Dean Foster

As president of DFA, New York, Dean Foster conducts cross-cultural training worldwide and consults on intercultural business issues with most Fortune 500 companies in the United States and around the globe.

For over twenty years, Dean has played a major role in the development of the intercultural training field: formerly he was founder and Managing Director of Berlitz Cross-Cultural Worldwide, Vice President GMAC/Windham Intercultural, and founder of Cross-Cultural Consulting Associates, New York. Dean is a frequent guest on CNN, CNBC and other TV and radio shows, and keynotes at major international professional conferences.

Dean has written many articles, as well as the four-part Global Etiquette Guide book series, which includes The Global Etiquette Guide to Europe, the Global Etiquette Guide to Asia, the Global Etiquette Guide to Latin America, and the Global Etiquette Guide to Africa and the Middle East, as well as Bargaining Across Borders,which the American Library Association voted as one of the top ten business books of 1994.

He is a Contributing Editor for National Geographic Traveler, writing the CultureWise monthly column, and Senior Contributing Editor for the International webpage of Monster.com. Dean presents at many educational instutuions such as Harvard, and is on faculty at the Intercultural Management Institute at American University, Washington D.C. Dean has a Master's Degree in Sociology from the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research, New York City.

Dean's blog, The Culture Prophecy, investigates the often unacknowledged role culture plays in human behavior and world affairs.

Sheryl Foster

Sheryl Foster is Vice President and co-founder of DFA, responsible for client development and program coordination worldwide.

Working with Dean Foster in the intercultural training field for over twenty years, she was co-founder and Vice President of Cross-Cultural Consulting Associates, NY, Director of Berlitz Cross-Cultural North America and Director of New Product Development for Berlitz Publishing. Most recently she served as Director of Client Services at GMAC/Windham Global Relocation Services, directing international account managers responsible for coordinating all relocation services for international corporate clients.

Sheryl is a member of the American Association for Training and Development, Society for Human Resource Management and the Employee Relocation Council.

Vice President, Sales and Client Relations

François Longeiret has been in the United States since 1987. He relocated from France to stay in the Baltimore-Washington DC Area for over 18 years. Not only did he change countries, but also careers after working for 8 years in the finance industry. He joined Berlitz International in 1988 first as a French Language Instructor and then worked his way up to LC and marketing and sales director and has helped the world communicate for over 20 years.

As a marketing and sales Director in Rockville, MD, Washington DC, Baltimore/Odenton, and finally Atlanta, GA, Mr. Longeiret managed and oversaw the day-to-day operations of more than 60 instructors and administrative staff. He was responsible for management, service and quality control, and client relationships. Most recently, Francois has been working with DFA as Regional Marketing and Sales representative for the southern region. As of August 2010, Francois has held the position of Vice president, Sales and Client Relationships, DFA Intercultural Global Solutions.

Joe Leahy

As a US-American involved with international business and management, Joe's first instincts were to dive in and become a global citizen. And, that's what he has done, spending 8 years calling a couple different countries home, and visiting 37 countries in total.

Joseph Leahy's studies took him to Germany, Holland and France, where he continued to work for 4 years after graduation. He became an export Sales Manager for EMFI near Strasbourg, France and drove business development in 9 European countries. Additionally, Joe and his wife traveled independently for 1 year around the world through 16 countries, mostly in the developing world.

Now, back in the U.S, Joe is working with DFA Intercultural Global Solutions, as Director of Business Development in the Mid-Atlantic region, training and consulting with other professionals on living, working and traveling abroad for the global mobility industry, and in developing intercultural competencies for global organizations.

Joe McClure

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 managed the review and revision of GM's expatriate policies that impact an expatriate population of nearly 1250.

Since 2002, Joe has been working with DFA 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.

Cynthia Milani

Cynthia Milani is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions He has joined the dfa and Director, New Business Development, Europe. She has been working with DFA for over fifteen years since receiving her advanced training in negotiations, international presentation skills and intercultural management. Cynthia is a corporate anthropologist specializing in global leadership and development of the global organization. Her 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; as well as the gas/oil industry. Her geographical areas of concentration are the European Union, North America, Central and East Asia, and the Middle East.

Cynthia Milani, graduated from Columbia University (NYC) holds a Masters degree in anthropology, has done post graduate work in Semiotics (Columbia University/Paris), and is certified in negotiations by Harvard University Law School. She has taught intercultural management at the Institute for Italian Directors, Sun University, and IBM Palisades. She has been on several boards, including The American School, Paris; the Institute of Directors U.K. (French chapter), and the Dena Foundation. She is the author of Brand Italy: A Guide to the Italians (2008), as well as numerous articles on cross-cultural communication and international business. She is currently writing Brand Kazakhstan, due for publication in 2009. She delivers her programs in French, Italian and English with a working knowledge of Spanish. Cynthia is a dual citizen of Italy and the United States, and is a permanent resident of France. She lives between the south of France and Milan, Italy, and delivers her services to companies globally.

Sudhanshu Mishra

Sudhanshu Mishra is a Sales and Marketing professional with over 17 years of experience in the Indian enterprise market. He has worked for some of the leading companies in the IT, Office automation and e-learning industries like Global English, HP, Wipro and Xerox. He has a diverse experience that includes direct sales, managing large sales teams and channels, enterprise account management and product management. He has led highly motivated cross functional teams to achieve challenging business results, and has a consistent track record of achieving sales targets. Sudhanshu is a Computer Science Engineer from Karnatak University and an MBA from IIM Lucknow, and is pleased to represent DFA Intercultural Global Solutions to clients in the India needing to develop their global workforce competencies.

