Local Experts on Culture and Bias with a Focus on Healthcare
We are a women-owned, Michigan-based business that specializes in bringing an academically valid approach to implicit bias training.
The CQ Difference
We train differently. From our evidence-based approach to our expert facilitators, we guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised by our offering.
Who We Are
We are a women-owned, innovative, research-based training and consulting firm founded right here in Michigan, that draws upon empirical research findings to help organizations and individuals around the world assess and improve Cultural Intelligence (CQ®). We believe our cultural differences empower us to build better communities and workplaces and we are on a mission to spread the transformative power of CQ® to healthcare and beyond.
We are proud of our women-owned certification and our local Michigan roots. Our solutions are available to MiDeal members, and we are a preferred vendor of the State of Michigan. We partner with some of Michigan’s largest healthcare systems and are proud of our partnership and ACCME accreditation with Michigan State Medical Society.
The CQ Difference
CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE, or CQ, is a globally recognized way of assessing and improving effectiveness in culturally diverse situations and is an academically valid approach to addressing Bias in a healthcare setting. It’s rooted in decades of rigorous, peer-reviewed, academic research conducted across more than 100 countries.
In other words, we are not interested in shaming or guilting anyone. We take a neutral and positive approach to bias in healthcare, and 94% of participants who take our courses leave feeling more confident addressing bias in their workplace.
Gold Standard Facilitators
Our team of CQ Certified Facilitators are all world-class and have been certified in Implicit Bias and Cultural Intelligence. They are trained in the use of the Cultural Intelligence Assessment™ and the Cultural Values Profile™, as well as all of the Cultural Intelligence Center’s training courses, aids and coaching materials.
Kelli Maxwell
Kelli Maxwell graduated college in winter of 2001; after a few years of substitute teaching and coaching, she accepted a position as an Account Manager for Technicolor managing the domestic and international distribution of 35mm film for DreamWorks and Lions Gate Films. After realizing the film industry was not for her, Kelli returned to college to complete her initial undergraduate studies and pursue a nursing degree. Upon obtaining her RN, she took a substantial pay cut to become a nurse and feels it was the best decision she’s ever made!
Kelli grew up on a cattle farm in northwest Ohio, USA, where she cherished every second of growing up in a small community and being a part of the 4-H community. Her experiences taught her the meaning of hard work, how important it is to always help others, to overcome challenges in harsh conditions, and how to find solutions to whatever comes her way.
Many of the skills Kelli learned growing up acted as a springboard for her entry into the medical field, and her eventual role as an ER/Trauma RN in the inner city at a Level 1 Trauma Center.
Lynn Schmidt, PhD
Dr. Lynn Schmidt received her RN degree from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, a BSN and MSN from Ball State University, and a PhD from Indiana University. Following her initial clinical career in Medical/Surgical, and later in Outpatient Surgery, Otorhinolaryngology, and School Nursing, Dr. Schmidt has been a nurse educator for the past fifteen years, teaching didactic courses in the area of nursing research, nursing theory, and diversity in healthcare to pre-licensure and graduate students.
Her dissertation focused on an evaluation of the impact of an intercultural learning experience on the development of transcultural self-efficacy of senior level baccalaureate of science nursing students. She is certified as a nurse educator, as well as a facilitator of Cultural Intelligence and Unconscious Bias with the Cultural Intelligence Center.
Max Steininger
Max Steininger is an experienced project management and training professional with a decade of experience in healthcare program management and implementation. Most recently, Max has worked in healthcare technology implementation, where he trained providers in the use of electronic health records and speech to text solutions. Prior to that, he served as a legislative advocate on behalf of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and American Society of Anesthesiologists, training patients and medical providers to speak to their elected officials about the importance of medical research funding.
Max lives just outside Boston, MA with his wife and two cats and enjoys distance running and spending time in the garden.
