Directors on the IVCLA Board are elected by the membership to serve two three-year-terms. After serving six years, Directors must retire from the board, but may return after at least one year’s absence. Directors are elected by the IVCLA membership at the Annual Meeting held each year in November. Officers are elected by the Directors at the first board meeting of the new term.

Hud Warren - Chair
China West LLC
Hudson R. Warren Jr. is co-founder of China West LLC, providing services facilitating international trade and cultural ventures. The mission of China West is to bring together businesses and cultural opportunities to and from Asia, the United States and the world.
Mr. Warren has more than 30 years experience in the international logistics arena. He previously served as Vice President of Global Distribution & Transportation at a multi-billion dollar multinational corporation where he successfully built a global network to serve the company’s distributors in over 60 countries. In addition to global distribution his responsibilities included overseeing customs compliance and a leadership role in the company's global operations team. Earlier in his career he was the CEO of Thompson Shipping Company Ltd in the Western Caribbean.

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David R. Stepp - President
Bryan Cave LLP
David Stepp is a Partner with Bryan Cave LLP. His practice spans a variety of customs and international trade issues, including those related to motor vehicles, steel, textile and apparel products, footwear, retailing, electronic products and other consumer goods. Mr. Stepp's practice focuses on customs compliance and counseling, including tariff classifications, valuation, country of origin marking, Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) participation and other regulatory requirements. His practice includes global customs and international trade audits of multinationals and advice on improving and benchmarking compliance programs. He also advises clients on local trade and customs options for companies in China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. He is a frequent speaker on global customs and international trade issues.

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Michele Buchanan - Vice President
Stone & Gzegorek LLP
Michele Buchanan is an attorney with Stone & Grzegorek LLP where she practices immigration law. In addition to her caseload, she presents educational materials on U.S. immigration law to professional colleagues in China in order to strengthen cooperative relationships through improved communications. She also provides pro bono legal services at free clinics sponsored by American Immigration Lawyers Association and St. Lawrence Brindisi Church in South Los Angeles. She is former Chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association Southern California Chapter. She has volunteered her time at the ACLU and the Orthopedic Hospital of  Los Angeles. She and her husband have three children and are busy with their many interests.

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W. Guy Fox - Vice President
W. Guy Fox is president of Guy Fox & Associates, Inc., an international consulting firm specializing in supply chain management, contract negotiations, structuring strategic alliances, and infrastructure analysis. Fox was formerly Chairman of the Board of Global Transportation Services, Inc., an International Freight Forwarder for both Air & Sea freight, NVOCC & Licensed Customhouse Broker.  He has over 35 years experience in the logistics industry and is considered to be one of the most influential individuals in international trade in Southern California.

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Michelle Kezirian - Vice President
BET TZEDEK Legal Services
Michelle Kezirian is a Directing Attorney at Bet Tzedek Legal Services. Previously, Ms. Kezirian served as a senior staff attorney with Inner City Law Center in Los Angeles. She also worked as an associate at Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May and as an adjunct faculty member at Santa Clara University School of Law. Michelle is a past president of the Junior League of Los Angeles, and a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy.

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Matthew Olsen - Treasurer
Boston Private Bank & Trust Company
Matthew Olsen is Vice President of Boston Private Bank & Trust Company. Matt recently joined Boston Private Bank & Trust Company in their Santa Monica office after their consolidation of three West Coast banks. Matt has a diverse banking background working in several disciplines within the banking and finance industry over the past fifteen years. Matt was previously Chief Deposit Officer with Wedbush Bank. In this role he worked to expand the level of products and services and assist in growing the deposit segments of the newly-formed bank. He was the primary banking contact for 15 Private Client Services offices around the country and 300+ independent investment brokers nationwide for the Wedbush Securities affiliate.

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Richard St. John - Secretary
Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
Richard St. John is a Partner with Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. His practice focuses on complex civil litigation, including representation of financial institutions, telecommunications carriers, private equity firms, and government contractors in courts across the United States. Mr. St. John is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy.

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Sandra Jones Anderson - Legal Counsel
Sandra Jones Anderson is an attorney with offices in downtown Los Angeles at the Biltmore Court. Ms. Anderson's firm specializes in probate and trust law, estate planning, elder law, and dependency law. She is also counsel to nonprofit organizations and foundations. Ms. Anderson has an impressive background in community fiscal and legal matters. She successfully managed staff and expenditures exceeding $40 million monthly and developed new programs, budgets, and departments during her tenure with Los Angeles County.

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Ginger Barnard
Ginger Barnard was previously Deputy Chief of Protocol for the County of Los Angeles since 1983. Her responsibilities included maintaining liaison between the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles Consular Corps representing 80 countries. In addition to extending official courtesies to chiefs of state and other high ranking visitors, the mission of the Protocol Office is to promote Los Angeles County as a hospitable destination for business and tourism to the international community. Ms. Barnard is involved with many local organizations including: World Affairs Council, Town Hall, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Natural History Museum and Autry Museum of Western Heritage.

