Cross-Cultural Training to Help Business Expats Win Abroad

Stephen Wickliffe

Ambassador

I was born and raised in Texas, own a pair of cowboy boots,

have ridden a horse twice, and confess to watching seasons of Walker Texas Ranger, but my passion is exploring new countries and cultures. As an avid world traveler and Mission Pastor with 17 years of experience, my exploration has taught me to always listen more than you talk, try everything at least once, and always know the word for "restroom" in whatever country you are visiting.  Much of the same is true with properly equipping individuals and families for cross-cultural relocation…  Listen more than you talk and explore your options until you find what works best!  I am a Go Culture Ambassador today because of my real-world experience using the assessment to evaluate and train cross-cultural workers.  Go Culture already has and will continue to greatly improve the effectiveness and reduce the attrition rate of cross-cultural workers around the world.  I hope to have the chance to meet with you over a cup of coffee to learn more about you and share the story of Go Culture.

Wes Crawford, Ph.D.

Ambassador

I have spent 20 years working in churches as a minister

and in the classroom as a professor. In both of these settings, I have seen the desperate need for something like Go Culture. Churches eager to send missionaries around the world and Christians passionate to engage ministry around the globe have wasted time, energy, and money because they lacked awareness and training. I jumped aboard the Go Culture team because I believe in its mission and I want to share this tremendous tool with churches and missionaries. When I am not preaching or teaching, I love to spend time with my wife and our four children in Tyler, TX. We love to travel, watch movies together, and play with the newest member of the family, our miniature golden doodle puppy, Simba.

Justin Velten, Ph.D.

Ambassador

Justin Velten grew up in Missouri, the youngest son of a blue-collar heritage.

After becoming a first-generation college graduate at College of the Ozarks, he earned a Masters in Communication from Abilene Christian University where he met his bride, Laura. While teaching full time, Justin earned a Ph.D. in Intercultural Communication from Regent University. Now in his 13th year as a university professor, he teaches Intercultural Communication at The University of Texas at Tyler.

Dr. Velten’s research on acculturation has been published in respected scholarly journals such as Intercultural Communication Studies, the Texas Speech Communication Journal, and the Journal of Cross-Cultural Family Studies. He has been invited to speak in Canada, Poland, Hong Kong, Moscow, and across the U.S. about his research, and has participated in or led numerous missions and study abroad trips.

Dr. Velten has also led consulting initiatives for both local and multi-national organizations. Alongside teaching, research, and consulting, Dr. Velten has devoted much of his spare time and expertise to preparing missionaries for cross-cultural experiences.

Working alongside one of this century’s most-revered Intercultural Communication scholars, Dr. Carley H. Dodd, Velten has continually implemented and tested the Go Culture program for over a decade. Upon Dodd’s retirement, Dr. Velten revamped this prestigious programming to continue Dodd’s legacy by serving a more broad audience.