Mark Lewis
Associate Trainer
Educational Background
Mark Lewis is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in English Writing, Rhetoric and Culture along with a minor in Sociology. He is currently a Masters Candidate at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia. His capstone project at ICAR examined how large, multinational corporations manage conflict throughout their global operations.
Mark holds a professional certificate from the Intercultural Communication Institute. He was also trained as a court mediator in the State of California. His professional interests include Reflective Practice, work-life balance, cultivating stillness, effective communication, and establishing rapport.
Professional Experiences
Mark began his professional career in Seattle, Washington at the height of the dot com technology boom. Working for software companies in marketing, public relations, recruiting and online editing provided him with a first-hand education in the dynamics of organizational change.
Mark quickly gravitated towards his natural passion for culture; spending a year living and working in Germany with CDS International. While there he began his work as a cross-cultural trainer and coach, providing courses on cross-cultural communication and adaptation to German employees, civic leaders and business students.
Mark spent three years as a staff trainer for Charis Intercultural Training Corp., in Pleasanton, California. While there he delivered pre-departure expatriate trainings to employees from the Silicon Valley who were preparing to live abroad in the UK, India, Russia, and Singapore. He also managed large trainings on multiple cultures (China, Iran, Vietnam, Philippines) for homebuilder companies seeking to provide homebuyers with culturally sensitive business practices. In addition to his work in Germany and the U.S., Mark has lived abroad in England and traveled throughout Europe and Central America.
Mark currently works full-time as a mediator at the headquarters of the Better Business Bureaus. He mediates lemon law disputes between a dozen automobile manufacturers and their customers. Mark began his career as a mediator while volunteering in small claims court in Alameda County, California.
Personal Interests
Mark enjoys expanding his collection of obscure electronic music, watching movies, and sharing cultural artifacts with friends. He is an accomplished writer of literary non-fiction and periodically coaches other writers. He strives to maintain fluency in German and learn Italian by writing to friends in Europe. Mark is an avid soccer fan and follows the global game with a close eye. His exercise of choice is swimming, biking, and climbing stairs.