degree: Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Liberal Arts & Master’s degree in Computer Science, University of Detroit, Mercy

Biography: Steve Miranda is responsible for the Human Resources, Technology Applications, and Program Management

Branches of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Prior to his role at the Board, Steve was the Executive Director for Cornell University’s ILR School Executive Education & Human Capital Development programs. Steve is also the CEO of Four Forces Consulting, LLC, a human capital consulting firm dedicated to helping individuals and organizations optimize their productivity and performance. Steve has extensive experience in the areas of executive development, global human resource management, team building, coaching and organizational effectiveness / design. Prior to his role with Cornell, Steve was the Chief Human Resource and Content Integration Officer for the Society for Human Resource Management, the world’s largest professional HR association. Before this, Steve was an HR vice-president at Lucent Technologies. His specific responsibilities included the creation of global talent development initiatives, assessment methodologies, leadership development programs, and organizational design / effectiveness strategies. Steve also spent 3-1/2 years in Hong Kong as Lucent’s Human Resources Vice-President for Asia Pacific. Earlier Steve led the HR teams responsible for the development of Lucent Technologies Bell Laboratories, New Ventures, and Intellectual Property human resource strategies and programs. During this assignment Steve helped to design initiatives for non-conventional and innovative HR programs and processes to support Lucent’s world-famous R&D organization – a team that has generated 11 Nobel Prize winning scientists over the past 65 years.

Steve holds a Top-Secret security clearance, an undergraduate degree in Chemistry and a master’s degree in Computer Science (both Summa Cum Laude) from the University of Detroit, as well as SPHR, GPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications. He has taught as an adjunct professor at Cornell University, Georgetown University, Renmin University (Beijing) and Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok). Steve has served on the Board of Directors for the Ethics & Compliance Initiative, the Council for Adult Experiential Learning, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and Girls Inc of Washington, DC. He is also a past United States representative to the North American Human Resources Management Association, North America’s representative body to the World Federation of Personnel Management Associations. Work that he and his teams have been associated with has appeared in the Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, Wall Street Journal Online, National Public Radio, the BBC, ABC television’s “20/20” news magazine and the Washington Post. Steve has been a top-rated speaker at the National Institute of Health, Major League Baseball, The Chinese Council on Human Capital Development, The World Bank, multiple Conference Board sessions, the National Foreign Trade Council, the American Chamber of Commerce, the Society for Human Resource Management, and numerous other corporate, non-governmental, and non-profit organizations.

GW-CIBER Global Careers Panel & Roundtable

Rebecca Pearson President and Chief Marketing Officer - WEConnect International Personal/Family Profile/Location: Married; one stepdaughter; Houston, TX Alma Mater/Degree: B.A. in Fashion Merchandising, Fashion Institute of Technology; BA in Marketing, GWU; MBA, American University

Biography: Rebecca Pearson recently joined WEConnect International as President and Chief Marketing Officer,

after a long career at Exxon Mobil Corporation.

Rebecca joined ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricants in 1995, bringing with her deep expertise in consumer marketing, retail management, and information technology. Rebecca has held various leadership assignments in Marketing, Brand Management, Planning, Customer Service and Digital during her career as an ExxonMobil executive. Within Marketing, she has also held positions in industrial marketing, communications, business analysis and planning, and global marketing, where she has been a recognized leader in the company’s Marketing Excellence journey since 2002. She also lived and worked in Brussels, Belgium overseeing the financial management of the European Lubricants operation as well as setting up the first ever customer service center in Prague, Czech Republic. Rebecca also has been heavily involved in recruiting and developing talent over the years and has been managing people since the young age of 18. She was a recognized leader and speaker in ExxonMobil’s Women’s’ Leadership Network and volunteered through ExxonMobil’s involvement in WEConnect International, a corporate initiative for Women’s Economic Empowerment and the supplier diversity program.

Prior to joining ExxonMobil, Rebecca worked in a variety of companies and positions. She spent seven years at Lord & Taylor in the retail industry, moving from stock clerk to department manager for various clothing categories. She also spent another seven years in the property management residential housing industry on-site property management to computer programming and support of HUD-based regulations for rent collection and reporting in the Washington DC area. Her marketing passions include market research and data analytics along with strategic marketing. In addition to starting her education at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Fashion Merchandising, Rebecca holds a Master of Business Administration from American University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from George Washington University. Rebecca continues to mentor and coach women, entrepreneurs, and others seeking to grow their businesses. She is married to a dynamic sports radio host and has a passion for women’s economic empowerment, sports, and a host of other interests from rescue dogs to music to race cars.