Sharjeel A. Moutier

Sharjeel Antoine Moutier is a Cross-Cultural Trainer and Director, New Business Development, Middle East Region with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. He has been working with dfa for quite some time since receiving his advanced training in cross-cultural methodology and practice. He is also a professional strategic consultant and advisor specializing in advising global corporations developing their activities in Middle East Gulf and development of high potential multinational teams. His expertise is concentrated in over 15 years of international experience in global industries: computer and information industries and financial and investment banking services. His geographical areas of concentration are the European Union, Middle East Gulf specially Saudi Arabia & United Arab Emirates, Indian Sub continent specially India & Pakistan.

Mr. Moutier holds degrees in international finance & marketing from the American Business School in Paris France. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer at universities across Europe where he shares with students his knowledge. He is the author of several articles on cross-cultural communication especially for the Japanese businessmen dealing and working with Middle East Gulf and international business. He works professionally in a number of languages including but not limited to English, French, Arabic & Hindi. Sharjeel is of Indian heritage brought up in Saudi Arabia & United Arab Emirates, educated in Britain and France, lives and divides his time in Dubai and Paris, and delivers his services to companies globally.

Delayne Romson

Delayne Romson is the Director of Business Development for DFA, U.S. West Coast Region. She has been in the industry since 1989 first, as a corporate International HR Mobility Manager and then in 1995 as a boutique consulting business. In 2007, she began her work DFA. Romson strongly believes that the success of business is tied to the understanding of our own culture and the cultures that we work in.

Teh Kheng Wah (郑钦华)

Kheng Wah Teh is Director, New Business Development, Asia Region, dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. He is bilingual in English, Chinese and an extensive knowledge of the regional Asian market. He began his career in marketing when head-hunted to join a US based company as Marketing Executive to promote a range of specialty products. He spent 7 years with The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) as Technical Instructor in the field of Avionics. During this time he was trained in Instructional Design and has won bronze medal in training aid design competition. Kheng Wah joined Tetra Pak in 1982 as Technical Instructor. During his 23 years of service there, he held several management positions including Training Manager and Senior Manager – Training Management. Kheng Wah also spent much of his time in setting up and managing training function in Asia mostly as well as Africa and America. In 2006, he completed a 6 months project at a large US/MNC, helping them to align their training with HPI.

He graduated from Ngee Ann Technical College (Ngee Ann Polytechnics) in 1972 with a Diploma in Electronics Engineering. On the recruitment front, Kheng Wah is trained on Systematic Selection Process (SSP) where he played a vital role in recruiting technical personnel. He is certified to use both (PI) Predictive Index® and DiSC ® Classic profiling tools in behavioural analysis. Academically he holds a Business Administration degree from The International Management Centre in Buckingham (IMCB), UK majoring in Action Learning. In sales and marketing, he holds a Diploma in Marketing from The Institute of Marketing, UK. Other qualifications held are: Diploma in Training and Development (SIM / Institute of Training & Development, UK); Advanced Diploma in Industrial management (The Institute of Industrial Manager), Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health; Certificate in Human Performance Improvement (HPI / ASTD).

Nicole J. Barile

Nicole Barile is a Senior Program Manager and Director of Program Development at DFA, and is responsible for program coordination and development of training materials. She has lived in Argentina and Mexico and speaks conversational Spanish and Portuguese. She holds a BA in Global Economic Relations from the University of the Pacific in Northern California, and is currently pursuing her MA in Intercultural Relations. Nicole also earned her Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (CTEFL) while in Guadalajara, Mexico, and has taught English to non-native speakers. She's a member of the National Council for International Visitors (NCIV), the New York chapter of the Society of International Education, Training and Research (SIETAR) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). She is also an associate member of the Intercultural Management Institute at American University.

Laila Boujoual

Laila Boujoual is a Senior Program Manager at DFA, and is also responsible for all financial records and bookkeeping. She comes to us from Kenitra, Morocco. She studied law at Agdal University in Rabat, and speaks fluent Arabic, as well as conversational French. She has a background in finance and client management in the US. Laila has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Northern Africa.

Aileena L. McGuire

Aileena McGuire is a Senior Program Manager and responsible for coordinating the trainer, client and country specialist databases at DFA. She is originally from Grenada, West Indies.

Aileena holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Brooklyn College and is currently pursuing her MBA degree in Finance at Baruch College. She has been a member of the SUNY Downstate Hospital Arthur Ashe Science Technology Entry Program for 3 years and currently serves as secretary of the National Black Science Student Organization. She actively mentors young people through the First Fresh Springs Ministries Youth Organization and has held leadership positions for various non-profit organizations dealing with international students. Aileena worked as a volunteer at the New York Presbyterian Hospital and has taught in the New York City Board of Education's Literacy Program.

Cameron Peterson

Cameron Peterson joined DFA as a Program Manager in May of 2007. While at DFA, she has most enjoyed coordinating Living and Working cross-cultural programs for professionals and their families, particularly working one-on-one with them to complement their needs and match them with the best trainers and country specialists for their training workshops. Cameron received her Bachelor's degree in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University and cultivated much of her insight into and love for diverse global cultures while studying abroad in France and traveling throughout Europe as a college student and living in New York City ever since. Contact Cameron at cameron@deanfosterassociates.com.