International Business: Managing Diverse Cultures Event
On April 6th, the College of Business and Economics was honored to have professionals Joanna Bauza and William Stephens speak. They spoke on the topic of International Business and Managing Diverse Cultures.
There was an excellent turnout for this event. Thank you to Joanna and William for taking the time to speak to students and everyone who attended!
Joanna M. Bauza
President/Co-Founder
Joanna is well-versed in technology having been in the industry over 25 years since graduating from Marquette University where she obtained her Business degree in Management Information Systems. Later, she received her M.B.A. from DePaul University in Entrepreneurship & eBusiness. She has worked in a boutique web consulting B-to-B startups, multi-billion dollar financial corporations and non-for-profits across Boston, Chicago, San Juan & Madrid. Her vision and hard work has pioneered the entire corporation throughout the community and she has been recognized by the San Juan Star as one of the leading “Women in Leadership” and was featured as a Top Woman Executive for her successes by the leading Caribbean publication, Caribbean Business. She is Global Board of Trustees member for Marquette University, a Business Management Professor at DePaul University, founding Professor that established the eCommerce Program for University of Turabo, former Board member for the Illinois Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce, and Co-Chair for the Marquette University Alumni Admissions program for Puerto Rico for over 10 years. As President, she led The Cervantes Group to be #1465 of INC Magazine’s 2011 fastest growing private companies in the U.S. as a multi-million dollar business enterprise and was co-recipient of the “Zenit Teodoro Moscoso Award”, which is the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Joanna is from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico and was the former #1 ranking Puerto Rican women’s Tennis player for over five years, Singles and Doubles Tennis Champion in 1998, three-time MVP of Marquette University’s Women’s tennis team and once ranked 32nd in the U.S. by the USTA. She has been a dedicated philanthropist creating a Scholarship program for Puerto Rican students to go to Marquette University, entitled the “Miguel de Cervantes Scholarship” and is an active champion of causes related to Juvenile Diabetes, Dyslexia and the Catholic Charities of Chicago among others.
William Lee Stephens
Senior Director of Business Development, Global Operations
William, better known as Will, comes from a diverse background and grew up in Seattle, WA, graduating from Western Washington University where he obtained his bachelor’s degree (double major) in International Business and Spanish Language. He also studied in Spain at the Universidad de Alicante for an intensive Spanish language program and is bilingual in all aspects of the Spanish idiom and possesses an intense multi-cultural understanding.
Will has proven successes working with various sizes of companies (global enterprise, multinational, SMBs, start-ups) in numerous cultures throughout the USA and the Caribbean region. Throughout his entire career, he has fulfilled various roles within technology talent acquisition and IT consulting companies, including Technical Recruiter, Recruitment Manager, Business Development Manager, and Director of Business Development. His experience with establishing operational principles & methodologies and overseeing teams within service delivery, daily procedures, account management and client relations, Will constantly seeks to drive continuous company growth and customer satisfaction. He also has performed trainings dedicating himself to his passions, which are centered around people and helping enable professionals, clients and partners alike to achieve their professional, personal and organizational goals.
In his free time, Will enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, running, boating, biking, and camping. He also loves to travel, experience new cities, learn about other cultures as much as possible, and Korean barbeque meals! Will is a former college baseball player and avid sports fan. Seattle sports will always have his heart no matter where he is living!
