Current Issues in International and Distance Learning

You are invited to the August education program of the Houston International HR Roundtable:

Current Issues in International and Distance Learning

·         Training in countries where technology is limited
·         Training in a Global Company
·         Learning and development in India
·         Overcoming limited budgets and offering quality global learning experiences  
·         Assimilating and on-boarding after an overseas acquisition
·         Assimilating and learning as an expat in a new country
·         Mentoring people globally

Beatriz and her panel will be providing numerous real-life examples of international learning and how cross-cultural issues affect international learning.  Please click for additional information on the Human Resource Development Program at the University of Houston and on our recent blog post by the faculty of the Human Resource Development Program.

Our panelists:

Dr. Peter Bishop - Strategic Forecasting, Preparing HR for International Future(s)
Peter specializes in techniques for long term forecasting and planning. He delivers keynote addresses and conducts seminars on the future for business, governments and not-for-profit organizations. He also facilitates groups in developing scenarios, visions and strategic plans for the future. Dr. Bishop's clients include IBM, the NASA Johnson Space Center, Nestle USA, the Canadian government, the government of Singapore, the Destree Institute (Brussels,) the Texas Department of Transportation, Tetra Pak, the Shell Pipeline Corporation, the Defense and Central Intelligence Agencies, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Waitt Family Foundation, the California Environmental Protection Agency, Police Futurists International, and the Center for Houston's Future. Dr. Bishop is Associate Professor of Futures Studies at the University of Houston, a founding board member of the new Association of Professional Futurists, and he is President of his own firm, Strategic Foresight and Development, which offers education and training in futures thinking and techniques to the corporate market.
 
Steve Dowdall, PhD, SPHR - Training in Countries Where Technology is Limited
Steve has spent 27 years in the private sector with JP Morgan Chase, Fluor Daniel, and Arthur Andersen. He currently is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Cardtronics.  Steve built a SOX compliant HR department that currently supports over 600 employees in the US, Mexico, Australia, and the UK. Since he started, Cardtronics has moved from a regional company to a #6 ranking on the Houston Chronicle's Leading Company list, and the highest ROI in the list.  They are now the largest non-bank ATM network in the world.  Under Steve's leadership, HR played a significant role in this growth.  They recruited top talent, kept voluntary turnover below 2%, and improved diversity at all levels.  HR has also partnered with other departments to produce a world-class business continuity plan, go green, and complete due diligence on several mergers and acquisitions. Steve currently chairs the U. of Houston HRD Advisory Board.
 
John Burke - Global Talent Management Solutions John is Senior VP/GM at Lee Hecht Harrison, and member of the University of Houston HRD Advisory Board. As SVP, General Manager and Area Sales Director, Houston, John's focus is on building relationships with companies headquartered in Texas and also managing several accounts with global reach. John brings over 26 years of experience in sales, marketing and management with him to this role. Prior to joining LHH, John was principal/partner of a staffing firm in the financial arena. 

John has had 24 years in the flexible packaging and chemical products industry where he held positions ranging from account representative to COO. During this time he managed regions for Mobil Chemical to #1 in sales and profit, established an international sales organization for such key accounts as Frito Lay, Nabisco, Philip Morris and Kraft and put in place the National Account Program. Following Mobil John managed a "greenfield" operation for an offshore owner by establishing a sales force and developing business with strategic domestic customers. His most recent operations position was that of Senior Vice President and General Manager for a $250M operation in the Midwest.
 
Madhuri Kumar, PhD(abd) - Challenges Faced by Western Managers in Non-Western Emerging Markets
Madhuri is the Director of the Instructional Design Group at the C.T.Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston.  She is an adjunct faculty at the Human Resource & Consumer Science department of the College of Technology at U of Houston.  Madhuri holds a Masters in Education from University of Texas at Austin, and a prior Masters in Psychology from India. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Training & Performance Improvement from Capella University, where her research explores best practices in social learning strategies for knowledge management.
 
Madhuri's presentation is based on the exploratory work for her recent eLearning project in India.  She will present on the current status of Learning and Development in India, which, like most emergent economies, is dealing with global issues, such as optimization of intellectual capital and maximizing performance in flat markets, while challenging the traditional ethnocentric and parochial human resource systems. Her talk will focus on the challenges faced by western managers in non-western emerging markets, and the implications for global HRD policies and practices.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Please see our recent blog post on the value of networking and membership in the Houston International HR Roundtable.
• We have announce new membership fees for the remainder of 2010.  Our memberships and sponsorships are for the calendar year.
• We have several graduate students seeking mentors from the group.  Please contact the Chair or our Mentor Committee, Steve Youngblood, if you are a member and would like to sponsor a student.  Please include a short bio.
• Please join us on Facebook and Twitter.
  

Directions and Parking Information: Heritage Plaza is across from the downtown Doubletree Hotel.  Parking is available at the Doubletree hotel or  Heritage Clay Street Parking Garage,  200 Clay, Houston 77002.You can park at the Doubletree hotel and walk across the street to the building – proceed to the 45th floor.  Alternatively, park in the Heritage Clay Street Parking Garage – address of the garage is 200 Clay Street, Houston, TX 77002.  If you park in the Clay Street Garage, park in any space that is not marked "Reserved."  Take the elevator in the Clay Street Garage  to the Basement (‘B’).  Upon reaching Basement level, turn left and follow the hallway until you reach the wall with the large ‘H’ on it.  Turn left and immediately on the right you will see two elevators.  Take the elevator to the Sky Lobby (‘SL’).  Once you reach the Sky Lobby, turn right and proceed to the middle bank of elevators.  Proceed to the 45th floor to the Deloitte reception area – this is the floor where the meeting will take place.

2010 Host Sponsor - Deloitte Tax LLP

Please contact us regarding other sponsorship opportunities.