GW-CIBER Global Careers Panel & Roundtable

Colleen Pritchett President, Americas Aerospace & Global Fibers - Hexcel Corporation Personal/Family Profile: Married; two daughters; San Francisco, CA bay area Book/Article/Podcast Recommendations: “Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter” & “Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game” by Liz Wiseman; Podcasts - “Make Your Team Smarter” by Liz Wiseman; “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek; TED Talks Alma Mater/Degree: MBA, Emory University; B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Penn State University

Biography: Colleen Pritchett is President of Hexcel’s Americas Aerospace & Global Fibers business. Prior to Hexcel,

Ms. Pritchett worked at E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company for twenty-two years in the aerospace, automotive, electronics, and printing industries. She has led $500M to $1.5B global businesses and served as strategic planning manager supporting the CEO and Board for a $25B chemical and specialty materials firm. Renowned for growing global businesses, leading turnarounds, improving profitability, championing the customer’s needs, and motivating teams to deliver significant results. She is a noted speaker at international industrial forums. Prior to joining Hexcel, Ms. Pritchett served as Vice President for the Electronics & Imaging Advanced Printing business for E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. Ms. Pritchett was responsible for global profit and loss, business development, strategic planning, as well as leading innovation and growth. She improved profitability in the first year, turned around declining revenues and launched a market disrupter platform of products leading to record growth, earning her team the 2017 Electronics & Imaging Excellence Award.

Prior to 2016, Ms. Pritchett led multiple business units including Electronics & Communications Microcircuit Materials, Performance Polymers, Kalrez® and Vespel® and Engineering Polymers. She took an international assignment in Shanghai, China from 2013-2015 leading the Performance Polymers business, delivering significant growth and market share gains throughout the Asia Pacific region. Pritchett then moved to Taipei, Taiwan and led a turnaround of the Electronics business gaining market share and step changing earnings improvement for the business. Earlier in her career, Ms. Pritchett held positions as North American Sales and Distribution Manager, Strategic Planning Manager, National Accounts Team Sales Manager, and positions in Engineering and Finance.

She is currently Chair of the Board for ARC Technologies LLC, a Hexcel company. She also served as Chair of the Board for DuPont’s Xinda Filaments Company Limited, Chair of Penn State Chemical Engineering Industrial and Professional Advisory Board, President of Graduate Business Association, Emory University, and Vice President of American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Penn State University. Ms. Pritchett served as coordinator for Days of Caring events and sponsor for United Way campaigns. Pritchett earned an MBA from Goizueta Business School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Penn State, State College, PA. She also completed a Harvard Business School Leadership Program and plans to attend a Women in Governance Program at UCLA this year.

GW-CIBER Global Careers Panel & Roundtable

Lisa Schroeter Global Director, Trade and Investment Policy - Dow Chemical Company Personal/Family Profile: Single; no children; Washington, DC Book/Article/Podcast Recommendations: Personal – fiction novels by Clive Cussler, James Patterson, David Baldacci, Vince Flynn; Podcasts – “The Trade Guys” by CSIS; Wide-ranging webinars for personal and professional development hosted by Women in International Trade (www.wiit.org)

Alma Mater/Degree: B.S. in International Relations, GWU; Study abroad programs at l‘Institut D’Études Politiques, Paris; and American University World Capitals Program, Brussels.

Biography:

Lisa Schroeter is the Global Director of Trade and Investment Policy for Dow. As part of the corporate Global Government Affairs team, Lisa’s responsibilities focus on trade policy and regulations, trade negotiations, and investment issues that foster growth in Dow’s global businesses through identification of policies facilitating market access and reducing global distribution costs.

Her role has direct responsibility for developing the company’s global trade strategy, driving impact assessments and response to emerging trade issues, and facilitating government affairs strategies aligned with Dow’s investment priorities. Lisa manages the company’s outreach to key trade-related entities in the US Administration, Washington DC embassy community and across key governments.

Before joining Dow, Lisa was the Executive Director of the TransAtlantic Business Dialogue (TABD). TABD was a unique trade-facilitation process by which American and European CEOs work with the U.S. Administration and the European Commission to implement practical, detailed recommendations. Ms. Schroeter joined TABD in 1999 and managed the process on behalf of the Boeing Company, PricewaterhouseCoopers, United Technologies Corporation, and Xerox.

Lisa is currently the President of the Women in International Trade (WIIT) Trust, and previously served as WIIT’s President from 2018-2019. She is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), and a Board Member of the Washington International Trade Association (WITA) as well as Cultural Tourism, DC.

She serves as the Chair of the ICCA Trade Network and Global Regulatory Cooperation task forces and the US Business Committee of the Transatlantic Policy Network (TPN).