October 14, 2008

Two earn global business professional designation

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A pair of international graduates from Southern Illinois University Carbondale are part of the ever-widening bridge between the international business world and the University. Anja Meksem and Iván Sánchez both work at the SIUC Southern Illinois Entrepreneurship Center and both recently earned their Certified Global Business Professional designation.

Meksem, an entrepreneurship specialist, and Sánchez, a graduate student, earned the certifications, which denote competency in various aspects of global commerce, from the North American Small Business International Trade Educators Association. The association is an international professional global business community organization whose members include business educators and trainers from around the world. The organization encompasses state, federal and local trade specialists and other professionals involved with global business activity.

Meksem earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2004 and her master’s in business administration in 2007 at SIUC. From Cologne, Germany, she arrived in Carbondale in 1997 and began working at the Southern Illinois Entrepreneurship Center in January 2006. She works with clients on high-growth major projects and is also the CampCEO coordinator for the University. She brings to her work nine years experience in international sales and marketing with global healthcare business Bayer AG in Germany.

Sánchez came to SIUC in the fall 2001 semester as an undergraduate and member of the Saluki swim team. The Mexico City, Mexico, native earned his bachelor’ degrees in finance and management at the University in 2006 and is currently working on his master’s in sports management at SIUC. A graduate assistant the past two years in the Southern Illinois Entrepreneurship Center and the Illinois Small Business Development Center, he provides counseling and business training for Spanish-speaking clients. He’s a two-year veteran of CampCEO, working as counselor and more recently as coordinator.

Meksem and Sánchez also earned their Certificates in International Business from the State of Illinois in December 2007.

“Having Anja and Iván on board with international background and international business skills proves critical in our outreach efforts to business in the region,” said Robyn Laur Russell, director of business development and international trade at SIUC. “Connecting Southern Illinois to the global marketplace is our goal and I am proud to say we are reaching that goal every day.”

For more information about the Southern Illinois Entrepreneurship Center, call 618/453-3805 or look online at www.siecenter.biz.