International Relations Council

Erik Bergrud is Senior Director, Community and Government Relations at Park University. From 1998-2005, Erik worked in the national office of American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) as a senior staff member. He has been actively involved in several other national and international public administration associations, including the International Public Management Network and the United Nations Public Administration Network. He is an associate member of the National Academy of Public Administration’s Standing Panel on Social Equity in Governance. In 2008, he co-edited his first book, Civic Engagement in a Network Society. In March 2009, Erik was sworn in as national vice president of ASPA. He will ascend to the association’s presidency in spring 2011.

Benny Lee is founder, President and CEO of Top Innovations, Inc., which markets a line of steam cleaners, clothing steamers, fitness products and other innovative consumer products. He was born in Taiwan, and moved here in 1995. He was recently honored as Entrepreneur of the Year by the Asian American Chamber; International Businessman of the Year by the International Relations Council; and he and his wife Edith, were presented the Pinnacle Award for honored philanthropy by the Northland Community Foundation. Benny is a Board Member of The Chamber, IRC, Southtown Council, Heart of America United Way, and is a Trustee of Park University.

Kansas Department of Commerce

John Watson is the Director of the Trade Development Division, Kansas Department of Commerce. He is responsible for overseeing the division’s trade team who assist Kansas companies in exporting their products and directs the state’s recruitment of international investment.

In 30 years of international service with the department, he has led missions to China, Japan, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Taiwan in search of business and stronger international relations for the State of Kansas. He has played an active role in exchange programs with China, France and Germany and coordinates the management of the state’s international offices.

Avatar, Inc.

Mithra Amaran is president and CEO of Avatar, Inc., that she founded in October of 2006. Avatar is a provider of IT Support Services to the federal government and Fortune 1000 clients. Previously, Mithra was the Vice President at JMA and Manager at Sprint. Originally from India, Mithra holds an MBA from the University of Kansas and has previously served on the board of directors of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce and the Overland Park Friends of the Arboretum. She also supports other not-for-profits such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters and ASHA which benefits children and education in developing countries.

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Nick Peroff is Professor of Public Affairs and Administration, Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He has taught internationally in Taiwan, South Korea and South Africa and his primary research interests are in American Indian Studies and Complexity Theory. He has been an IRC member since 1997. His website is at: http://www.bloch.umkc.edu/faculty/peroff.

Dr. Eliot Berkley founded the International Relations Council in 1954 and served as its Executive Director until 1993. It is due to his leadership and vision that the IRC exists and serves the community today.

During his long career in academics, he served as a Lecturer in History and Government at UMKC, Vice President for Development and Dean of the Kansas City Art Institute, and Chair of Faculty Development Grants Committee of the Kansas City Regional Council for Higher Education. He has served on committees and boards of many civic organizations. He currently is a Member Emeritus of the Advisory Board, International Studies and Programs at the University of Kansas as well as Board Member of the Metropolitan Community Colleges Foundation. His awards include: Johnson County Community College Community Education Award (1953), Kansas City World Citizen of the Year (1975), Park College Distinguished Service Award for Community Service (1992), Sons of the American Revolution Silver Good Citizenship Award (1993), and Baker University Award for Outstanding Leadership in International Relations (1993).

Anthony Andrade specializes in international litigation and regulatory law for Shook, Hardy & Bacon. He was a founding partner of SHB’s London office in 1989. After two years, he seconded to the in-house legal department of the world’s largest consumer packaged goods company. Tony has been involved in the hiring and training of national counsel in countries throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America. He currently practices primarily in the Latin American region and has managed product liability, class action and consumer protection litigation in markets including Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico and Venezuela.

Monica Curls is the Director of the Kansas City Branch Office of the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office. Prior to joining the Secretary of State’s Office, Monica was an International Consultant with BearingPoint’s Emerging Markets division. During her 6 years with BearingPoint, she provided project and administrative support for international projects throughout the developing world, which included a 19 month assignment in Kabul, Afghanistan as the Operations Manager for a $95 million contract with the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Monica earned a Bachelors of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. She serves on the Human Rights Commission for the City of Kansas City, and is on the boards of the Niles Home for Children and SCLC of Greater Kansas City.

