Living in the U.S. since 1992, she worked at Itochu International Inc. as a human resources coordinator, facilitating communications between New York and the Tokyo head office. She also worked for the Japanese Business Unit of DRT (now Deloitte & Touche LLP), as a marketing and administrative assistant.

Prior to coming to the U.S., Ms. Schwab directed sales negotiations with a Chinese government agency for a Hitachi TV tube plant’s parts and kits. Also in Tokyo, Ms. Schwab was an international planning analyst at Toppan Moore Systems, Ltd., conducting a feasibility study for a joint venture with a Chinese company and organizing projects to network overseas subsidiaries.

In 1996, with four years of working experience in the U.S. and expertise in intercultural communication and business, Ms. Schwab started working as an intercultural consultant and trainer for Japanese and American business people. She also conducted research on cross-cultural training programs for Japanese children and mothers at Komet.

Ms. Schwab has facilitated groups of American/Japanese managers and employees regarding how to work productively with their counterparts and clients. She has also delivered Japan/U.S. intercultural training programs for Americans going to Japan on business, as well as Japanese business people who have come to the U.S. to perform leadership roles. In addition, she has lectured and facilitated sessions on various intercultural topics.

In recent years, she has coached Japanese and Western business executives, helping them develop new views and leadership styles in order for them to be more effective in multi-cultural environments.

Ms. Schwab received her undergraduate degree at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies (Kobe, Japan) in Chinese Language. She holds a Masters of Business Administration from Aoyama Gakuin (Tokyo, Japan) where she studied intercultural communication and developed her thesis on how to globalize Japanese corporations.

Ms. Cheleen has lived and worked in Japan for nine years, including her work for two Japanese government programs: Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Program and the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). In addition, on completing graduate studies in London, she returned to Japan to work for the United Nations University, where her main role was planning and implementing events to enhance awareness about contemporary global issues and the role of the United Nations in addressing them.

Upon moving to New York, Ms. Cheleen has held administrative and leadership positions at the Japan Foundation’s New York office and at the Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture at Columbia University. As a translator/interpreter and intercultural consultant, Ms. Cheleen has helped numerous Japanese and American organizations learn to communicate with each other, not just linguistically but by fostering understanding between the two cultures and simultaneously giving guidance on how to improve communication.