PRESIDENT

Dr. Duk Kim

Dr. Duk Kim is an Associate Professor of Political Science at St. Ambrose University and an International Relations specialist who teaches and writes in the field of international politics. He obtained his Ph.D. from University of Missouri. As President of WACQC, Duk has brought a new level of structure and professionalism. 

EVENTS COMMITTEE CHAIR

Trishna R. Pradhan

Trishna, originally from India, moved to Kansas State University  a Masters in Architecture. During the past 10 years in the Quad Cities, she has met with diverse communities and collaborated with them in design and construction projects. During this process, she got a glimpse of their background and heard their stories and decided she wanted to know more about the people of the world. Trishna came to WACQC for the opportunity to learn more about the various cultures  and she wanted to share her experiences with the community. She loves collaborating and helping to organize events.

BOARD MEMBER

Dr. Xiawen Zhang

Dr. Xiaowen Zhang is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Augustana College. She was born and raised in Beijing, China and came to the United States in 2001. She graduated from University of Southern California in 2007 with a Ph.D. in International Relations. Her dissertation work is about how the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement mechanism impacts member countries' dispute settlement strategies. As a faculty member of the political science department, Xiaowen teaches courses like Introduction to International Relations, International law and International Organizations, and U.S. Foreign Policy. Xiaowen is also a member of Augustana's Asian Studies Program and teaches in study abroad programs in China on a regular basis.  She has published articles on China’s compliance record in the WTO disputes settlement system and environmental politics in China.

PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Dr. James Baumann

While originally from Dubuque, Iowa, Dr. Baumann has lived in the Quad Cities since 2008.  He received his Ph.D. in Communication from Bowling Green State University in 2009. Dr. Baumann currently works as an Associate Professor of Communication at St. Ambrose University. 

PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAIR

Mari Nedic

Mari came to the US from former Yugoslavia. She was born in Germany and speaks several Eastern European languages. Her areas of expertise include marketing and public relations. In 2017, she received a B.A. in Marketing and Strategic Communications from St. Ambrose University. More recently, she attained her MBA from Western Illinois University. Mari joined WACQC in 2018 and has been helping spread knowledge about other cultures to the Quad Cities community. 

MARKETING CHAIR

Dr. Jin Chung

Dr. Jin Chung is an Assistant professor of Marketing at St. Ambrose University. She was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea and came to the United States in 2013; receiving her PhD. in Marketing from the University of Texas at Arlington. With her specific research areas being that of: time vs. money, color marketing, price unfairness and experiential purchases. She has taught classes such as: consumer behavior, integrated marketing communications and principle of marketing.

EVENTS COMMITTEE CHAIR

Ferdaus Ahmad

Ferdaus Ahmad is a physicist and engineer, currently teaching at Black Hawk College. She was a mentor for the National Science Foundation and was awarded the Rosa Parks-Chavez mentorship award. She also provides leadership support for interfaith dialogues and helps young girls develop leadership skills through the Islamic Center of the Quad Cities.  Internationally, she is a member of Bangladesh Mahilad Parishad, an organization dedicated to women empowerment, gender equality, and constitutional rights of women.

BOARD MEMBER

Dr. Arun Pillutla

Joining St. Ambrose University (SAU) in 1999, Dr. Arun Pillutla is now a Professor of Management, teaching business strategy and organization theory to students of all levels. He is also a Fulbright Specialist and has participated in the Winter 2017 Faculty Fellowship to Israel program. He has supervised several doctoral dissertations. Dr. Arun’s research interests cover strategy, visioning, entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility. His experience includes teaching, research, academic department leadership, community services, developing exchange relationships, study abroad leadership, writing teaching cases, and creating novel international exchange programs. 

BOARD MEMBER

Dr. Sayonnha Mandal

Sayonnha Mandal is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at St. Ambrose University. She earned her doctorate in Information Technology, with a specialization in Cybersecurity from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2017. Prior to her doctorate, Sayonnha earned two Masters degrees in Telecommunications Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and Cybersecurity from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Sayonnha has worked as a Programmer in Cognizant Technology Solutions in 2010 and as an Assistant Professor in a four year undergraduate college in 2012. Her current responsibilities include teaching undergraduate and graduate level courses at the University, serving on University committees and conducting research through grants. Sayonnha is the point of contact for the Facebook-Codepath partnership with St. Ambrose University and is also actively involved in the current endeavor to start a new Masters in Cybersecurity program in the CIS department at her University.