Renee Slagter BSN, RN, MCTE
Renee Slagter, BSN, RN, MCTE, joined the CQ Center Healthcare Facilitator team in 2022 following the launch of its public Implicit Bias in Healthcare programs. She has been an educator and trainer teaching current and future healthcare professionals since 2003. Over the course of her career, she has gained extensive experience working with diverse groups of students. From 2003-2008 she was the Clinical Trainer for a large (55) office group, and has been teaching high school seniors since 2008.
In addition to her full-time teaching roles, Renee is also a workforce instructor teaching Clinical Medical Assisting, CNA, and Phlebotomy Certification classes at Grand Rapids Community College. Each of these programs were delivered with detailed curriculum to meet the standards for each certifying body.
Renee has been a BSN since graduating from Grand Valley State University in 1991. She is a certified facilitator of Cultural Intelligence, OSHA Train-the-Trainer, BLS and First Aid (American Heart) certified, CNA (State of Michigan), and participated in implicit bias training with Equity Literacy Institute.
Jessica Franz, MSN, MA, RN
Jessica Franz, MSN, MA, RN, is a healthcare professional with extensive experience in social services, nursing, quality, faith-based, and higher education contexts. Her work with people from a wide range of backgrounds has helped to fuel her passion for equity. In her role as a Healthcare Quality Professional at a hospital system, Jessica uses this motivation for equity to drive for change and performance improvement to ensure patients have access to high quality care. This passion for equity is what brought her to the Cultural Intelligence Center. Jessica began her role as a Healthcare Facilitator in 2022. She is married with three daughters; having children has allowed her to see the world through a whole new perspective related to equity.
Jessica Franz, MSN, MA, RN on LinkedIn
Education:
- BA in Music in 2003 from Mount Vernon Nazarene University
- MA in Christian Education in 2006 from Nazarene Theological Seminary
- AD in Nursing in 2013 from Kansas City Kansas Community College
- BS in Nursing in 2014 from MidAmerica Nazarene University
- MS in Nursing Education in 2019 from MidAmerica Nazarene University
Buhle Dlamini
Buhle Dlamini is a CQ Associate Facilitator and an international speaker and consultant based in Canada and South Africa. He is the founder of Young and Able Pty (Ltd) in South Africa and Mindgro Consulting in Canada. He was also the co-founder of Heartlines Values TV Series project for which he, alongside Garth Japhet (founder) received an award from Arch-Bishop (emeritus) Desmond Tutu. He speaks on Leadership, Strategy and Cultural Intelligence.
Janine Allen, EdD
Dr. Janine Allen, EdD, is a CQ Consultant and Master Facilitator with extensive experience developing diverse work teams across the globe. Included in her experience is over 20 years in higher education leading multicultural teams and developing transnational partnerships in Indonesia, Peru, South Africa, China, Australia, Israel, South Korea, and New Zealand.
Raised in New Mexico in a multiethnic family and amongst multiple indigenous tribal groups has given Janine a passion for cultural engagement and equity. Always a learner and a connector, Janine’s relational approach is a key element in her facilitation and executive coaching with executive leaders, managers, and with practitioners.
On a personal note, Janine is an urban gardener and enjoys observing the green world around her despite her location of place!
CJ Beckmann
CJ is an officer with 10+ years of military service in the United States Army. His experience includes leadership positions in multicultural organizations with over 100 employees and annual budgets in excess of $5 million. The majority of his time in the military has been in domain of learning and education, including a tour in the academic sector as an Assistant Professor of Military Science at the University of Utah.
One of his chief accomplishments involved organizing a collaborative effort with academic and commercial partners in developing a premiere language and cultural training program for service members preparing for overseas assignments. This program culminated in the creation of the Polyglot Games, a multifaceted exercise for evaluating language and cultural proficiency. It was during this time that CJ discovered CQ and began collaborating with the Cultural Intelligence Center to integrate CQ into his training program. Since then, he has utilized CQ in developing and sustaining high-performing teams in subsequent assignments.