Commerce Bank

Working in the banking industry for the majority of his career, Gabe is currently responsible for the marketing efforts of Commerce Bank’s International Banking Group. Gabe represents Commerce Bank throughout the region through various international committees and organizations. On a regular basis, he plans and personally conducts educational seminars on global banking specific topics. His extensive international banking experience includes: foreign exchange services, foreign currency accounts, foreign item cash letter and check collection, documentary and standby letters of credit, documentary collections and trade transaction financing.

Paul is a partner at Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP, a law firm with offices in Kansas City, Missouri. Following law school, he clerked for William Becker, a United States District Court Judge and from 1975 to 1977, he served as Counsel to the staff of the then-United States Senator Stuart Symington in Washington, D.C. He and his wife, Polly, have three children.

Dr. Jan Heinen is the director of middle level education for the Olathe School District. In addition to general administrative responsibilities for middle level education, she administers the district's English Language Learner (ELL) programs. Her responsibilities include curriculum development, parent communications, instructional support, school improvement activities, middle level summer school and staff development.

Dr. Heinen led a community/school district initiative to develop an International Studies program at the 4 Olathe high schools. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Kansas Committee for International Education in the Schools (KCIES), has served on the Kansas Chinese Language Task Force and currently serves on the Kansas Task Force for International Education. She serves on the Board of Directors of Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farmstead and is former chair of the Olathe Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitor's Bureau.

Baker University

Lowell Jacobsen is the Elizabeth H. Rhodes Professor of International Business at Baker University. Previously, he was Professor of Economics at William Jewell College. He has had various academic visits to Europe and China over the many years. His areas of teaching, research, and consulting include strategy, investments, and international economics. For some twenty years, he has been a member of the IRC and served two previous terms on the board.

Krigel & Krigel

Lisa Key is an attorney in private practice with Krigel & Krigel. She specializes in domestic relations law. She previously was a tenured Associate Professor of Law at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law and practiced law in Atlanta, Georgia. Lisa received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and her last degree from Northwestern University. Lisa was a hard-working member of the 2007 Awards Banquet Committee.

Community Volunteer

Elaine Mann has worked as a lawyer, stay-at-home mom, community volunteer, and nonprofit staffer -- including two years at IRC, where she coordinated school and community programs, and three years in fundraising. She earned her BA magna cum laude from Mount Holyoke College and her JD from Columbia University. Currently she serves as recording secretary for the Lyric Opera Circle and as a member of the youth allocation team for United Way of Johnson County.

Husch Blackwell Sanders

John became a member of the IRC in 2004. He serves as Vice Chair of the Edgar Snow Memorial Fund, travels to China and other Pacific Rim countries frequently and is a panelist on the CPR US-China Mediation Program.

Dr. Linna Place has been an educator in American universities for over 30 years. In June of 2008, she assumed the position of Interim Director of International Academic Programming at UMKC and now supervises a broad range of internationally related academic activities. Dr. Place has been in the IAP office for the past 8 years, where she has overseen all nationally competitive fellowship applications by UMKC students, including the Fulbright, Rhodes, Rotary and many others. She holds a Masters degree in American Folklife and a Doctorate in American Studies. Her primary teaching focus has been 18th and 19th Century American social history with a particular emphasis on the ways that material culture can be used to illuminate our understanding of the past. For many years, Dr. Place has worked with colleagues to develop teaching strategies that will make history more appealing and more comprehensible to students who are increasingly influenced by technology and the internet.

Damon Shelby Porter served as the Director of Public Affairs for Time Warner Cable, where he was responsible for managing government, public and community relations. Prior to entering the private sector, Mr. Porter served as chief of staff, special counsel and legislative director for two Missouri House of Representative Speakers. Damon is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the American Council on Germany, a fellow with the United States-Japan Foundation, a Marshall Memorial Fellow of the German Marshall Fund and was a Delegate with the American Council of Young Political Leaders. Mr. Porter has also collaborated with the Netherlands Atlantic Association and members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Mr. Porter earned his law degree from the Columbus School of Law (Catholic University of America) and was a member of the Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy. He holds a bachelor of arts in communications from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia, where he was twice elected president of the student body. He was the first African American elected in University history.

