DFA Trainer Profiles
Trainers in Latin America & the Caribbean
Here are a few of the many DFA certified trainers and consultants in the region you can count on for local on-site intercultural support:
Lynn Stravecky
Puerto RicoLynn Stravecky is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She is also a Licensed Clinical Psychotherapist with a private practice for over 10 years. Her expertise is concentrated in over 25 years of corporate experience and living and working internationally. Her geographical areas of concentration are North America & Latin America-Puerto Rico. She provides cross cultural trainings and mental health counseling to individuals and corporate families relocating to Puerto Rico. She is dedicated to enabling these employees and their families to adapt successfully to the social and business culture of the island, and to come to feel completely at home there.
Ms. Stravecky is originally from Stratford, Connecticut. Lynn has lived and worked in Belem, Brazil and London, England. She holds a masters degree in family counseling from Florida International University. After relocating to Puerto Rico in 1998 from Miami, Florida, Lynn became licensed as a Psychotherapist in Puerto Rico and opened a private practice in family counseling. Additionally, she provides cultural training seminars.
Lorraine Sandford
Argentina: Buenos AiresLorraine Sandford is a multi-national and multi-cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She has been working in cross-cultural methodology and practice since 1999 when she certified as a Trainer. She is also an Occupational Therapist, has a background in Psychology and is training to be a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst. She presently coordinates and facilitates international programs for global corporations. Her geographical areas of concentration are Latin America (Argentina, Chile and Uruguay) and North America, for which she covers cross cultural analysis and intercultural business topics. She has co-designed and delivered intercultural and diversity workshops for international companies, encouraging teamwork among diverse and multi-cultural employees and identifying local issues and needs.
Ms. Sandford, who was brought up and educated in Chile, Argentina, the US and Britain, is totally bilingual in English and Spanish, and lives in Buenos Aires with her family, where she is conducts cross cultural programs and destination services to incoming and outgoing transferees and their families.
Lucy Linhares
Brazil: Rio de JanerioLucy Linhares 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 twelve years. She is also a professional executive strategist specializing in leadership development and performance enhancement. Lucy is an expert facilitator skilled in assisting U.S. and multinational organizations to develop their interests, operations, and markets in Latin America. Among other current initiatives are the design, coordination and delivery of cross-cultural, communication, education and diversity training programs for national and international business. Her geographical areas of concentration are North and Latin America.
Ms. Linhares holds degrees in Social Sciences from The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and a MBA in Social Anthropology in the National Museum from The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, one of the most reputable anthropology programs in Brazil. Originally a trained anthropologist, Lucy worked during many years with the Magüta Center and PETI- UFRJ managing development projects and health care programs among the Tikuna Indians of Brazil’s Amazon region. The experience provided by many years of exposition to a radically different culture prepared Lucy for entry into one of the fields critical to today’s globalized world, that of “Interculturalism”. For more than a decade Lucy taught Sociology at Sociedade Unida de Ensino Superior e Cultura, in Rio de Janeiro. She was a member of the International Society for Intercultural Education Training and Research (SIETAR), is a member of Sietar USA, participating and presenting at its annual Conferences, and an active member of the Forum Latino, an e-group focused on intercultural issues in Latin America. She is the author of many articles published in newspapers and academic magazines in the anthropological field and one of the authors of the book “Indigenismo e Territorialização”..
Maria Amor Poch
Colombia: BogotáMaria Amor Poch a Senior Associates and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She holds a Finance degree from Politécnico Grancolombiano and has 14 years in the plastics industry and she is trilingual. Maria is certified coach (specializing in leadership from the University of Harvard and in Trade from Hamburger University in Chicago). She is also a manager and a member of the board of directors at Productos Químicos Andinos S.A. Ms. Poch has training in “Coaching Train the Trainer” in the Passion center At Work in Rhode Island, as well as training in Ontological and executive coaching in Boston, MA. She also did basic training in NLP (Neurolinguistics Programming), basic tools of psychological transpersonal for coaching of executives.
She is a certified ontological coach and a member of the organization NEWFIELD NETWORKING, guaranteed by the ICF in Santiago, Chile. As well as she is certified in leadership and coaching feedback by the institute of leadership CCL in México. For 5 years she has been an associate consultant on the Training & Performance Team. Her expertise is concentrated in over five years in conducted coaching consultancy on “coaching one by one for organizational leaders” for a variety of industries and companies. Her geographical area of concentration is Latin America and US. Ms. Poch currently resides in Bogotá, Colombia.
Luis Fernando Sánchez
Costa RicaLuis Fernando Sánchez is a Senior Associates and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. He recently joined DFA upon receiving his training in cross-cultural methodology and practice. He is also an organization development consultant specializing in strategic alignment, team building, and executive development.
His expertise is concentrated in over 25 years’ international experience serving the high tech, services, agro industrial, and medical industries. He has sound experience in cross-cultural communication and adjustment. His geographical areas of concentration are Latin America (mostly the Central American countries) and the United States. Luis Fernando holds an M.B.A. with an emphasis on organizational behavior and development from The George Washington University. He is known for his innovative approaches to people and organization development. Luis Fernando, who travels extensively, now lives in Costa Rica where he delivers his services to companies throughout the region.
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