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William H. Collier, Jr.
Keesal, Young & Logan
William Collier joined Keesal, Young & Logan in 1980 and became a shareholder in 1984. He heads the firm's trade and transportation group from the firm's Long Beach office. Mr. Collier primarily practices in the area of civil litigation and represents multinational companies involved in international trade and marine transportation as well as oil and refining companies and marine and energy underwriters in connection with commercial disputes, casualties, personal injuries and environmental matters. He has significant trial experience in both the state and federal courts of California, and is "AV" rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

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Lanie Denslow
Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Lanie Denslow is the International Director of FIDM/The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. In that role she develops and manages the school's international study programs and worldwide exchange relationships. She is also the founder of World Wise Intercultural Training & Resources whose mission is to enable people to bridge cultural differences and create rewarding relationships and results. A frequent speaker in the United States, her extensive experience includes a presentation for IVCLA in Pskov, Russia. She is the author of World Wise: What to Know Before You Go (Fairchld Books, 2006), a guide to the global business world and the co-author of Working with Americans (Prentice Hall Business, 2002), a look at American business culture.

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Dwayne Gathers
Gathers Strategies
Dwayne Gathers is President and Chief Executive Officer of Gathers Strategies, Inc., an independent business development/ government relations/international consulting practice, based in Los Angeles. Dwayne most recently served as Regional Manager for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC). In that role, he directed the LAEDC’s business attraction, expansion and retention efforts over a diverse region, encompassing a substantial portion of the City of Los Angeles. Prior to joining the LAEDC, Dwayne developed an extensive background in international affairs, trade and business development. He opened and managed the State of California’s Office of Trade and Investment in Johannesburg, South Africa from 1995 to 2000. Previously, he was a senior staff member at the US Department of State in Washington, DC having served as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for African Affairs. Dwayne has participated in various leadership, democracy building and education exchange missions internationally, including to Morocco, Viet Nam, Jordan, Haiti and South Africa.

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Wafa J. Hoballah
Middle East Law
Wafa Hoballah is an attorney with an international practice in and between the United States, the Middle East, West Africa and Viet Nam. Her domestic practice focuses on assisting Lebanese nationals with family & probate matters particularly as it relates to religious and civil laws and its compatibility with local U.S. laws. An avid activist for human rights, she was invited by the U.N. to present the legal aspects of human trafficking to the Committee on the Status of Women in New York. She has been a keynote speaker for the U.S. Dept. of State on comparative laws and has traveled to Oman, Algeria and Yemen as a program specialist. She also served on a panel in Russia regarding marketing and business development. She serves on the advisory board for the Refugee Safe Haven Shelter for Victims of Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence. Ms. Hoballah is the president and a founding member of the Los Angeles-Beirut Sister Cities Organization, and a charter board member of the Lebanese American Foundation.

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Ahmad Iqbal
BPM Advisors, LLC
Ahmad Iqbal heads BPM Advisors, LLC - a boutique strategy and management consulting firm that is focused in development and re-engineering business and workflow processes to increase revenue and efficiency. BPM Advisors uses its deep technical expertise as a tool to help companies achieve and sustain competitive advantage. Prior to BPM Advisors; Ahmad led a geographically diverse team, as the Director of Global Project Management Office at JD Power and Associates. In the past, he has held several technical and leadership positions at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Reuters, ACT Networks, etc. He successfully launched various large scale telecommunication projects in multiple countries, and established Project Management Offices for different organizations.

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Steve Jones
Los Angeles World Airports
Steve Jones is a Management Analyst for the Facilities Planning Division at Los Angeles World Airports.  Steve currently oversees the Tenant Project Approval Process for LAX, Van Nuys, and LA/Ontario.  He is involved in a number of modernization efforts aimed at enhancing the passenger experience, infrastructure, and safety at LAX.  Prior to joining Facilities Planning, Steve was a member of LAWA’s Air Service Marketing Division, where we worked closely with key travel industry stakeholders and businesses to promote air service and international trade. Steve currently serves on the board of the Foreign Trade Association. He is also a member of the Los Angeles Business Travel Association, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, LAX Coastal Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles Cargo Association, Los Angeles Airport Managers Association and Southern California American Society of Travel Agents.

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Yoku Kaifu
Union Bank
Yuko Kaifu is Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications at Union Bank where she oversees strategy on external and internal corporate communications of Union Bank particularly in relation to the Asian, Japanese and Japanese American segments. Previously, Ms. Kaifu was the Deputy Director of Cultural Policy for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. She was appointed as one of the official interpreters appointed by the Foreign Minister to interpret for numerous Japanese and foreign dignitaries including: Emperor and Empress of Japan, Princess Saya, Prime Minister Takeshita, President Ronald Reagan, Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, President Nelson Mandela of South Africa, and Prime Minister Thatcher of the U.K.  Ms. Kaifu is currently Deputy Chair of the Business & Administration Committee for the Japan Business Association of Southern California.

