Massachusetts Export Center Staff
One of the Massachusetts Export Center's key strengths is its highly capable and experienced staff. The
Massachusetts Export Center's team is uniquely qualified to help businesses export. Each staff member has private sector international business development experience ranging from five to over twenty years. In addition, because of the Export
Center's certification requirements under the Association of Small Business Development Centers, each staff member is required to undergo 24 hours of professional development training each year. This ensures that staff members stay up-to-date on the latest issues affecting exporters.
The Massachusetts Export Center has a dedicated, resourceful and
creative team that works well with clients and partners alike.
- Paula Murphy, Director [] [bio]
-
Catherine Cornwell, Publications and Web Manager
[]
[bio]
-
Julia Dvorko,
Central Massachusetts Program Director [] [bio]
- Marie Hladikova, Trade
Services Manager [] [bio]
-
P. Ann Pieroway, Western Massachusetts Program Director []
[bio]
-
Michael Sullivan, Southeastern Massachusetts International
Trade Counselor [] [bio]
- BreAnne Yothers,
Assistant Trade Specialist [] [bio]
In addition to our staff, the
following interns are working as research assistants at the
Massachusetts Export
Center:
Staff Biographies
Paula Murphy, Director
 Paula
is founder and director of the Massachusetts Export Center, part of the
Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network. She has over fifteen
years of international business experience in both the public and private
sectors.
The Export Center helps Massachusetts firms to export
their products and services overseas. Paula helps exporters through counseling,
technical assistance, training, market research, and publication development. In
addition, she has organized several overseas marketing activities, such as trade
shows and trade missions. She oversees the Export Center’s operations throughout
the state, including the Center’s offices in Boston, Worcester, Holyoke and New
Bedford. State-wide, the Massachusetts Export Center generates significant
economic impact each year – in 2006, companies reported over $160,000,000 in
export sales as a direct result of the Massachusetts Export Center’s assistance.
In addition to her role at the Export Center, Paula
teaches graduate level international marketing and export/import operations at
Boston University. Previously, she served as international trade counselor for
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and was an international marketing consultant
with Hagan & Company, where she served as the New England agent for a number of
foreign government agencies, including the Irish Trade Board (now Enterprise
Ireland), the Australian Trade Commission and others.
Paula has published numerous articles and books on
international trade. She has been awarded the National Leadership Award in
International Trade by the National Council on Community Service and has led the
Massachusetts Export Center to receive numerous awards. She was named the 2005
Massachusetts State Star by the Association of Small Business Development
Centers. She has served on the boards of several non-profit international trade
organizations and is currently a director of the British American Business
Council of New England. She is also a founding board member of the Greater China
Business Council of New England. She was recently appointed by U.S. Secretary of
Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez to the District Export Council of Massachusetts.
She is a graduate of Suffolk University and is a Certified Global Business
Professional.
top
P. Ann Pieroway, Western Massachusetts Program Director
Ann is the Western Massachusetts program director for the Massachusetts Export
Center and the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network. Based in
Holyoke, Ann helps Western Massachusetts companies develop their export plans. In addition, she
coordinates export programs and seminars in Western Massachusetts. Ann has over 20 years
of experience, having owned her own apparel business and having held several senior
marketing and retail positions. She holds an MBA in finance from Florida State
University.
top
Julia Dvorko, Central Massachusetts Program Director
Julia is the Central Massachusetts
program director for the Massachusetts Export Center and the Massachusetts Small
Business Development Center Network. Based at Worcester State College, Julia
assists Central Massachusetts companies in all aspects of international trade
and coordinates export programs and seminars in the area. She has over fifteen
years of business experience in several countries including Russia, Sweden and
the U.S. Previously, Julia worked at the MSBDC office in Amherst, two joint
ventures in Russia and a division of Volvo in the North of Sweden. During her
career, she has also completed consulting assignments for two Fortune 500
companies and a number of small businesses in the U.S., Ukraine and Russia. She
has a MBA degree from the University of Massachusetts, and a Ph.D. from Moscow
State University. In 2006 she received a designation of the NASBITE Certified
Global Business Professional, achieving the all-time highest score for the CGBP
exam. Julia is fluent in English, Ukrainian, Russian and French, and has a
working knowledge of several other languages.
top
Michael Sullivan, Southeastern Massachusetts International
Trade Counselor
Michael is the international trade counselor with the
Massachusetts Export Center and the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center
Network covering Southeastern Massachusetts. Based in New Bedford, Michael assists
companies throughout the region in all aspects of international trade from business plan
development to in-depth market research. He has over 15 years of international trade
experience including sales and marketing management at an international consumer products
company, and he was the co-founder and managing partner of a home fashions textile
business. Michael holds a degree in management from Suffolk University.
top
Marie Hladikova, Trade Services
Manager
Marie is the trade services manager for the Massachusetts Export Center, part of
the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network. She counsels
companies on exporting, helps them to expand into new markets overseas and
conducts international market research for clients. Additionally, Marie helps to
coordinate the Partners for Trade export seminar series, which delivers a broad
range of training programs for Massachusetts businesses at every stage of the
export process. She is also coordinator of the “International Trade Reporter”
e-newsletter and manages the Export Center’s intern program. Marie co-authored
several papers in the area of international marketing and has presented her
research at national and international conferences. Marie graduated with a
degree in international business, summa cum laude, from Salem State College and
received Certified Global Business Professional designation from the North
American Small Business International Trade Educator’s Association in 2006.
Marie has lived and worked throughout the EU, is fluent in Czech and Slovak, and
has traveled throughout the world.
top
Catherine Reid Cornwell, Publications and Web Manager
For the past 17 years, Cathy has been designing publications for the Massachusetts
Small Business Development Center (MSBDC) Network. She is also an
integral part of the Massachusetts Export Center team. Based out of the MSBDC's state
office at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Cathy designs and edits all internal and external
publications for the
Massachusetts Export Center and the MSBDC. In addition,
she manages several MSBDC websites, including the website for the Massachusetts Export
Center. Cathy also handles
the
registration process for all Partners for Trade export training programs. She received a
bachelor's degree from UMass
Amherst.
top
BreAnne Yothers, Assistant Trade
Specialist
In BreAnne's capacity as assistant trade specialist for the Massachusetts Export
Center in Boston and the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center
Network, she conducts market research for clients throughout Massachusetts,
manages operations for the Boston office, and is an active participant in the
Partners for Trade series. Previously, BreAnne worked with Direct Relief
International in California where she organized numerous fund raising events for
disaster relief in developing countries. She lived in the U.K. while completing
her studies at Oxford University. She graduated from the University of
Massachusetts magna cum laude with a bachelors degree in International
Management. BreAnne has working knowledge of French and Mandarin and has
traveled extensively throughout Europe and Latin America.
top
|