His academic credentials include an MBA, a B.A. in Communications. He is Gold Level certified in the Kirkpatrick Training Evaluation method and is a graduate of the University of Foreign Military and Cultural Studies Red Team Leader course. Aside from his military service, CJ and his wife, Elizabeth, work as small business consultants specializing in organizational psychology and culture, strategic planning, and operational design. The two reside in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Joel Francis
Joel Francis has 22 years of experience as a Law Enforcement professional. After 20 years of service with the New York Police Department, he served as the Chief of Education and Training for the Baltimore Police Department. He then served as an Assistant Director for Public Safety at Monroe College and Columbia University, respectively. Prior to joining the Cultural Intelligence team, Joel Francis was an Associate Facilitator/National Director for the Verbal Judo Institute, where he presented their tactical communications program to Health and Hospitals Associations, Law Enforcement Agencies, Educational Institutions, Social Services Agencies and other government and private institutions throughout North America.
Joel received his MS in Management from Johns Hopkins University, with an emphasis on Executive Leadership, and has found that his background, education, growth, and experiences in both the public and private sector have enabled him to relate to almost any industry and management level.
Viviane Vicente
Viviane Vicente is a global professional with a legal background and over 20 years of experience in both government and corporate settings. Prior to joining the Cultural Intelligence Center, she operated her own consultancy, specialized in educating business people, military personnel, nonprofit staff, and other professionals on how to communicate, present, and successfully lead in domestic and international environments. She is passionate about organizational behavior topics and has spoken on matters of Business Etiquette and Cross-cultural Management at various events around the world.
Viviane possesses a Law degree and an MBA from Brazilian universities, a Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) in National Security and U.S. Foreign Relations Law from The George Washington University Law School, and a Certificate degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) from Georgetown University. She is a speaker of English, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.
Samara Hakim, JD
Samara Hakim, JD, is the Founder of CulturGrit, LLC. She is an international culture and inclusion thought leader, data strategist, speaker, writer, coach, and facilitator. For over a decade, Samara has equipped leaders with the cultural intelligence to work with those who are different, by mitigating bias and integrating culture into business practices and metrics. She has extensive experience in communication, conflict transformation, diversity, equity, inclusion, implicit bias mitigation, and culture transformation. Samara is a dynamic speaker who engages people to think beyond their comfort zone and to work across differences. She draws on a range of experiences including her work across cultures, acculturation in the U.S., her legal career, and her personal background.
Samara grew up in Lebanon. She has traveled extensively and is fluent in French, Arabic, and English, and conversational in Spanish. Samara loves chocolate, biking, and dancing. She currently resides in San Diego, CA.
CQC Healthcare Solutions for Organizations
We offer healthcare workers a quality solution for the State of Michigan LARA mandated Implicit Bias Training requirement. Our Implicit Bias (or Unconscious Bias) solutions utilize the transformative power of Cultural Intelligence (CQ) to address Bias.
Our approach to Implicit Bias training is unique. We teach people to recognize and understand bias and we offer proven methods of managing bias with Cultural Intelligence (CQ).
Our Implicit Bias in Healthcare training solutions can be tailored for the needs of individual practitioners, or for both large and small organizations. For those organizations with internal training departments, we offer bespoke solutions that enable tailored, in-house training.
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Preferred State of Michigan Vendor
We are a preferred vender to the state of Michigan and are part of the MiDeal program. -
Certified Women-Owned Business
We are founded, led, and run by women. -
Expert Healthcare Facilitators
All facilitators have professional experience as healthcare practitioners. -
94% of training participants reported
that they were better able to recognize and deal with bias in themselves and their colleagues.
Our Healthcare Partners Include:
Why Choose the
Cultural Intelligence Center
for Your Implicit Bias Training Needs?
Our gold-standard implicit bias training meets the Michigan training requirements for healthcare licensure and renewals.
We have worked with some of the largest Michigan health care providers to improve the effectiveness of healthcare workers by helping them use cultural intelligence to manage bias, improve patient communication, and increase team effectiveness. We are a certified women-owned business and a preferred state of Michigan vendor. Reach out to us to learn more about how we can tailor an Implicit Bias in Healthcare program to fit your organization’s needs, regardless of its size.