Wendy Gillespie Center

for Advancing Global Business

The Wendy Gillespie Center for Advancing for Global Business (WGCAGB), a national center of excellence, was founded in 2019, with the purpose of expanding international curriculum, research, and engagement between academia and global organizations.

Philanthropic giving is essential to the center's ability to meet the academic and professional needs of our students.

Give to the Wendy Gillespie Center for Advancing Global Business

 

Events

Binational Youth Summit

In partnership with the Longview Foundation and the San Diego State University Wendy Gillespie Center for Advancing Global Business, and other partners, the San Diego Diplomacy Council will be hosting the SDDC Binational Youth Summit on February 28, 2024, at San Diego State University. This one-day Summit will convene 200 high school students and high school teachers from San Diego and Tijuana to explore international affairs and diplomacy while developing binational relationships and activating our next-generation global leaders. Students will attend sessions led by local and global leaders and participate in a binational diplomacy simulation. Teachers will get tools and tips for integrating more international affairs curricula into their classrooms. There is no cost to students and teachers to attend.

The Binational Youth Leadership Summit will create locally and globally focused conversations that inspire engagement on issues affecting international education. Together, we will foster connections and growth in the international education community, as well as celebrate the critical role that public and citizen diplomacy programs play in building a more peaceful, prosperous binational region and world.

CEEC 2025- Futurescape

Join SDSU's Wendy Gillespie Center for Advancing Global Business and the Lavin Entrepreneurship Center as they bring together leading educators and researchers in the field of entrepreneurship.

Date: April 23-26, 2025 
Location: San Diego State University. More details to come.

Register Now

Initiatives

Learn More

The Wendy Gillespie Center for Advancing Global Business was instrumental in developing the SDSU's Master of Science in Global Business Development (MSGBD) degree. By offering students a unique mix of courses and real-life projects, culminating in a consulting assignment abroad, this exciting degree positions its graduates for a successful career in international business development and sales.

Masters Video Screenshot

International Entrepreneurship Scholars 

The Wendy Gillespie Center for Advancing Global Business is honored to host ie-scholars.net a virtual community that supports International Entrepreneurship (IE) research and education by sharing resources, expertise and knowledge on a global scale. Our hope is that this community will accelerate the development of ideas and approaches to key theoretical, methodological and conceptual issues in this emerging area of study.

We have three types of community building activities: 1) Fostering and accelerating IE research; 2) IE knowledge mobilization and dissemination; and 3) IE community growth and enhancement.

Members
The membership of ie-scholars.net is truly international: over 750 members in nearly 68 countries.  Most members are affiliated with an academic institution, either as faculty members or graduate students.

Membership is free and we warmly welcome you to join.

Annual McGill Conference
Following the tradition established by the inaugural conference held at McGill University (Montreal) in 1998, the annual McGill IE Conference brings together academic scholars, practitioners and policy makers to discuss the potent forces and influences, consequent changes and the dominant pattern(s) of emerging developments in IE.

The annual conference rotates from McGill every second year, and has been held in (e.g.) Finland, Italy, Scotland, Denmark, Chile, UK, Ireland and UAE. 

IE Journal
The Journal of International Entrepreneurship fills the need for a journal dedicated to international issues in the context of entrepreneurship. It offers an outlet for high quality research addressing the opportunities and challenges intrinsic to the field.

BA 794 in Barranquilla, Colombia May 2025

May 18-23, 2025, Barranquilla, Colombia

About the class:
Led by Prof. Musteen, the BA 794 class will take place in Summer 2025 (May) with a required trip to Barranquilla, Colombia to visit Logicem HQ.

About the client: Logicem is a company located in Baranquilla, Colombia dedicated to the development of multimodal logistics operations, serving companies in the commercial and industrial sectors nationwide, aimed at meeting the needs of storage, transportation, tracking and distribution of cargo. 

For more information & questions, please contact Prof. Martina Musteen ([email protected]).

Wendy Gillespie Center for Advancing Global Business (WGCAGB)

Position:  Administration, Research, and Operations Graduate Assistant               (in-person and virtual)

Reports to:  Wendy Gillespie Center Managing Director

Purpose:  To provide research and administrative support to the Center                   

                               Schedule to be determined.

Responsibilities 

  • Handle incoming inquiries in a helpful, friendly, and professional manner for Wendy Gillespie Center staff in their absence, ask inquirers to communicate their requests in writing, take messages, offer assistance, and take follow-up action to secure the necessary information for the caller when possible.
  • Correspond with vendors and respond to inquiries.
  • Create and process staff expense reports, purchase orders, payment requests, and additional administrative forms.
  • Gather information and assist with recording and reporting on federal forms.
  • Compile documentation for Wendy Gillespie Center programs to increase knowledge about international business in education and research.
  • Assist with preparation for board meetings, attend board meetings, and take board meeting notes.
  • Undertake research and database building and some website maintenance as needed for the development of Wendy Gillespie Center programs.
  • Assist with events: photograph, blogging, social media, event set-up, and cleanup.
  • Undertake research projects; collect and analyze data, and write reports with findings and recommendations.
  • Create promotional material and draft marketing letters. Assist with mailings
  • Assist Wendy Gillespie Center staff on special projects as needed or any other duties as required. 

 Requirements

  • Detail-oriented, able to learn quickly and work independently. Strong communication and problem-solving skills.
  • Intermediate knowledge of Microsoft Office; to include production of required PowerPoint slides for speeches and presentations.
  • Knowledge of letter and email writing procedures.
  • Fluency in English, with strong oral and writing skills.
  • Foreign language not required, but preferred. 