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Alexander Kramer
Alex Kramer is Chief Financial Officer of a privately held environmental engine manufacturer and is a Managing Director of Millennium Capital, a capital and management group providing local entrepreneurs with investment capital, turnaround, and management advisory.  As part of their senior management team, Mr. Kramer is responsible for investor relations, private equity capital raise / treasury & compliance, accounting and financial operations for activities in the USA, Asia, and Europe. He specializes in international finance and has over 25 years of experience from across both the corporate and non-profit sectors. He has lived and worked in Latin America, Asia and North Africa, focusing on international trade and global finance, particularly pertaining to emerging markets. An advocate of international trade and education, The Los Angeles Business Journal named Mr. Kramer one of the most influential people in international trade in California. Mr. Kramer has served on several non-profit boards and currently is chair of the finance committee of Hearts Afire (an international non-profit deploying medical teams to Africa and Latin America), and was the 2011 Chair for the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Global Initiatives Council.

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Michael McDowell
Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
Michael McDowell is Senior Director of Cultural Tourism for the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board. There, McDowell promotes Los Angeles as one of the world’s premier cultural destinations to international and domestic visitors, travel industry professionals and area residents. Tourism is LA’s largest industry, and it attracts more than 26 million visitors to the region who spend $14 billion in the local economy each year. Prior to his current position, McDowell was Associate Vice President for Public Affairs at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), the nation’s leading laboratory for the arts. Before that, he was Director of Marketing and Publications at the University of Southern California.

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Wilma Pinder
Wilma Pinder was previously Assistant City Attorney for the City of Los Angeles since 1987. A consummate attorney with 30-years experience as a top-litigator for the Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney, Ms. Pinders' extensive litigation skills produced favorable civil jury verdicts and equitable settlements for the City of Los Angeles and the Department of Water and Power. She has served on the Board of Directors for the YWCA of Greater Los Angeles, Children’s Collective and Women and Philanthropy at UCLA.

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Gary Rhodes, Ph.D
Center for Global Education at UCLA
Dr. Gary Rhodes is Director of the Center for Global Education at the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies at University of California, Los Angeles. The Center serves as a nationally recognized resource supporting international learning in U.S. higher education and supporting study abroad by U.S. students and study in the U.S. by students from around the world.  He received his Ph.D. and MS.Ed. in Education and his M.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC), and his B.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He has published articles, been cited, and presented widely at conferences across the U.S. and around the world. He received Fulbright Grants to India (2002) and South Africa (2001).

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John V. Richardson Jr.
University of California, Los Angeles
Dr. John V. Richardson Jr. is Professor Emeritus of Information Studies at UCLA and from 2002-2007 served a five-year term as Associate Dean in UCLA’s Graduate Division. During his time at UCLA he has served as Chair of the Graduate Council and Chair of the Privilege and Tenure Committee. He serves on the National Postdoctoral Association’s International Postdoc Committee and consults with the U.S. Department of State on matters of national security with developing nations. He has a strong interest in international students inbound as well as international exchanges. He therefore has worked to increase awareness of the F-1 and J-1 visa situation, to raise the TOEFL standard on the UCLA campus and to work closely with the visiting Fulbright, DAAD and Luce scholars. He received the 2007 UCLA Graduate Students Association’s James LuValle Award for Distinguished Service.

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Lourdes Saab
County of Los Angeles
Lourdes Saab is Deputy Chief of Protocol for the County of Los Angeles. In her position she represents the L.A. County office of Protocol on the IVCLA board and serves as the liaison between the protocol office and the county’s international community. In addition she aids foreign missions in the county by coordinating visits for dignitaries. Lourdes served as Chief of Protocol of the City of Los Angeles from 1993 to 1997. She previously worked in Mayor Yorty’s Office of Latin American Affairs and in the offices of Mayors Bradley and Riordan. She was a founding member and has served as executive director of the Hispanic Women’s Council, Inc. She was Commissioner for the County Department of Children’s Services and has been recognized for her work with community based health organizations.

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Elga A. Sharpe
City of Los Angeles
Elga Sharpe is Chief of Protocol for the Mayor of Los Angeles. One of Ms. Sharpe’s main duties is to serve as the liaison between the Office of the Mayor and the Los Angeles’ Consular Corps, consisting of Consulates General from 80 countries. She is highly skilled in all aspects of international communications, business relations, corporate development, translation, international marketing and related multinational business applications. Ms. Sharpe is multi-lingual in English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch and Papiamento.

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