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Culture Tip: The importance of Chinese guan-xi... In the early phases of founding the Cultural Horizons Institute, I was describing the curriculum and business plan to a potential investor from Shanghai. With great care I went over in my best broken-Mandarin the carefully thought out details of our approach. Proud that I had gotten through the course description and decidedly ready to answer almost any question that came my way, I was unexpectedly caught off guard by her reply: “But how can I explain to the other investors the value of your program? How will you establish the value to them?” Confused, I struggled to re-explain the content, goal and financial viability of our work. After dancing around conversation in search of a satisfying for the next twenty minutes, I came to understand the nature of her underlying question. What she wanted to know was: “Who are the publicly well-known endorsers? Who are the team members? With what prestigious university will you be affiliated?” In other words, tell me about your guan-xi – your relationships.
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News Flash: Wall Street Journal: Chinese draw the lines between personal and professional life differently than Americans do, and the idea of "colleagues" isn't the same in the two countries… READ MORE By Li Yuan, published February 19, 2008 New York Times: As American educators seek to emulate Asian pedagogy... Chinese educators are trying to blend a Western emphasis on critical thinking, versatility and leadership into their own traditions… READ MORE By Ann Hulbert, published April 1, 2007. New York Times: With its booming economy and aspirations to expand its global influence, China may have achieved a victory in American classrooms… READ MORE By Natasha Degen and Winnie Hu, published November 29, 2006. |
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Testimonials: "I appreciated that the workshop allowed us to step back from our studies and reflect on life. I liked the critical thinking aspect of it and how there was not a black and white clear-cut answer. I also liked the environment that you tried to foster by understanding that people feel vulnerable in situations where they have to speak out in a large group." - University of Pacific Student, Fall 2007 |
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Founder LeeAnn M. Mallorie has a passion for culture and a
knack for supporting people in "ah-ha" breakthrough moments. LeeAnn
completed her M.A. in Cultural Social Psychology at the University of
Illinois, Urbana Champaign, focusing on bicultural identity
negotiation among Chinese-American biculturals and inter-cultural
communication v. conflict among U.S. majority/minority groups. She was
trained in dialogue facilitation through the University of Michigan
Program on Inter-group Relations and Conflict. She studied and worked
abroad as a Princeton In Asia Fellow teaching EFL for ten months in
rural Hunan, China. In addition to running the Cultural Horizions
Institute, she currently works as a life coach, on-site facilitator
and 360° feedback specialist at Learning as Leadership, a San
Francisco based consulting firm. Her clients include NASA, Shell Oil,
Sandia National Laboratories, Harvard Business School, and Artech Inc,
Taiwan. LeeAnn is fluent in Mandarin, Chinese. 
VP Program Development Charlene Wilson is dedicated to assisting others to conscious action. Her background as a program designer, nonprofit director and conference coordinator coupled with her M.A. in Educational Administration and Leadership from University of the Pacific, provides a solid foundation for curriculum development and activity facilitation. As an educator, she is now an independent consultant and coach working with such organizations as The Williams Group and Odyssey Teams, Inc. As a student, she was a leader among several organizations including the Interfaith Council, Celebrate Diversity and the Women's Leadership Conference. A recipient of honors such as Outstanding Student of the Year, the Stanley McCaffrey Award for Service and the Dr. Julie Sina Award for Inspirational Leadership, Charlene offers strong skills as a community steward. Through personal interactions and group activity facilitation, she maintains her commitment to healing and mutually beneficial relationships for all people.
VP Marketing and Sales Andy Tang is a first generation immigrant from Hong Kong whose life passion is to eliminate all cultural stereotypes. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 2006 with a bachelor degree in Economics, focused in macroeconomies in developing countries. Aside from CHI, Andy currently works in the energy industry. He is also active in the Bay Area Asian business community with his long time involvement with the California Asia Business Council where he had organized event and delegations involving prominent leaders from Asian countries.
Thalas™ Business Strategist Joseph James Chung is passionate about development and forward movement. He is an expert at utilizing Thalas' pool of resources for CHI's continual business development. He also contributes to other Thalas Ontogenies and the Thalas framework. Through this role, Joe works directly with some of the world's most influential thinkers. Experience tells him Cultural Horizons Institute holds vital pieces for the truly successful integration of our world's different cultures. Previously, Joe held several positions at Bloomberg Financial in Manhattan and San Francisco from 2004 through 2006. He earned his BA with Honors in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University. His focus was on East Asia and Business; specifically, Entrepreneurship, Management, Chinese Culture and the Mandarin Language. He is a Sigma Chi and also swam varsity for Johns Hopkins.