To apply for the position, please email Mr. Mark J. Ballam ([email protected]) your resume and a cover letter that describes your qualifications and articulates why you should be offered this position.  

Grant for International Business Research Projects

The SDSU CIBER Faculty Grant Program is aimed to support thought leadership, innovative teaching methods, and cutting-edge research within the realm of international business (IB). For this Faculty Grant program, international business research refers to scholarly investigations and analyses focused on business activities that transcend national borders or occur outside a firm's home country. This encompasses comparative business studies and exploring the interplay between a company's operations and foreign environments in which it operates.

We invite project proposals in the following categories for consideration:

  • Impactful academic and applied IB studies designed to provide insights that enhance global competitiveness of U.S. businesses.
  • Development of curriculum and pedagogical tools for teaching IB effectively
  • Enhancement of language proficiency, especially in less commonly taught languages.

General Conditions for Faculty Grant:  

  • All tenured, tenure-track, and full-time SDSU faculty are eligible to participate.
  • Awards may be used for stipends, travel expenses, graduate assistants, data acquisition, and research support (excluding equipment).
  • We encourage proposals of various sizes with funding available up to $10,000.
  • Interdisciplinary project proposals are welcome.

Evaluation Criteria for Faculty Grant
The following criteria will be used to evaluate all proposals:

  • Relevance and significance of the proposal in relation to the CIBER program's objectives and the broader field of IB.
  • The quality of the methodological and/or pedagogical approach.
  • The potential for publication in a respected refereed journal or equivalent academic outlet.

The proposals must contain:

  1. A description of the project and its significance for the IB field (maximum 250 words).
  2. A brief literature review (maximum 500 words).
  3. A detailed timeline for accomplishing the project.
  4. A comprehensive budget detailing expected expenses.
  5. Anticipated outcomes of the project for IB scholars, practitioners, students, and society at large (maximum 250 words).
  6. A current vita of all the proposal authors.
  7. For pedagogy-related projects, a letter of support from the department chair confirming the benefits for teaching effectiveness.
  8. References.

Please submit your proposal to Mark J. Ballam, Managing Director. Email: [email protected], SDSU Mail Code: 8230, Phone: 619-594-3947

Consortium of Minority-Serving Institutions and Community Colleges

The CIBER Minority-Serving Institution and Community College Consortium (CMCC) acts as a resource multiplier in connecting schools across the CIBER network with MSIs and CCs nationwide for the purpose of internationalizing business education, thereby increasing the visibility of and access to innovative development opportunities for faculty, staff, and students.

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About Us

Mission Statement

Through the Center, San Diego State University and the Fowler College of Business are positioned as thought leaders in promoting international dialogue in the global marketplace. WGCAGB has its roots in its Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), which since 1989 has been at the forefront of understanding companies' international needs.

Our Mission
To be the catalyst for global thought leadership by connecting academia with international commerce.

Our Vision
Be a Global Leader and Catalyst for Excellence, Innovation and Collaboration in International Business, Education and Research

Our Values
Integrity and Ethics, Diversity and Inclusion, Servant Leadership & Respect

Novak Headshot

SVP, Head of Global Marketing & Communications, Retired
Qualcomm

AnnaRose Headshot
Chief Executive Officer
Kendal Floral Supply
Gillespie Headshot
President & CEO
Frontier Trading, Inc. and Starhawk Productions
Hoobler Headshot
Director of Client Engagement
Sibylline
Lall Headshot
Chief Executive
General Atomics Global Corporation
Juan Carlos Leon Aguero
Finance and Strategy Director and Partner
DICOMA Corporacion
Ash Padwal
B.E.(E&T/C), JD, CIPP/US, CIPP/E
Todd Stanley

Chief Operating Officer
Achieve

Homero Escandon
Executive Vice President, Head of Operations
BioTix

 

Meet our Alumni

"Enhanced by diverse projects and co-associates of varying academic and cultural backgrounds, the Center helped strengthen and develop a variety of skills, both "hard" and "soft". On the technical side, the most valuable things were learning WordPress, mastering Excel, exploring Tableau, and even picking up some Python." Katya Ghosh

"My biggest take-away from my experience would have to be my new found confidence in approaching people and businesses. This was really important for me, as I began my career because I am now much more comfortable in communicating with people in the business environment." Brady O'Brien

"My most memorable take-away would be learning how to manage many projects occurring simultaneously and also collaborating with other interns to accomplish large projects with professionalism and efficiency. This type of experience and setting is not one that can be found in our typical university classes."  Michael Loi

Isabel Adolph
Ryhan Arnett
Amruta Balapure
Sol Botello
Gioia Carpinelli
Abraham Castro
Madison Drinkwine
Cristina Flores
Ekaterina Ghosh
Marco Giavalisco
Madeleine Goodpaster
Kayleigh Heller
Carmelina Herrera
Linh Ho
Oussama Karkach
Neha Kharb
Evan Lamozah
Jessica Lima
Michael Loi
Abhishek Manjunath
Daniel Mateus
Brett Medina
Brady O'Brien
Buse Ozsuca
Carl Printer
Nakia Richardson
Jacob Sauer
Paulina Viramontes
Sofia Vallejo
Dema Youhann
Marianne Yuenger
Ze Zhang

Team