The Role of Risk-Taking:
Looking Back to Move Forward
Your Presenters:
Nancy J. Adler, PhD
Clifford H. Clark, ABD
Carlos E. Cortés, PhD
Alvino E. Fantini, PhD
Sandra M. Fowler, MS
V. Rober Hayles, PhD
Donna M. Stringer, PhD
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 @ 11:30 AM EDT
SIETAR USA Member = $45
SIETAR USA Student Member = $25
(Must be logged in to see the member pricing, SIETAR International members must contact SIETAR USA office for discount code and verify that you are a current member.)
Non Members = $65
Student Non Members = $35
This SIETAR USA Symposium invites participants into a reflective conversation with intercultural pioneers whose work helped shape the field. Together, they will consider how risk-taking has influenced their career paths, professional choices, and the continuing evolution of intercultural and DEIB practice.
The intercultural field emerged in a very different communication environment from the one professionals navigate today. In recent years the world has become riskier for those whose chosen career field is Intercultural/DEIB. In retrospect, perhaps the risks in the early days of the field were no greater than those of today except that the pioneers did not have the cushion of history to fall back on as they developed new methods and tried those developed by colleagues while consistently incorporating new research into their work.
By drawing on retrospective wisdom, this session will encourage participants to examine their own professional decisions: what risks have shaped their work, what lessons those experiences offer, and how those insights can inform the future. Whether participants are beginning their careers, working at mid-career, or approaching retirement, the conversation will offer a space to connect past experience with future possibility.
About Your Presenters:
Nancy J. Adler, PhD: S. Bronfman Chair Emerita in Management at McGill University, received her doctorate from UCLA, and as an artist and professor published 10 books and 150 articles. International companies and organizations use her pioneering work on cross-cultural management, global women leaders, and leadership artistry.
Clifford H. Clarke, ABD: Designed intercultural innovations in Foreign Student Counseling, 1960’s: In teaching intercultural courses, 1970’s; In creative consulting for intercultural management and organizational development, 1980’s–1990’s; In teaching intercultural courses, 2000’s; In executive coaching and evaluating educational programs until retirement, 2025.
Carlos E. Cortés, PhD: Cortés was a pioneer in multicultural education and diversity in the media, including serving as Creative/Cultural Advisor for Nickelodeon’s "Dora the Explorer" and “Go, Diego, Go!” and Cultural Consultant for the Dreamwork’s film, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.”
Alvino E. Fantini, PhD: Emeritus linguist-interculturalist and past SIETAR International President, Alvino stressed language and intercultural interconnections, putting “Communicative” into Intercultural Competence = ICC, supported by research with colleagues in eight countries to define ICC and assess its development in 2,200 educational exchange participants.
Sandra M. Fowler: MS: Former president of SIETAR International and SIETAR USA, editor of The Intercultural Sourcebook: Cross-Cultural Training Methods, and Director of the U.S. Navy’s Overseas Duty Support Program, she also was the Art Co-Director for the American Psychologist for 23 years.
V. Robert Hayles, PhD: Best known for guiding public/private, national/international organizations to achieve optimum results using research and evidence-based scientific knowledge, he specializes in customized diagnostics/strategies to enhance effectiveness of organizations whose participants have wide ranges of inherent and acquired characteristics.
Donna M. Stringer, PhD: Co-authored 52 Activities for Exploring Value Differences the first book focused solely on exercises to explore how cultural values translate to different behaviors across cultures leading to her concentration on helping organizations identify behavioral values for successful engagement of employees and clients.
