Introducing CQ® Leadership Academy

Kristin Ekkens is a Consultant with the CQ Center. She brings extensive CQ expertise to the table, both as our former Director of Corporate Partnerships, as well as previously overseeing the diversity and inclusion efforts at a hospital and healthcare system with over 25,000 employees. Kristin has several years experience living and working in a variety of cultures and has done extensive training with students, working professionals, and leaders. She has a graduate degree in TESOL and is fluent in Spanish.

David Livermore, PhD leads the Cultural Intelligence Center and works with our team and partners around the world. Dave has written nine books on cultural intelligence and global leadership and has worked with companies, governments, and non-profits in more than 100 countries. He speaks at several international conferences annually. Dave and his wife have two teenage daughters. They love traveling together (fortunately!) and sampling the local delicacies, wherever they go. For a full bio, visit Dave’s website.

Dr. Sandra Upton is Vice President, Global Diversity Practices with the Cultural Intelligence Center, and is responsible for providing leadership and expertise on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) matters for CQC clients across the globe. She has over twenty-five years of experience training and consulting with businesses, educational institutions, governmental agencies, and non-profits around the globe. She has led CQC’s response to the growing demand from global companies such as Amway, Starbucks, Steelcase, Hallmark, Fiat-Chrysler, Perrigo, Cintas and institutions and schools like Harvard University, London School of Economics, University of Michigan, Queensland University, Stanford University, Cornell University, Boston Public Schools, Dallas ISD, that are committed to integrating CQ into their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Sandra is also the subject matter expert for the Center’s work in unconscious bias and has led the Center’s unconscious bias certification programs across the globe. She is a frequent speaker and consults with numerous businesses and institutions on how to effectively integrate CQ and unconscious bias assessments and training into business and educational settings. She travels frequently and has consulted with organizations and facilitated trainings in places such as Brazil, China, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Israel, Singapore, South Africa, and several countries throughout Europe. 

She and her husband Robert, are the proud (and excited empty-nesters) of two amazing college-aged children, Alexis and Devin.

Linn Van Dyne, PhD oversees ongoing research on cultural intelligence and works with Dave in developing the long-term strategy for the CQ Center. Linn is one of the pioneering researchers on cultural intelligence and worked together with Soon Ang PhD to validate the CQ Scale. She retired as Full Professor at Michigan State University where she taught and conducted research for 26 years. She has also taught at the University of Minnesota and has served as a Visiting Scholar at Indian School of Business and as Senior Fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.