Meet the CIBER Staff
David Platt PhD
Director
David Platt is a Senior Lecturer in
the Department of Accounting. He recently completed a three-year term as
co-chair the Partnership in International Management, a consortium of 54 top
graduate business schools world-wide, and he also is a past president of the
Association for International Business Education and Research.
At the McCombs School, Dr. Platt teaches Accounting in the BBA and
MPA (Masters in Professional Accounting) programs, in Executive MBA Programs
in Austin and Mexico City, and in special executive programs for companies
such as Dell. In the McCombs School’s Texas MBA program, he teaches in
Houston and in Austin, where he developed an award-winning projects course
focusing on business in South Africa. He also has been a frequent visiting
lecturer at the University of Paris ((Panthéon-Sorbonne).
He received his
Ph.D. from Cornell University and also holds degrees from the Wharton School at
the University of Pennsylvania and from Syracuse University. His research and
teaching interests include cost management, management decision-making and
control. Grants in support of his work have been awarded by UT, Dell Computer
and PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he began his career as a CPA. Before earning
his Ph.D., Dr. Platt also worked in industry for ten years in a variety of
marketing and finance positions.
 Orlando
Kelm PhD
Associate Director of Business Language Education
Orlando Kelm holds degrees from Brigham Young and UC Berkeley, and his
professional interests include the teaching of foreign language for professional
purposes, focusing mainly on Latin America and Brazil. He stays busy
keeping track of what's going on in Business German, French, Spanish,
Portuguese, Chinese, and Japanese, and leading MBA study tours to Latin America.
For his current development project, Orlando is creating online video-taped
interviews with international professionals. Their discussions of
the cultural aspects of doing business with North Americans can be used by
language, culture or international business students.
When it comes to a favorite CIBER project, Orlando would normally choose
anything that has the word "Brazil" in it; however, recently, the Chinese and
Japanese video-taping projects have been so inspiring, he’s studying some new
languages.
 Deirdre
Mendez PhD
Assistant Director
Deirdre joined the CIBER team in 2005, after spending 20 years advising private
sector companies on corporate internationalization strategies. She holds
degrees from Tulane and UT, and from 1999 to 2005, she created numerous
international programs in Austin’s business and technology communities.
Her CIBER responsibilities include business outreach, marketing initiatives and
new program design.
With a background in sociolinguistics and a specialization in Japan, Deirdre
enjoys CIBER’s multicultural environment and teaches in CIBER’s summer
programs.
Deirdre is very excited about CIBER’s expanding BBA Global summer program, which
offers UT undergraduates an opportunity to experience international team
building and negotiations with visiting students from China and Brazil right
here on campus.
 Trisha
Maberly
International Programs Coordinator
Trisha manages the CIBER Summer Study Abroad Programs and the BBA Global
Business Program. She is responsible for program strategic development,
implementation, and assessment. Before joining the CIBER team in 2005, Trisha worked for full-time
Texas MBA Program where she coordinated study abroad programs
and academically advised MBA students. She has served as staff liaison on
short-term study abroad tours to South America and Central Europe. From
2005-2007, Trisha served as a member of the Partnership in International
Management (PIM) Branding Task Force and as PIM Task Force Co-Chair in 2007.
Trisha holds a Master in Education degree in Higher Education Administration
from The University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts degree in French
from the University of Kansas.
Trisha is excited about the International Accounting Program in Hong Kong, a
CIBER summer study abroad program for Texas MPA students. This program
affords students the opportunity to enhance their global business education
through study of business in Hong Kong and China.
Wendy Willingham
Administrative Associate
Coordinating all of CIBER's administrative functions, Wendy is an integral
member of the UT-CIBER family. She ensures that the CIBER office runs
professionally and efficiently. She is responsible for knowing and
administratively processing all of CIBER's numerous activities. Wendy’s
previous experience includes several years working in the environmental field.
She also has long had an interest in the international arena. She majored
in two languages at the University of Wisconsin. Wendy has traveled
extensively and also taught overseas.
Wendy believes in the importance of CIBER's mission and is excited about working
in an environment that understands the value of multiculturalism and
internationalization in preparing students for success in the business world.
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