Gabrielle Reilly is an Australian American international model and political pundit. She is President of The Global Townhall website. Gabrielle was a “Young Australian of the Year” finalist for her efforts in developing affordable residential real estate for low-income first time home buyers. She has interviewed with worldwide media outlets on international affairs in an effort to prevent the further recruitment of international terrorism. She is a board member of the Greater Kansas City chapter of People to People.

Nicholas H. Riegg, who holds a Doctorate in Economics and a BA in International Relations, was a Foreign Service Officer and Diplomat for 30 years, serving in China, Britain, Sri Lanka and Taiwan. He has negotiated agreements in many areas, worked on African Affairs in the U.S. Treasury, served as Director of South Asia Regional Affairs at the State Department, was a Senior Visiting Scholar at the Fletcher School and taught Diplomacy and National Strategy at the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College. Most recently he served as the Founding Director of the Global Studies Institute of the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas. He is married to Dr. Natalie T. Riegg, an accomplished Professor of Social Philosophy and Political Science.

Francois Sauer currently serves as the CEO of Trans Am Group which promotes importing and exporting between Mexico and the U.S. He previously worked at KCCatalyst, Inc., a nonprofit organization in Kansas City that focuses on life science and technology-based businesses, and has worked on other life science initiatives. He has worked in Latin America and Europe. Francois has M.D. from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School Program through The Pan-American Institute for Senior Management in Industry, and an M.S. in Systems Analysis from Spanish-American University.

Cyprienne Simchowitz is a native of Paris, France. She has law degrees from France and the US and has practiced as a lawyer in international business in both countries. She is now a solo practioner in Missouri, assisting US companies in their international trade efforts. Cyprienne is interested in all aspects of international relations and is a member and supporter of various organizations which, like the IRC, strive to encourage international cultural exchanges, such as Alliance Française and the World War I Museum in Kansas City. Cyprienne has made various presentations on international topics in schools or at special events, such as filmmaker Pierre Sauvage's Weapons of the Spirit event at the KC Public Library. She has taught International Business Law at Benedictine College and is a professor of French at La Causerie Française.

Kansas State Senate

Chris Steineger currently serves as a Kansas State Senator, representing the 6th District. He has worked on several political campaigns and as a retail securities broker. Chris is heading a new IRC initiative to encourage regional participation in the German Marshall Fund's American Marshall Memorial Fellowship.

Electronic Data Systems

Sharon Valasek joined the IRC Board in 2006 and serves on the Program committee. In 2003, Sharon was appointed Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic, serving Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. As consul, she works to further economic, political, educational and cultural interests on behalf of the Czech Republic. Sharon is also president of the Greater Kansas City chapter of People-to-People International (GKCPTP). Sharon is presently a project manager with Electronic Data Systems (EDS). Ms. Valasek holds a master of business administration degree from Avila University, and a bachelor of science degree in business from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

CEO of the firm he founded in 1997, Two West, Inc., a branding and communications agency, Whitehill has worked with several Fortune 1,000 and Forbes 500 clients. His own company has been listed among the 100 fastest growing companies in Kansas City and has been nationally ranked as a top 100 inner-city company by Inc. magazine. The Missouri native holds a BA in Advertising and Communications from Westminster College and an MBA from Baker University. Whitehill is also a graduate of the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program and the Kansas City World Trade Center's Globe Program. In addition to his IRC participation, he serves on the board of directors for DeLaSalle Education Center and chairs that group's communications committee. He and his company support the March of Dimes and other charitable causes benefiting children and education. Whitehill's wife, Heidi, is a freelance geographer with Scout Maps & Analysis and a college instructor of cultural geography. They have two sons who love maps and travel.

Mike has been involved in international activities since the early 1960s. His involvement with IRC began in 1973 and includes two terms as Board President. He is retired from the health administration faculty at UMKC's Bloch School of Business and Public Administration.