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Instructors

Instructors are UW Business School faculty and leading practicing professionals with extensive international business experience.

George J. Atwater
Attorney and Counselor at Law

George, an Attorney & Counselor at Law, practices in Seattle, Washington, concentrating on international trade law, licensing of intellectual property rights and international litigation. He represents international companies from Japan, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.

George holds his J.D. (magna cum laude) from Gonzaga University School of Law and LL.M. (cum laude) in international law and law of the European Union, from Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in Brussels, Belgium.

He has served as legal intern for the Honorable Smithmoore P. Myers (retired) of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. He is admitted to practice in Washington and California, as well as before the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Federal Circuit, the District of Columbia Circuit, the Fourth Circuit and the Ninth Circuit.

C. Patrick Fleenor
Director, International Business Programs, Seattle University

Pat is co-author of eight business management books and has published numerous articles on a variety of business subjects. His academic duties at Seattle University include teaching graduate courses in international business policy and international business consulting. He also serves as Chair of the International Business graduate degree program.

Pat has been a visiting professor at universities in England, Sweden, France, the Czech Republic and Hong Kong. In 2002, he received a Fulbright Grant as a consultant to the Economics University of Prague in the Czech Republic. He has lectured widely to management groups in the U.S., Europe and Asia. His current business activities include partnerships in businesses in China and Vietnam.

Dennis George
Attorney and Counselor at Law at McNaul Ebel Nawrot & Helgren

Dennis focuses on business related counseling and problem solving, negotiation, litigation and alternative dispute resolution. He was senior vice president and general counsel at Dendreon Corporation, a biotechnology company in Seattle, where he was responsible for the company's legal affairs, including management of outside counsel and development of foundation for contracts management, including establishment of program for alternative dispute resolution opportunities.

He also has a wealth of teaching experience from teaching credit courses such as Managing Risk in the Business Environment and Dynamics of Business Negotiation to senior undergraduate students at Northern Michigan University. He has taught business finance to International Business Emirati students at the United Arab of Emirates Academy in Abu Dhabi. Dennis is currently practicing law at McNaul Ebel Nawrot & Helgren.

Mike Giambattista
Lecturer, Marketing and International Business, University of Washington

Mike has been a lecturer in international business and marketing at the UW since 1995, teaching a variety of classes in both the graduate and undergraduate programs. Prior teaching experience was at Seattle and City Universities. With over 30 years business experience in a variety of industries in the U.S., Europe and Asia, he brings both a practical and theoretical understanding to the classroom.

Mike has an entrepreneurial background, having started several successful small businesses, and also has extensive experience as an international business consultant. Mike received an MBA from Harvard Business School and an engineering degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis.

Allison Hooper
Senior Tax Consultant, Deloitte Tax LLP

Allison Hooper is an international tax senior associate with Deloitte Tax LLP in Seattle, Washington. She primarily specializes in international tax planning, foreign flow-through entities, Subpart F income analysis and foreign tax credits. She also has experience in U.S., state, and international tax compliance. Allison has a B.A. (with honors and distinction) in Economics from Occidental College in Los Angeles, a Masters in Business Taxation and J.D. from the University of Southern California and a LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Washington. She is admitted to practice in the state of Washington.

John Crawford Howell
President, Smart Business in a Flat World, Inc.

John Crawford Howell is President of SMART Business in a Flat World, Inc., a cross-cultural communications consulting company based in Seattle and Washington DC. His international business career spans more than three decades and 60 countries including having lived and worked in the Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, Germany and Vietnam. As a former executive with Westin Hotels, Rainier National Bank, International Silver Company, and Hostar International, John possesses an in-depth knowledge of the vital role cross-cultural awareness and behavior play in achieving strategic objectives. He currently serves as an executive advisor to corporations seeking to strengthen their professional presence and interactions at the global level. He is also Vice President of the International Association of Protocol Consultants® / Officers™ (IAPC) and a member of its Board of Advisors.

Darby Langdon
Lecturer, University of Washington Business English Programs

Darby was a highly successful senior executive for Airbone Express, a $3.4 billion Fortune 500 global logistics company. She has been recognized for her ability to apply strong business analysis skills and to design and implement strategic solutions across organizational functions and divisions. Langdon also has experience teaching in the United Arab Emirates Academy as part of the University of Washington Business Program.

Darby has also been involved in nonprofit contributions. She developed a grant writing program for Northwest Hospital and raised $116,000 in the first seven months of the program. She also worked on a Seattle project in support of the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness.

Gordon Neumiller
Director of Field Study Programs at the Foster Business School, University of Washington

Gordon is Assistant Director of the University of Washington Business School's Global Business Center and Director of the MBA Field Study program. Prior to this appointment, his career includes service as Director of Marketing and Trade Development for Port of Seattle, and experience as an international trade and logistics consultant.

In his current position, he directs teams of students who work with local companies to help them expand their international business. As Marketing Director for the Port of Seattle, one of the largest container ports in the US, Mr. Neumiller traveled the world and has a wealth of global trade and business experience. He has worked in Chicago, New York and San Francisco.

Fred Pursell
Online Capabilities Manager, Microsoft Corp.

Fred holds the position of Lead Product Manager, Worldwide Licensing and Pricing at Microsoft Corporation. His focus on global marketing spans three decades, six continents, and two technology revolutions. He was product marketing manager for Osborne Computer Corporation and has also served in sales and marketing management positions for LAN pioneer, Digital Microsystems, and CAD software leader, Autodesk.

Much of Fred's work has focused on e-business strategy development, marketing program design, and execution. He has worked on strategic marketing and e-commerce projects for IT multinationals IBM, Sun Microsystems, GTE, Intel, Hp, Oracle, and a diverse group of technology start-ups. As VP e-consulting for Luminor Corp., Fred worked closely with Web usability design guru Dr. Jakob Nielsen building methodologies, business processes, and best practices to integrate Web usability principles with online marketing.

Tieta Ralston
Senior Consultant at MSI United, LTD

Tieta has a Master's Degree in International Studies (Intercultural Communications) from the U.W. Jackson School of International Studies. She has received additional training in global culture and business at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and the Institute for Commerce in Hamburg, Germany. Tieta has extensive experience working as an international consultant and has developed and conducted training programs in intercultural communication and international business protocol.

She has worked at the University of Washington in program management for various international programs and has taught several courses in intercultural business communication. Tieta has travelled extensively in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and is conversant in several languages. She has lived in four different countries and brings a strong foundation of intercultural interaction skills to this program.

Khanthala Somvilay
Senior Tax Manager, Deloitte LLP

Khanthala has more than 9 years experience providing tax services to U.S. multinational corporation. She serves large and middle market clients throughout the Northwest, including companies that operate in multitude of industries, such as high technology, aerospace and defense, manufacturing, and consumer business. In addition, Khanthala also assists multinational companies with international and domestic income tax accounting ("FAS 109") issues.

Khanthala is currently working for Deloitte Tax LLP.

Instructors are subject to change.